11/11/11 Veteran's Day

Today I was up earlier than I wanted to. The wind was howling and leaves were flying everywhere. I walked over 1.5 miles today to the Metro station closest to me, to save me $1.70 for a bus ride to the station. But, by walking, I was able to stop by the Air Force Memorial and got to see some old AF pilots in their leather jackets as they waited for a ceremony to start. I walked down the hill and debated if I should walk through Arlington National Cemetery. Instead, I opted to continue my way down to Pentagon Row to walk through some shops and get brunch. Instead of a crepe place, I opted for Noodles & Co. [one of my favorite restaurants from back home, that we don't have in Boston- ordered the usual, Mac & Cheese with tofu and broccoli...delicious!] before walking through the 5 story mall, passed the Metro station [so I knew where it was] and went to Costco. I was hoping to get some eye drops there, but they didn't have what I needed, my eyes are so itchy and red from unknown allergies. Sigh.


I took the Metro to Alexandria to meet friends I met over 7 years ago, when I started babysitting for military wives back in O'side. I hadn't seen them in a few years and was so happy to spend the afternoon with them. I've been to Alexandria before. A few years ago I flew to BWI, stayed with an old classmate and took the train into Alexandria for an interview. I never got the job which would have been working at a resort for service men and women in Germany, apparently I was over qualified to do room service or bus tables. It was on that trip that I found a place with my name, Lorien. It's a hotel and spa and ever since then I've been curious about how they say "Lorien". I did not go in today to find out, but hope to stop in tomorrow and see, maybe get a discount or something as well :) Of course, I could have easily picked up the phone anytime over the last 3 years and called them up to see how they say the name.


It was super windy today. The temp was 61° but the wind was so cold, the temp felt like it was in the low 40s, it just cut through my jeans and sweatshirt. My friends husband was still in his green marine uniform from earlier festivities [can I call Veteran's Day events festivities, that kind of sounds wrong?] and walking along the streets many older folks thanked him for his service. It's interesting and he even said it, but most of those who said thank you were probably veteran's themselves, as they all seemed to be around the same age.

We were hoping to have lunch at one of my friends favorite restaurants, Restaurant Eve, but they were crowded and we didn't have time to wait that long, especially with a 11 month old. Apparently a really good restaurant with great lunch deals. So, instead, we went to La Madeleine. Food served somewhat cafeteria styled, and I got something similar to crepes and a vanilla latte. Afterwards, we braved the cold and walked around, stopping at the Torpedo Factory Art Center which used to be a torpedo factory that got turned into an artist studios, galleries and workshops.


Having a few hours to kill before making my way back to Arlington, I went back to their house where I got to see their homemade wine cellar and their collection of wines. We did have a red. I don't know which kind it was, but it was good. They are serious about their wines. Serving at the right temperature, pouring it into a decanter first before pouring it into the stemless wine glasses. After pouring use wine, the husband left a to pick up the kids from school. Their eldest daughter, now 11, remembered me. Their son, 6, didn't but warmed up to me immediately. We ended up playing Hungry Hippos before I had to leave. I will have to come back and visit them before next summer when they are expected to be reassigned to different base.

In sad news, I learned that the military wife that introduced me to this family has stage 4 cancer. She has two boys whom I also babysat back in the day, her oldest now in college! [Man, talk about feeling old].

Then it was time to hop on the Metro.

The Metro is more comfortable than the T. I sat on padded seats and it wasn't nearly as crowded as the Boston trains. However, my card didn't work when exiting the Metro stations, which is weird. You have to use your ticket to get into the station and then when you get to your destination, you have to use that same card to get out of the station. So, I have no idea how much money is still on my card or why I couldn't get out of the station. Oh well.

Dinner time was Thai food. We walked up to a Thai place not to far from the apartment and I had super spicy Green Curry Jae and a mango mojito. Yummy. Totally felt the buzz from the 2 glasses of wine and the mojito b/c I had a red moment upon leaving Thai Square Restaurant. There was a metal country shape on the wall and I was like [to myself thank goodness] why is there a piece of art the shape of Thailand, hanging on the wall? Oy vey! Duh! On our way home we stopped at the grocery store to get some Riesling and a very chocolaty cake for dessert. Which we had while watching Desk Set which was my first Katharine Hepburn movie. I totally like Katharine over Audrey.

Goes to DC

In my adult life, I've been to DC/VA twice in the past 3 years. I'm thankful to have friends who at the time lived in Baltimore and Quantico and were able to show me around. Today, I flew into Ronald Regan Washington National Airport on a rainy evening to meet one of my friends from Boston who moved to Arlington earlier this year. And of course, after the pat down at the airport [b/c I refuse to go through the body scanners] I learn that my flight is delayed. Of course it is! It seems that something would have to be very wrong for me to book a flight that actually departs on time. We finally leave about an hour late, so now instead of getting into DC around 8:30, I'm getting in at 9:30. I was in row 7, window seat on the side of the plane I seem to always sit in and had forgotten the whole "board the aircraft from the rear" rule. So, by the time I got on, there was hardly any room in the overhead bins for my suitcase. I HATE that people who sit in the back put their suitcases in the front of the aircraft b/c when we landed, I had to wait and walk back 10 rows to the overhead bin my suitcase was in. People, flying courtesy tip: store your suitcase ABOVE your own row.

The flight was rather bumpy and I can't help but think I'm flying on US Airways. The same airline that I nearly fell from the sky on a small plane flying from BOS to Rochester, NY 3 summers ago. The same airline Sully worked for, who successfully landed his plane on the Hudson. The same airline who has crashed in Buffalo, NY. So, yes, I made some prayers over and over again and gripped whatever I could which was my full glass of soda I just got [as if that would help us prevent crashing to our death in turbulence]. Very bumpy, but we landed safely. I got to see DC at night, which was cool.

My friend picked me up and we went to her apartment, which is a quick drive. We passed Arlington Cemetery and she lives practically down the street from the Air Force Memorial. I met her roommate who works at the pentagon and the 3 of us had hot cider spiked with spice rum and snickerdoodles.

Oh and let me say this. My friends apartment, is like, a real apartment. And what I mean by that is it's the type I'm familiar with, reminded me of San Diego. No security doors, kind of reminds me of resort, many units but not boxy. Inside the apartments are CARPETED!!! Have central heat [although at the moment my friend's heat doesn't work], have normal sliding door closets (mirrored), are not narrow and long, but big and spacious. Oh, and the front door is like a house door, so it doesn't lock behind you, therefore really preventing you from accidentally locking yourself out :)

My First Day

Today was my first day in my new position, even though I am still doing my old work until we hire someone else. It went something like this:

Woke up, snoozed twice before getting up. Put on my wool skirt, sweater tights, silky blouse and pearls, kind of felt like an old schoolmarm, but I got so many compliments today, so I'm happy. I was out the door and ready for the bus by 8:30am [I sound like a kid waiting for the bus for school, lol] in my down coat and gloves b/c it was in the low 30s. The bus came but there was no room, so I had to wait for the next one. Which would be fine, it's the one I usually catch, except the bus was delayed and b/c the previous bus couldn't fit anyone on, we then had to stop at nearly every bus stop to pick up people. Traffic was ok, but I was 18 minutes late for work.

I had 10 minutes to get settled before my 9:30 meeting with the Chief of Staff. Had the meeting, worked on her stuff. Forgot to fix my oatmeal. At 11:30, I fixed coffee but got so busy with stuff that by 12:30 when the CoS came into the kitchen, she said someone fixed coffee and forgot it. Duh Lor! That'd be me. So I reheated my first cup of coffee of the day, just before I took my lunch break.

The Dean's EA [executive assistant] left early, so I was running the boat this afternoon. I took my lunch at the gym, like I always do and was running non-stop after I got back into the office. Meetings after meetings to keep on track, 3 phone lines to answer calls, calls made to outside vendors, coordinating catering, figuring out benefits for open enrollment. I did manage to eat lunch around 2:15, after only having an orange for a snack. I finally had a couple hours of peace and quiet to get ahead and organized. What a day! It's amazing how fast a day goes when you actually have work to do. I kind of miss not checking my 4 email accounts, FB and CNN 20 times a day.

I stayed late again, which is becoming a normal occurrence. But I did make the time up from being late this morning and get ahead for tomorrow. I got home around 6pm and decided I needed to fix myself some butternut squash risotto. By 7pm I was ready to eat and able to relax for a bit. [Deep breath]. Now, it's time to treat myself to a nice glass of Scotch Whiskey and enjoy the night witches and goblins.

Going Out

So, I get back from Puerto Rico and the weather in Boston is cold! The heat is on and it's snowing! I'm an excited and yes, people close to me are kind of blaming me for this pretty white stuff falling from the sky. I'm sorry, I love the snow.

I was so bored tonight and was thankful my friend texted me saying they were at the Publik House down the street from me. It forced me to get dressed and all dolled up. I had a few too many beers and some food and we met a group of guys who were playing music trivia using Shazam on their iPhones for the songs played at the bar. I got a point for a Men at Work song. They invited us over to the Golden Temple's small dance floor, so we made our way across the street and tracks to go dancing. Snow plows driving past us and the boys laying down their coats so we could cross the street (ok, not really, but they did protect us from getting sprayed by the plows). I seriously need to learn to accept gentlemen offers, like holding my hand to keep me from slipping as I cross the street in the slushy snow or even saying "yes" when they ask if they can buy me a drink (of course I said no to two different guys b/c I fear the Irish flu in the morning).




So we danced, I got all sweaty and was told that I looked so happy. [Apparently, I lit up when Usher came on.] And you know what? I was happy! For the first time in a long time, I did something fun and spur of the moment. I went out, to a bar around the corner, chatted with guys and went dancing with strangers. I miss dancing and it was just what I needed. I didn't wear my sexy wench outfit b/c to be honest, I didn't want to be cold wearing that skimpy outfit. But I enjoyed getting dressed up and going out on a Saturday night. I can be such a tease, but I have to admit, being outnumbered by guys is so fun. We shut down the dance floor and I walked home alone, in the slushy snow being careful not to slip and fall in my "hooker" boots [as my sis calls them], but it was oh, so refreshing.

And, for the record, as my third Halloween here, in Boston I think this may have been the earliest snowfall I've seen to date. My first Halloween in 2009, I believe it was rainy. Last year, it was warmer than 2009, but this I do believe is the most snow I've seen in October in the 3 October's I've been in Boston.

Island Time Sucks!

Observation: There are a lot of runners out here in the Condado area. I honestly don't see how people can run in this weather, my clothes are soaked just from speed walking back and forth between Mhan Chung for my dinner take-out.


Woke up and enjoyed some breakfast and PRican coffee out on the balcony. Last night I could really hear the waves breaking along the rocks below us and it was pretty windy out. There must be a storm coming in. I managed to snag a hammock in the shade and did some relaxing reading The Paris Wife. Then, I got a beach chair and went into the ocean. The water was comfortable and I spent a good 40 minutes in there just floating on my back [the damn swimsuit bottoms don't want to stay on so I can't swim without showing my ass :(]. I took a dip in the salt water pool. I've never been in on [that I can remember anyway] and it was much cooler than the ocean and didn't really feel/taste like the ocean, but my skin did feel kind of weird being in that water. Again since the swimsuit bottoms weren't behaving, I took a quick dip to be able to say I swam in the salt water pool and then got out to go change for lunch in Old San Juan.

I managed to catch the bus into Old San Juan, costing me just 75 cents and arrived in OSJ within 15 minutes. Met Kim and we wandered the streets looking for a place to eat (or more like a place that sold food that I could eat). We struck out 4 times before deciding on Cafecultura, known for the "best coffee in Old San Juan" and was excited that they had a Vegetarian & Vegan section on the menu. However, when I went to order, they said they didn't have any but I could have one of their sandwiches, but we explained that I'm a vegetarian, so I asked if I could just get the grilled cheese on the kids menu and he said yes. So I ordered that and a cafe con leche with brown sugar. It was the best cafe con leche that I've had in PR. It took forever for us to get our drinks, and was tempted to order another one, but didn't. An hour later, our food finally arrived. I got 6 pieces of golden potatoes and then 3 tiny "grilled cheese" on toasted slider buns. However, the freakin "grilled cheese" was ham with melted cheese on the toasted buns. ¡¿QTF?! [That's que? instead of what?]. What part of vegetarian didn't they understand? So I waited an hour for something I couldn't eat. Pissed, I only tipped the guy 10% which was more than I wanted to. This brought a whole knew meaning to lunchtime siestas! I think the chef was sleeping or something b/c it does not take an hour to make this!! ¡Que horrible!

So, I left Kim and went off to find some coffee beans [struck out], looked at the menu of a few restaurants on the map I picked up [didn't feel like paying for another meal] and decided to go to Barrachina, home of the first piña colada. The best piña coladas I've had here in PR! I ordered 2 as I chatted with some military boys from Connecticut. I asked for the check b/c I was partially afraid I'd keep ordering more (the bar tender made the comment that I really like those bc I went through them so quickly) and mostly b/c I was pretty much drinking on an empty stomach. 2 piña coladas cost me $14, not too bad considering how large and tasty they were and there was a LOT of rum in those things! Speaking of rum...



The drinking age in PR is 18 (not 21). Do I look like I could be younger? I'm a little confused b.c every time I've ordered a piña colada, the bartenders have asked me if I want rum. Umm...hello? Of course I want rum in my piña colada, why wouldn't I drink it with rum in PR?

I left Barrachina and walked around the city taking some photos of new areas as I popped into CVS to get some M&Ms for my flight tomorrow and a gallon of water. [After all the drinking and walking and sweating I've done today, I'll need it!] I then went to Aloha, since the map said they had $1 PRican beer. Having not tried one yet, I went in, but they looked closed. I asked if I could just get 1 PRican beer, and he said yes. I was the only one in there, he turned the lights on for me and the AC. When I finished I asked how much [expecting $1] and it cost me $3.25, which isn't bad for a beer that tasted like Coor's Light, but I was mad bc I was totally going off what the map said, otherwise I could have gone to the place that sold BOGO Mojitos and had real food and mojitos and then a beer.


Anyway, having no food in my system, 3 drinks and sweating, I wait for the bus to go back into San Juan. It's 4pm...4:30...4:45...a bus pulls up but is out of service...5pm...I have to pee so bad from all the drinking and can no longer hold it. Problem is I don't want to miss the bus, even though I've been waiting an hour, I was afraid to leave, the bus would come and leave and I'd have to wait another hour. I had to say "eff it" and went to the BOGO mojito place since that was the only place open with a restroom. There was a sign on the restroom door "for customers only, non patrons must pay $2". So I go to the bar and said, "I have to use the restroom really bad" and got my purse out, and she said go ahead. I was so ready to pay to use the toilet at this point. So-much-better!



I get back to the bus depot and my bus is ready to board. YES! So off we go and I'm not going to pee myself! It's about 5:15pm, still no food since being out in the sun and drinking my PRican adult beverages, I decide to take the bus past the hotel to go to the Asian restaurant, Mhan Chung, to get take out of the red soy sweet and sour chicken. I walk back to the hotel and open the container and it looks like chicken (I cut into it) and it smells like chicken to me. Well, I call the place and tell them and walk back (which is about a 15 minute walk each way from the hotel) only to get there and the lady told me that she spoke to the chef and he is 100% certain that was not chicken what he gave me. So, I walk back [the I.d. 10 T that I am] so hungry and so sweaty to my takeout in the hotel. It's a little after 7pm when I finally eat (after not eating anything more than 1 packet of oatmeal and some potato pieces) and having a tummy full of alcohol and water and coffee. I scarf my food down, the day completely lost b/c I wanted to go back to the pool and beach before the sun set. UGH! Island time sucks! I'm very impatient and can't deal with this slow pace when I have so many things I want to do!


I'm sure you meat eaters are thinking, "how the eff did she think this was chicken? That's ok, I laughed at myself too...after the fact, of course :)

It's now 8pm, tummy full of soy bean chicken and rice and I so badly want to go to the pool, but I am craving tres leche cake and I don't want to go walk outside to yet another restaurant just to get dessert, so these are my hopes for tonight. See if the hotel has tres leche cake, go to the pool for a little bit (not going to get a drink tonight!) and then pack stuff. Tomorrow my flight leaves at 1:10pm so I am hoping to go down to the beach/pool first thing in the morning to get some more sun (which btw, I did get red today, missed a spot or something on my thigh and then my left upper body must have gotten more sun than my right b/c it's red and I'm pretty sure I'll have some interesting tan lines if the red browns at all, otherwise I'll have some weird red/white lines). I'm hoping tomorrow works out b/c I'm kind of in a pissy mood right now after all the tests I failed today [thank you Island gods] and really don't want to go back to Boston in as bad as a mood as I left.

Old San Juan & Bacardi

Yes, I can hear the waves crashing from my bedroom. Yes, my right knee is sore from yesterday's hiking (and all the walking we did today). Yes, guys on the street called after me (only today it was that I have gorgeous hair). Yes, I have quite a few bug bites in the usual locations from yesterday's trip. Yes, it's time to replace my 6 year old cherry bikini not only b/c it leaves black marks on my chest, but because I can't swim without my ass being exposed. No, I haven't gotten sunburned (but there's still one day left and I plan on making it a pool/beach day at the resort). Enjoy today's blog and disregard typos, I don't typically proof read before posting, too damn lazy.

Today we walked 3 miles from our hotel in San Juan to Old San Juan in the heat of the afternoon. I did bring a towel with me as my Nordic blood can't handle this 86° and humid weather. So besides melting, it wasn't that bad of a walk as we got to see some pretty cool sights, like the Capitol and the row of a handful of US Presidents and the School of Medicine. We manged to located a Walgreen's so we could get cash back since we needed cash and we didn't want to pay an ATM fee. We had brunch at Fefo's which was ok. I had 2 pancakes and a cafe con leche, which was pretty good.

From there we found our way to the ferry terminal and for 50 cents we took it across the way, paid $3 each for a shuttle to the Bacardi Factory for free tastings and a tour. There we ran into our tour guide from yesterday, Carlos, who said he could give us a ride back to Old San Juan after the tour. The free drinks was why I wanted to go to Bacardi (not to mention, in my travels I have managed to hit up any brewery or distillery in the area). The tour was ok, we didn't get to see where they actually make the rum. We got a history lesson and a lesson on how to make a proper Mojito, Daiquiri, and rum and coke & a Cuba Libre (which is a rum and coke with a lime wedge) as well as their history.


Bacardi Facts:
1- Bacardi Rum originated in Cuba, now 85% of Bacardi Rum is made in Puerto Rico, the other 15% is made in Mexico.
2- The bat symbol came about after Don Bacardi's wife walked into the first warehouse and saw a family of bats hanging from the roof. Bats were a sign of prosperity, so they used the symbol. At that time people didn't read, but recognized symbols.
3- The use used whiskey white oak barrels (like from Jack Daniels) to age their rum.
4- They age their rum 1-2 years for the flavored rums and 16 years for their Limited Reserve.
5- Superior Rum is mixed with juices, Gold is mixed with soda (never Pepsi), 8 is like Scotch, Limited Reserve is much like Cognac, meant to be sipped, by itself.
6- 8 warehouses in PR to age barreled rum.
7- The Mojito is the oldest drink in the world, it just went by Drake back in the day, after Francis Drake which pirates used as medicine, was called burning water (moonshine).
8- You never serve a Mojito in a plastic or thin glass.
9- Daiquiri came about when Jennings Cox made his own drink while working at a mine in Daiguiri Beach in Cuba. Everyone loved drinking it and it was named to commemorate the town they lived and worked in.

Back to the tasting. I had some sort of drink with Rock Coconut Rum. They added something yellow and red from the bar gun thingy, it was tasty and reminded me of a piña colada. I should have probably asked what they mixed the rum with. My second tasting was the Torched Cherry Rum and Coke. It tasted like a cherry Coke. I preferred the first one I tasted. Then, too cool off, I went into the gift shop and bought myself a tall Bacardi glass. I really wanted to buy the Limited Reserve bottle of rum, but I haven't even opened my Scotch Whisky yet, so next time I come to PR, maybe I'll get it then.



With Carlos driving us back with his cruise passengers we were able to see more of the Island. We hopped on the free trolley to go to one of the forts...Castillo San Cristóbal. Boy, what an experience that trolley was! It reminded me of those Mexican buses filled with so many people on a hot and steamy day. It was supposedly an enclosed, AC trolley, but man it was warm and crowded. There was traffic and we really could have walked to the Fort from where we caught the trolley in less time that it took us to get there by vehicle. I should have taken a picture of what it looked like on the bus. The fort was an old and big and used to house military until the early 1960s when the US Army gave it over to the National Parks. Gorgeous views of Old San Juan and much cooler with a lovely breeze.



We decided to walk back to the shopping area, I got some souvenirs and then we went to Punto de Vista for some dinner. My old roommate and her family ate here and I saw the menu and was attracted to the buy one get one free mojito deal they had. So, I had my delicious BOGO mojitos with some delicious fish tacos [we aren't talking about your Rubio's Baja Fresh fish tacos, these were amazing fish tacos] and sweet plantains (I can't get enough of them!). I nearly finished my first Mojito before my food arrive and suddenly hit the alcohol wall, where all of a sudden I felt the rum. But of course I ordered some water, ate my dinner and then sipped my second mojito. Just as tasty as the first! We tried to find the bus that would take us back to the hotel area, unlike Boston, they cost 75 cents each time you get on, but they don't really have a set schedule...they're on what I like to call Island time. They come and go when they come and go [oh, Karma karma karma chameleon, lol- points if you get it]. So, we took a cab back [well, it was an Astro van, not really a cab cab like in major US cities], which cost us $6 each and the guy driving decided to play loud hop-hop and R&B station that made me want to dance SOOOO bad [remember, I had drank 2 mojitos in an hour!] :)



Once we get into the hotel room, I change into my swimsuit (it's about 8pm) and I go down to the pool. The water is kind of on the cool side, but I still go in. The hot tub is not hot, which disappointed me b/c I started to get cold. Since it was there, I swam up to the bar and ordered a... you guessed it, a piña colada. Now I was excited to do this b/c never have I ever gone to a swim up bar and ordered a drink, not even in Vegas. Of course, after getting the bill which I charged to the hotel room, I'm not sure a $10 piña colada was the smartest thing to do. But, it gave me some excitement and tomorrow, should the weather cooperate, I'll know to order a cheaper drink like one of the Puerto Rican beers that I have yet to try.

I'm getting a headache as I finish this up, that got me thinking, I had 5 alcoholic drinks today, 1 bottle of soda and a few bottles of water...and I was outside all day long in the heat. I really hope I'm not hungover tomorrow b/c on tomorrows itinerary: wake up early to go to beach/pool, hope to snag a hammock to read for a bit before going back into Old San Juan to try a piña colada at the birthplace of the piña colada, Barrachina. I also want to buy some coffee if I can find some and go back to that Chinese place to get some more tasty sweet and sour chicken before going back to the beach/pool, maybe hit the gym up and play a few bucks in the Casino.

El Yunque Rainforest & Luquillo Beach- PR Day 2

After going to bed early last night I woke up at 6:30am, two hours before our wake up call. The beds are not that comfortable, shame on you Hilton, especially since this is a "Conrad" hotel. I really want to wake up and watch the sunrise one of these mornings, just couldn't do it this morning.

We boarded our van at 9:15am for the all-day El Yunque Rainforest and Luquillo beach tour. Carlos, our host, is originally from New York and was a DJ before moving down here. There were 9 of us, a couple from Boston, a couple from San Francisco, a couple from Miami and another guy, but I'm not sure where he is from.

History Lesson & facts for today:
1) What is a Puerto Rican? A Puerto Rican consists of Spanish, African and Indian heritage.
2) El Yunque's original Indian name was Yuque, which meant white and sacred lands.
3) Rum, Tourism and Coffee do not make the top 3 industries in Puerto Rico. The #1 industry believe it or not is pharmaceuticals.
4) El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest system (I would have thought Hawaii would have had one).
5) Bacardi Rum is actually Cuban rum.
6) Inpatients grow all over the place in the forest, they came from Africa, and are an important ingredient in childhood leukemia and cortisone drugs.
7) Cops cruise the city of San Juan with their lights on, you only pull over if they put the sirens on.
8) PR is kind of a hybrid Island. They measure speed in m.p.h., yet distance (like on road signs) are in km. Gas is sold by the liter not the gallon. Temperature is read in Fahrenheit if talking about the weather, yet medically (like body temp or thermometers) are in Centigrade.

Our first stop was at a small waterfall, La Coca Falls. Here we were shown one of the most poisonous plants in the area (worse than poison ivy) and were given the rundown on what would happen if any one of us got lightly brushed with this plant. The "itchy, itchy" plant spreads really fast and if one of us touched one, we would be quarantined from the group, burned with alcohol and slathered in cortisone, so thick it would be like a white paste, then if it got too out of hand, we would have to cut the tour short and go to the ER. Thankfully, no one ran into it.


After the lecture, we went to get up close and personal with the small waterfall. It was sprinkling a bit and started to pour as I was climbing up the rocks. I, trying ever so carefully to not lose footing and fall here, got wet. We did find some cover under a rock, where we stood/sat for about 5 minutes waiting for the rain to pass. It did lighten up to the point where we could get some more photos. Thankfully I did NOT fall (but did get soaked).



From there, we hopped back into the van and stopped at the Yunque Delight Cafe to order our lunches. They didn't have much for vegetarians, so my only option was rice & beans with plantains (I opted for the sweet ones b/c those are my favorite). This dish cost me $11 (and it was cashed only which sucked b/c I didn't bring as much cash as I thought and there are no BoA's or any other US mainland banks which I belong to, here on the Island and I still have to figure in some cab fare for the airport and public transportation for the trip into Old San Juan later).


Anyway, we ordered then hopped into the van and were driven to the Big Tree Trailhead where we got dropped of and hiked .7 miles down [I just noticed this, but distance here was in miles vs kms...probably b/c it's a US National Park? hmm...] to get to La Mina Falls. I've hiked rain forests before, but I've never swam near a waterfall (I've never gotten into water by ANY waterfall). So, since it's humid and I was sweaty from the hike down, I took off my clothes and went for a dip. [I wasn't naked, I had my swim suit on under my clothes silly :p - though, I'd like to do that sometime, it's on my bucket list.] The water was cool and it was rocky (like big rocks not river rocks or pebbles), but it was refreshing. The current from the falls was pretty strong, so it was tough to get close to the falling water. There were quite a few people and this one older guy kept getting in my shots, totally pissing me off, but whatever, I went in, I got some photos and I got out. Didn't have a towel (one less thing to carry) so I put on my shorts and hiking shoes and kept my top off as we made our way back up .7 miles to the top of the trail.



We hopped in the van and went back to the cafe where our food was waiting for us. It was tasty but certainly not worth the $11 I paid. After we ate we got back into the van and we went to the Yokahu Tower, where we climbed just 98 steps to the top for a gorgeous view at 1575 feet above sea level.



We hopped back into the van and were taken to Rio Grande where we went to Luquillo Beach. At this time it was 3:30-4ish and it was overcast. We probably should have done the beach thing first, but whatever. Wasn't the most spectacular beach, BUT I was able to get my piña colada made with 151 rum AND drink it on the beach. The water was warm, but not as warm as the water at the resort's beach (probably b/c it was overcast). I did lather up the sunblock though b/c I've gotten 2nd/near 3rd degree sunburns from being on the beach in SoCal on an overcast day AND the sun is stronger down here in the Caribbean since it's closer to the equator. There were nasty sand bugs (ants and flies) and I did get a few what I think are mosquito bites. I did use one of my OFF wipes after changing into dry clothes at the beach, but it may have been a little too late for that to work.


I was super excited to see coconut trees! These palm trees had real coconuts growing on them, and some had even fallen to the ground. I kept thinking of Zazu from The Lion King and singing in my head "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, deedle lee de)". This truly did excite me (the coconut trees with coconuts in them).


We left the beach at 5:15ish, we hit traffic going back into San Juan and missed another sunset (but mostly bc it was too cloudy for one tonight). We got back to the hotel close to 6:45pm and were exhausted. I had every intention of going down to the pool and ordering a drink, but felt so dirty, I was ready for a hot shower to scrub the days elements off of me and just couldn't get myself to get back into my suit.

For dinner we walked to Mike's Pizzeria, which we walked by last night and thought it looked good and was told by our host today that it's the best pizza close to NY style in the area. We ordered some cheesy garlic bread, which were huge, thick rosemary sliced bread topped with melted mozzarella and lightly garlic-ed. That would have done the trick, but we didn't know they would be that big. So we split a half pie of 4 cheese pizza, we could only eat one slice each and ended up taking 2 back with us. The pizza was delicious and the crust was really tasty, I haven't had pizza crust like that in a very long time. Yummy! On our walk back I had a guy driving by in a car (of course) yell out the window "you look beautiful". Of course he's of the latin flavor...and I should just accept that the latin's are attracted to me. I forgot to mention we had a some guys on our way over to the pizza place saying very similar comments. However, it didn't make me feel uncomfortable like when you have the Mexican's yelling at you in California...they're just creepy.And yes, I did think of Latin Lover today, I kind of miss him after being around all these pretty cute Puerto Ricans. And man I want to dance!! The hotel had some latin music playing and I couldn't keep my hips still while waiting for the elevator. I think I'll be coming back to PR again and I'll have to bring my "latin" dress!

On the itinerary for tomorrow: brunch, public transportation into Old San Juan to board a cheap ass ferry (50 cents each way) so we can go to the Bacardi Factory for a free tour and 2 free tastings, before making our way back to take the free trolley to tour Old San Juan, hopefully get some cash from a Walgreen's or something using cash back while picking up a few souvenirs and maybe some coffee to bring back home.