Friday

We were able to book a snorkeling trip for Friday. It didn't look like we were going to get one, but after calling persistently, Bruce finally found a company with openings. We went out with Captain "Sa-So" (spelling is definitely not correct, but I have NO idea) on the Salty Dog.





It was a beautiful day and unlike other snorkeling tours, the alcohol flowed freely. We've been on boats that only offered drinks AFTER the snorkeling was over and we were on the way back. We've been on boats that sold beers, and boats with no alcohol at all. But the Salty Dog had NO rules about drinking. They offered Rum Punch and Pain Killers (my personal favorite) ALL day long, as many as you wanted and all free for the asking. A Pain Killer is a mixtur of orange juice, pineapple juice and Creme de Coco with rum. So yummy.

We went to one island about 45 minutes away and snorkeled right off of the beach. That part was cool to me, because its so much easier to adjust your equipment, and walk casually into the water. Other trips we have to jump off the side of the boat.






Afterwards we walked around for a quick tour of this little island. Our group being silly (as if we could ever be anything but). I don't know why my son insisted on rubbing his nipples, but ....maybe it was the Pain Killers???



They served a very simple lunch back on the boat of fresh bread, cold cuts and cheese, pasta salad, and a delicious fruit tray. Nothing fancy, but it was the BEST tasting food in the whole world. Probably was all of that swimming. Then we took off to another snorkeling spot where we found a lot more fish. The captain told us to take leftover bread and feed the fish. We had them eating right out of our hands. Unfortunately, this is where my camera battery died, so we don't have pictures of that, but the snorkeling was beautiful.



It was a beautiful day. After some recovery time back at the condo we went out for dinner where I had my first taste of the local dish mofongo. Its mashed, fried plantains and it tastes somewhat like hashbrowns. I enjoyed it, especially with the most delicious mojitos in the world being served for happy hour. LOL.

So, today we are headed into Old San Juan to enjoy the old city. My camera has been charged up so hopefully there will be lots of pictures to share. We are having a blast, except I find myself missing our animals quite a bit. I don't have any kitties here to curl up in bed with me, and that makes me a little sad. I hope our pet sitting service is taking good care of them.

We Are Here

We made it safely to Puerto Rico. The flights were uneventful, and everything went according to schedule. We had a long wait at the rental car place though. It took forever, because it looked like everybody got in at the same time and needed a car. The wait was exhausting, but we got the van that we reserved...a 2010 Dodge Caravan...pretty nice, with lots of luggage space and everyone has a comfortable seat. Then came a really nerve-wracking drive to Luquillo. Luquillo is only about 25 miles east of San Juan (with beautiful beaches), but that drive....OH MY GOD!!!! You pass through about 4-5 little towns with a million stoplights, but people in Puerto Rico drive like maniacs. I saw my life pass before my eyes about a dozen times in that hour long drive. It was insane.

By the time that we finally got to our condo, we were all starving and exhausted. We threw our bags in here and went out to search for food. The service here? Well, friendly but slllooooowwww! Expect to wait. And when you are ravenous that is hard to do. But when the food finally got to us: Delicious! We had some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, and decided it was worth waiting for. I had grilled tilapia in a creole sauce. I was a little worried that it might be too hot and spicy, but actually it was a really savory salsa-like sauce with tomatoes and onions and cilantro....so yummy. We also ordered sangria by the pitcher and that was delicious as well. It took us a while to find this place to eat (apparently Puerto Ricans don't eat mid-afternoon, it was 4:30 and most local places seemed to be closed until dinner) but it was worth it.

Our condo has a wonderful view. Absolutely breathtaking. I will post some pictures later. But up here on the 21st floor its so windy. And the windows are crappy, so we are living with this howling non-stop sound of wind, like we are in the middle of a hurricane. I don't mind it. Stephen really hates it. Hopefully he will adjust, or.....maybe the wind will die down....? We don't know if its just an occasional event or if its like this all the time. But whatever....its a gorgeous day and we are still recovering from an exhausting day of traveling, so we plan to hang out here at the beach, do a little exploring of the grounds, take some pictures, and save the more strenuous stuff for later in our visit. We want to do a day long snorkeling trip to one of the islands off the coast here, and of course, we will have to spend at least a day exploring old San Juan. And eat.....we plan to do LOTS of eating. LOL.

Happy Easter Everybody!!!

I hope everyone is having a nice Easter. We aren't doing anything really special besides having a nice dinner this evening (with chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert...yum). I have to admit that I really do miss the early morning treasure hunt for the baskets, and the egg hunts, and the candy. Easter really does have the BEST candy of all the holidays. I mean, seriously! How many holidays have so many specialty candies that are ONLY available for that time of year? Cadbury Eggs, which are a favorite of mine, but those definitely take a connoisseur of sugar to stomach those. And I am....a connoisseur of sugar. My daughter is too. Nothing can be too overly sweet for us to not like it. But there are also robin's eggs, those giant homemade peanut butter eggs...just a whole bunch of stuff that only comes out during the spring. Peeps used to be an Easter exclusive, but now they make them for everything. Pumpkin peeps, Christmas tree peeps...it kind of cheapens the experience somehow.

Anyway, I hope everyone finds a treasure-laden egg, gets lots of candy, and has a blast. Its the season for awakening and rebirth, so embrace it and enjoy.