One Last Time

Puerto Rico Trip

Day 5 

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

We slept off our cocktails from yesterday, and packed our luggage in the morning.  Boo, we have to go home.

We walked to the market again to get pastries and V got a smoothie, then checked out of the hotel.  We had a couple of hours before going to the airport, so we sat at the pool to enjoy our last breakfast in Puerto Rico.  The hotel lobby has plenty of outlets for patrons to charge their electronic devices, so Bro and I sat in there for a while before we left.  I said goodbye to the Doubletree and their crazy bathrooms.

Sad inside because we have to leave.

Bro got an Uber, and the map showed that he was driving through buildings to get to us, going diagonally across blocks.  "DEBRIS!", I fake-shouted.  Our Uber driver didn't speak much English, but he did point out someone trying to get back to the freeway from the offramp, and said, "Mal!"  Acknowledgement of bad driving is universal.

Airport Entrance
Hey, he's a LMM, too!

We shopped around at the airport, and I bought some adult drinks at the Duty Free Shop.  I also bought Lin-Manuel Miranda's book, "Buen Dias, Buenas Noches".  I wanted to get the English version at the show, but they only had the Spanish one left.  They didn't have an English one at the airport either, but I really wanted to buy the book while I was in Puerto Rico, so I bought it there.  V pointed out that the phrases are mostly short (thanks, twitter!), so I could probably figure them out, what with my mad skillz via the Duolingo app.

We sat at the gate for a while, which seemed even longer without wifi or outlets to charge our devices.  V got a hot dog, and also bought a six-pack of biscuits from Church's Chicken for Bro and me.  Mmmmm...honey biscuits!  Our airplane seats also didn't have individual screens or outlets.  It's good I was sleepy!  I did have the window seat, so I got some nice shots as we left.

SJU Control Tower

Up, up....

...and away.
Adios, Puerto Rico.

Our stop on the way home was in Charlotte, NC.  I have never been at this airport before, and had we time and unlimited money, I would have tried out some of the Carolina BBQ at the food court.  Instead, we finished off our Church's biscuits and ate stuff at the Admiral's Club before boarding the next non-screen, non-outlet flight.  Still sleepy, I finished the book on my Kindle anyway.

Pretty view at sunset on the way to CLT

Carolina Coast

Bro and V were kind enough to let me get something at In-N-Out on the way back to their house, because I was reeeeealllly hungry.  We said our good nights, and I left the next morning.

This was an amazing trip, and I'm grateful to Bro and V for their company, for arranging everything, and for the credit on our ever-changing bank account with each other.  :)  Seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton was a dream come true.  Relaxing on a Puerto Rican beach was all kinds of wonderful.  Doing both on the weekend of my birthday was an awesome perk!  We had great food, met very nice people, and even got to see a dog that we called "The Puerto Rican Cadence".  PR, I love you.

  

I only wish Bananaman had been there, too.