Puerto Rico

Day 1:

I woke up at 5:20am, over an hour before my alarm- dang it. I attempted to go back to sleep to further rest up for my long day ahead, but it was useless, my mind was already awake. Clocking in at 3 hours and 20 minutes of sleep, I made myself a bowl of oatmeal and passed the time by watching some tv. When the time came, I excitedly grabbed my suitcase and backpack and hopped into my car, heading to the airport. I religiously follow the arrive-2-hours-before-your-flight rule, but on early mornings like this, sometimes you are pushed through security in 10 minutes, leaving you almost two full hours to kill in the airport. Oh well, I bought a banana and watched netflix on my phone until it came time to board. I spent the duration of my flight watching movies and attempting to sleep, and when the time came to land I pulled out my phone to let Julia know that I had arrived. Apparently all those hours spent on the phone with Verizon checking if I would be charged extra in Puerto Rico went to waste, because it turns out that there are no Verizon towers on the island, and therefore I get no service. After momentarily panicking over how to get into contact with Julia, I quite literally ran into her in the terminal hallway. Now equipped with my best friend at my side, I met up with Gonzalo who took us to our hostel and showed us around Condado. 

Jules and I decided to pass the rest of our travel day lying on the beach, then going to an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant. Julia ordered tostones (setting the theme for the rest of the trip) and I got chicken and rice. 

Upon returning to our hostel, we met the other guests and found out that there was a group of people going to La Placita (which translates to 'the little square') that night to get drinks and socialize. I was unsure of what to expect- especially when Vanessa compared it to New Orleans! We walked around the crowded plaza lined with bars and restaurants and got to know the people who we would be staying with for the next week. 

Day 2:

This morning seemed as good as any to hop a bus to Old San Juan, and we spent our time walking through the streets and checking out shops. The colorful facades made us so happy! 

Julia took on the role of tour guide, researching the best stops before hand and showing me around. We checked out El Morro, a 400 year old fort on the coast, and we explored its premises. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely, we decided our next stop would be at an acai bowl place to cool down. 

We later took the bus to Escambrón where we relaxed on the beach. Later that night, Edmond, one of the hostel workers, told us that he was going to a drag show at a gay club. It took me a little while to convince Julia, but alas we decided to tag along. Julia, Zak, and I checked out the place, but we only lasted until 1:30 (the drag show was at 3) before we retired back to our rooms. We found out the next morning that the other guys stayed until 5, but the drag show never happened. 

Day 3:

Waking up to sliced mangos and toast, we ate and then made our way to Condado beach (about 2 blocks from our hostel). We spent the morning there before going to an acai bowl place for lunch (yes, you will notice a pattern here) and returning to Escambrón for the afternoon. 

Zak and I wasted no time buying coconuts to drink and after our sunblock set, we ventured out into the water to snorkel. We spent the afternoon frying in the sun (ask Julia about her sunburn) before deciding to head back and wash off. 

We passed by a fun block party on the way back, part of Pride Weekend (we watched the parade earlier, it brought Julia to tears), and we vowed to return later once it was dark. After washing sand, sweat, and suds off, I picked a Mexican restaurant on La Placita for dinner where I experienced the best fajitas of my life. We stopped at the block party again on the way home, leaving shortly after the DJ did (bummer). 

Day 4:

If you have a rental car for one day- you do everything you can that involves driving. Zak left early to pick up the car while Jules and I ate breakfast and packed our bags. Signaled by a honk, we ran to the car and headed off to El Yonque. Julia took shot gun to navigate while I slept in the back seat. When we arrived at the rainforest, I was surprised to find out that there was one road that ran through the whole park with trails branching off left and right. We stopped at one waterfall on the side of the road to take pictures, and then hiked to a second to swim.

Upon dipping my chacos in the water, I discovered that it was ice cold, but that didn't stop Julia from pulling me under. Afterwards we took some pictures, even posing for some with the locals upon request. Julia and Zak wanted to climb the observation tower after, but I was tired and decided to wait outside.

With stomachs growling, we piled back into our Nissan and set off for lunch. I woke up in a mall parking lot- apparently they got lost, but we found an acai bowl stand to eat at for lunch. Next stop was the Arecibo Indian Caves, which were on the opposite side of the island. Upon arrival, we explored immediately, greeted by heavy winds and beautiful beaches. We walked along rocky cliffs and explored the caves, in awe of their beauty. Tired and exhausted after a long day, we drove back to Sentorce to return the car.

We ate a sushi dinner and then walked to a movie theater where we thought Now You See Me 2 was playing. Turns out it wasn't.. so instead we walked back to the hostel to relax. We brainstormed ideas for the next day before slicing a mango and heading to bed. 

Day 5:

Deciding to rest our sunburn by staying out of the sun, we opted to go to a contemporary art museum for the morning. Both art lovers, Julia and I were thoroughly impressed by the artwork we saw. We went from room to room, checking out cool art done by locals. We grabbed acai bowls for lunch and then napped while we waited for the rain to pass.

 

Once the sun came out, we went to the beach, only to leave when the wind picked up and we had enough of sand pelting our faces. Somehow I let Julia talk me into eating at a high-end seafood restaurant on the water (even though I hate spending money on food) and I ended up ordering an overpriced salad that I didn't even like. Finishing up my champagne, I decided to dip and pick up some dairy free ice cream at Ben & Jerries before joining Zak and Julia again. We stopped on the way back to buy me a pineapple drink which I had been audibly expressing a want for for the entirety of the trip.

Day 6:

I woke up at 9:58 and quickly woke Julia up to enjoy the last 2 minutes worth of breakfast. After munching on toast and mangos, we headed back to our room to get ready to go. We stripped our sheets and folded our towels, packing everything except our bathing suits and clothes for the plane. We turned in our room keys and locked up our bags before taking one last trip to the beach. We generously applied sunscreen and laid out, only to be poured on. We braced the downpour and ran to the supermax to get our last acai bowls (and patting ourselves on the back for successfully eating acai bowls every day for lunch). We listened to music in Zak's room and recounted our favorite memories from the trip. At 3:00 on the dot, Javier picked us up and drove us to the airport. All things were going smoothly until Julia got a call from the airline informing her that her flight had been delayed- bummer! As a result, she would miss her connecting flight. It made me sad to think about her waiting along in the Miami airport overnight, but I had to leave her to catch my flight. We enjoyed a burger, chips, and guac as a final meal before I had to say goodbye to my best friend.

Hasta luego, Julia.

Adios, Puerto Rico.