Satisfied

Puerto Rico Trip

Day 2

January 19, 2019

I woke up first this morning, got dressed, and went downstairs to explore a little bit.  I got some coffee from the hotel lobby and went outside to the pool area to take in the wonderful weather.  Ah, what a nice, balmy day!

Good Morning!

Bro joined me for a bit, then we asked the hotel clerk for a Do Not Disturb sign for our door, because we didn't have one.  She said she'd send someone over.  So they're going to knock on our door and disturb us so we could have a Do Not Disturb sign?  OK.

Meanwhile, V made me feel better by creating a makeshift Bananaman.

When V was up and ready to go, we went to breakfast at Bebo's Cafe.  The crosswalk leading to the restaurant had a really cool pattern.  See?

Food is this way!

We didn't know if they would seat us, but we seated ourselves anyway at a table by the window.  While we waited, we saw a dog walk by.  Maybe we saw the same dog twice.  We mused that perhaps this was the only dog in Puerto Rico, and he was their dog mascot.  We later saw more dogs, and we started counting them.  I asked V to count the dogs en espanol, just like Linda did when we went to San Francisco.  We ended up seeing 17 dogs.  I took no pictures of them.  V ordered what she thought was a smoothie, and was given orange juice.  When she told the server what she ordered, the server denied it, and said they didn't have any kind of orange juice-and-milk drink.  I didn't think the combination sounded very good, but I was never a creamsicle fan.  We never did see anyone getting a smoothie, but I know V was watching to see if the drink actually existed.  I ordered Tostadas Francesas con Tocineta (French Toast and a side of bacon), y Arandano (cranberry juice).  The French Toast came with some fruit and some kind of whipped cream, but it was much creamier than the whipped cream to which I'm accustomed, and it was quite yummy.  

Due to the slow pace of the service, I decided to walk up to the front area and ask for syrup instead of waiting for the server to ask how we were doing.  She insisted on bringing the syrup to the table.  We enjoyed our food, but it took forever for us to get the check, so Bro went to the register to pay.  She had the nerve to ask which table.  Um, the one you've been serving really slowly this entire time?

We then walked to the beach, which was only a couple of blocks away.  The grains of sand were fine, not coarse, and the water was a gorgeous blue with mild waves.  Oh, you want to see a picture?  Oh, all right.

Hey, Bro, you're in my shot!

We enjoyed the beach for a little while, and watched a dog really enjoy himself/herself by running to get in the waves, then running onto the shore and rolling around in the sand, rinse, repeat.  We also saw a kite surfer travel around really quickly.

The kite is the black arc in the upper left

We wondered why there were parts of the ocean that were darker blue than the others.  I remembered that when I was on the Rockapella cruise, the water was a darker blue when we were at sea.  So I deduced that the water was deeper in those areas.  Bro said, "But it's moving."  He said it was due to the cloud coverage.  I think I resolved the whole mystery of the Bermuda Triangle because of my new theory that the depth of the ocean is mobile, and that's how things disappear in the sea.  SCIENCE!  

When we got back to the hotel, Bro and V checked out the hammock while I sat in the sun to dry off a little bit.  V was really looking forward to the hammock thing.  See how happy they are? 

Don't fall off!  I would have.

After more relaxation time, we got an Uber to take us to the San Sebastian Street Festival in Old San Juan, recommended by the nice flight attendant.  We were a bit disappointed that the hotel clerk didn't have a gift bag of stuff for us, which the other clerk had told us to ask about when we talked to her at check-in.  Our driver, Johnnie, was very friendly, and he told us to eat mofongo and drink pina coladas at the place where they made the first one, Barrachina.  (The origin is actually prior to that, but that's OK.)  I asked how his house fared after the hurricane, and he said that they were doing OK.  He also told us that no matter what happens, Puerto Ricans are OK.  He asked what we thought was the first thing Puerto Ricans get when they hear that a hurricane is coming.  V guessed "water?"  I guessed "beer?".  I was correct.  We like Johnnie.

Johnnie wasn't able to get us very far into Old San Juan, if at all, so we walked about a mile and a half to get to the festival.   On our way, we heard roosters crow. 

Not this one.

Then I saw this iguana and asked it to smile for me.  He/she responded by nodding his head up and down.  He did not do this for V when I asked him to smile for her, so I figured that he had been wishing me Feliz Cumpleanos.

Muchas Gracias!

 Since this is a huge festival that goes on for four days, it is known as the Puerto Rican equivalent of Mardi Gras.  Lots and lots of people were in attendance, filling many of the cobblestone, hilly streets of Old San Juan.  I easily reached my 10,000-step goal in flip flops, which is why I now have ouchy feet.  I didn't feel like walking in the sun all the way to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, but we got kind of close.  

There is no shade on the way, nor was there a shuttle

We walked through one of the areas where vendors were selling their wares.  V and I bought candy: I got Pasta de Mango, Dulce de Leche, and 3 flavors of lollipops: pina colada, strawberry, and pistachio.  The Pasta de Mango tasted kind of like a fruit roll-up, but the shape was like a little brick instead of a flat circle.  The Dulce de Leche was in a smaller brick form, and I preferred that one.  I have not yet tried the lollipops.  

While we were walking around, we saw various groups with instruments, ready to lead people through the streets, chanting and singing.  I got my birthday wish and got to hear live Puerto Rican music, and saw a huge group of people dancing along with the same steps.  It was fun to watch! 

We were going to get food and drinks from one of the outdoor vendors, but saw a bar advertising yards of sangria for $7.00, Los Cuatro Vientos de Maria.  We sat down and saw that mofongo was on the menu, too!  I liked that the sangria is called "Sangriiia" in the ads.  I ordered my yard of Sangriiia, V had a pina colada, and Bro ordered a mojito.  We all enjoyed our drinks, even though the server wasn't sure if V wanted rum in hers.  I mean, why wouldn't she?  V also asked for a can of Coca-Cola because they had special cans just for the festival. 

Skinny 12-oz Coke with yard of Sangriiia

V and I ordered Mofonguitos de camarones (mashed plantains with shrimp) to share, and Bro ordered anchovies.  While we waited for our food, we were served bread with a delicious garlic herb butter spread. 

Bread with garlic herb butter

I ordered mashed plantains

Anchovies served on cilantro and parsley
marinated in a citrus-flavored sauce

All of our food was delicious!  Our server asked if we would like to order dessert, even though she didn't have any candles to put in it.  Our choice was cheese or homemade flan.  I opted for the flan, which was an excellent choice because it was very creamy.  Bro, V, and our server sang "Feliz Cumpleanos" to me.  Muchas gracias a todos!

Homemade Flan on Chocolate Sauce

 Bro decided to eat it until it was in the shape of Puerto Rico.  Actually, he ate more after he made it into this shape, because it was goooooood.

Phone pictured for accuracy

Bro had another mojito before he left (BTW, all of the drinks were very good), and I was allowed to take my yard of sangriiia with me.  We decided to get an Uber back to town because I was not able to walk another mile with my achy feet.  I ended up dumping out about a half cup of sangriiia because I didn't know how long it would be until we could get to another real bathroom.  I also didn't know if I was allowed to drink alcohol past the festival boundaries.  I almost lost my straw when I tripped and it flew out of my cup, but V rescued it for me.  Sorry, but I was distracted by the lady nearby that was saying "Sangria!" (because I needed more?!?) and didn't step around the big hole in the street.  Our driver, Edgar, passed us on his way to pick us up, and had to go through more traffic to get over to us and make a u-turn.  

Flag on Stilts

When we got back to the hotel, we changed and went to the whirlpool.  Bro went into the pool a couple of times to cool off, but V and I stayed in the whirlpool to stay warm.  I let the bubbly water from the jets massage my achy feet.  

We lounged for a little bit before going back up to our room and going to bed.

It was a wonderful birthday with wonderful weather and my wonderful brother and sister-in-law!

Thank you to everyone who made it special, including y'all on social media.  I feel truly blessed to be living this fortunate life.

Enjoying my 51st

What Comes Next? HAMILTON!!!!!!