Puerto Rico 5/15/2019 - 5/19/2019 |
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Thursday, May 16, 2019 - Craig's Birthday, San Juan Cathedral, Castillo San Felipe del MorroWe woke up in the morning and got coffee, water, and bananas from the 3rd floor lounge. Marty went for a swim in the pool and Craig and I took showers.Marty researched breakfast restaurants on his phone and selected Cafe Manolin. Cruise ships were in port this morning, and the difference in crowds compared to last night was mind boggling. It was difficult to walk on the crowded sidewalks, and we felt a sense of relief when we turned off the main drag to get to the restaurant. It was a little diner, and we got a comfortable table in the back corner. Breakfast was delicious and economical. Craig and I had pineapple juice, scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage, and local bread. Marty had a mojito and an el cubano sandwich. We took our time and savored the food and conversation. We talked about traveling, and Marty joked about how we make close friends everywhere we go. He suspected that by the time we paid the bill, we would have the waiter's home address and would be planning to visit him soon. We stood outside the restaurant while Marty had a cigarette, and then I led the way back toward the hotel. On the corner of Calle Fortaleza, a young man standing on the corner got my attention. "Stephanie?" he asked from behind a pair of sunglasses. "Yes..." I replied, my mind racing to figure out who this was and how he knew me. He then looked slightly beyond me. "Craig?" We both looked at him. "It's Will from Rwanda!" he said with a British accent. It took my mind a minute to process it...he had been in our mountain gorilla trekking group in Rwanda in 2006! At the time he had been a divemaster in Mozambique. Seeing the gorillas in the wild had been a life-changing experience, and were bonded by virtue of experiencing it together. We had connected on Facebook, and we had been aware that he now works with the cruise industry in the Caribbean. But what are the chances that we would meet on the same street corner in Old San Juan? Will said that he had seen our Facebook posts saying that we were in Old San Juan, so he knew that it was at least possible that he would run into us while in port, but still highly unlikely. His hair is much shorter than it was 13 years ago, and he was wearing sunglasses, so we never would have recognized him out of context like this. We were so amazed at the coincidence! It was so surreal to see Will again, in Puerto Rico of all places! And he was only in town for 15 more minutes. We thought of the fact that if timing had been any different (if Marty hadn't stopped for the cigarette, etc.), we would have missed one another. It is such a small world! Of course Marty got an immense kick out of this, seeing as how he had just been razzing us about knowing people everywhere we go. After chatting with Will for a few minutes before he had to catch an Uber, we stopped into some galleries and shops. There were amazing wood carvings, masks, and paintings. We noticed some funny and surreal wood carvings of the Three Wise Men playing dominoes, or shooting pool with Santa Claus. Epiphany is celebrated with as much if not more fervor than Christmas itself in Puerto Rico, and the Wise Men are beloved santos (saints) depicted in much Puerto Rican art. When we reached the umbrella art installation at Fortaleza street, it was crawling with people. Cruise ship passengers gathered there with their children as a man in the costume of Hector from the movie Coco posed for photos. At one point we wound up waiting for several minutes for an entire tour group to pass us. A woman holding up a flag so that the group could follow her was rounding the corner in front of us. We stepped aside to let them pass, but that turned out to be a mistake. They just kept coming; one after another. We thought the parade of tourists would never end. The only scammer we saw trying to fleece tourists was an older white guy in a tropical shirt; looking like a quintessential cruise ship passenger. He approached us with a story about him and his father being violently mugged, and him needing a little cash to get a cab to the hospital where his dad was being treated. Something seemed off about his story, and sure enough, a quick internet search confirmed that this was a scam that the same guy has been running for years, every time a cruise ship is in port. We found it ironic and sad; people are often afraid of locals when they travel. This guy took advantage of the fact that he looked like any other white cruise ship passenger, and it was easy for him to gain sympathy from his targets. But his scam also paints Old San Juan in a bad light to the people he accosts, spreading false rumors of violent crime targeted at tourists. We hope that karma sorts this guy out; it usually does. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in to San Juan Cathedral (or, more formally, Catedral Metropolitana Basilica de San Juan Bautista), the oldest Cathedral in the USA and the second oldest in the Americas. Spanish colonists imposed Catholicism on the indigenous Taíno peoples and Africans enslaved on the island. The original cathedral on this site was built in 1521. After it was detroyed by a hurricane, the current structure was built in 1540. Like many colonial churches in Latin America, its facade looks rather plain compared to the interior. The floor is made of shiny black and white marble tiles, and guides your eye to the altar whith its crucifix and small stained glass windows. The archways, ceilings, and rotundas are decoratively painted. The cream-colored walls give it a light and airy feel. To the left is an alcove containing the white marble tomb of Ponce de Leon. The next alcove on the left is a shrine to the Virgen de la Providencia, the patron saint of Puerto Rico. There is a statue of a crowned Virgin Mary bending over the baby Jesus, with the Puerto Rican flag behind them. A doorway to the left of the altar leads to a small chapel. Stone walls and a low archway make you feel like you are stepping back in time. To the right of the altar is an alcove containing a gorgeous, intricately detailed stained glass window depicting angels in heaven in pastel colors, with sinners enflamed in hell below them. This alcove has the faded remnants of frescoes on its walls, and statues of Mary and Jesus carrying the cross. Under the stained glass window is a glass case containing a wax-covered mummy of St. Pius, a first century Roman who was one of the first Christian martyrs under Roman persecution. His remains were brought to Puerto Rico in 1862. There are also relics related to Carlos Manuel RodrÃguez Santiago the Blessed, the first Caribbean layperson to be beatified, which happened in 2001. His portrait hangs above the baptismal font. Puerto Ricans hope that he will become Puerto Rico's first saint. The cathedral was also the site of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's wedding. The heat of the day was wearing us out, so we went back to the hotel room to cool down and take a siesta. We planned our afternoon; when the sun was a little less strong, we would go to the fort which was within walking distance of the hotel. At around 2 o'clock, Marty became hungry for lunch. Neither Craig nor I were hungry, and we wanted to save our appetites for Craig's birthday dinner tonight. So it was a good time for Marty to get his beloved Burger King. They haven't had a Burger King for years on St. Thomas (where Marty lives), so he makes it a point to visit one any time he is in Puerto Rico. He found the location of the nearest Burger King. It was in the opposite direction of the fort. Craig wanted to save his energy for the fort visit (it was hot and sunny again today, so he had to be careful). So Marty and I walked to Burger King to get Marty some lunch while Craig took a siesta. We walked down Calle San Francisco, through the Plaza de Armas. There was a nice breeze, which meant that the heat wasn't as oppressive as it had been yesterday. Never one to be able to pass a bar, Marty wanted to get a beer at Ajo del Pais (the name translates to "Garlic of the Country"), which was a couple of blocks before our destination. We went inside and were immediately charmed by the funky beach vibe. Marty had a beer and I had a frozen piña colada, which was so cold and refreshing. We looked at a menu and decided that this would be the perfect place for Craig's birthday dinner this evening. Marty was 2 for 2 in terms of restaurant picks today. After finishing our drinks, we walked a couple more blocks to Burger King. I think we spent longer in line here than we had spent having a drink at the bar. Marty ordered a Whopper and onion rings and a shake. I ordered fries for Craig and me to share, and a vanilla shake for Craig (who hadn't had the benefit of the frozen piña colada). We finally got our to-go order, and walked back to the hotel. The streets were much more empty; Craig had been watching the cruise ships leave port while we were gone. Craig was happy with his birthday shake, but we discovered with dismay that they had forgotten our fries! After all that waiting. Marty shared his onion rings, which we appreciated. Marty sat at the little table in our room, savoring every bite of his Whopper, happy as a clam. Once Marty was fed, we left the hotel and went to do some sightseeing, heading toward the closer of the two historic forts in Old San Juan. We passed the Tótem Telúrico sculpture in the Plaza del Quinto Centenario (Quincentennial Square). Designed by Jaime Suarez in 1992, it commemorates the 500th anniversary of Columbus' "discovery" of the New World. This monolith is 40 feet tall, made of black granite and Taíno ceramic pieces. We walked down the stairs at the plaza and followed the shore to the large green lawn separating the city from Castillo San Felipe del Morro. This was a battlefield when invaders tried to attack the fort. Nowadays, half a million people enjoy using this land for picnics and recreation each year. The near-constant sea breezes make it a popular spot for flying kites, and today was no exception. In Spanish colonial times, San Juan was a strategic location. The city had a deep water port, and fresh water was available. It was a safe habor for convoys of ships bringing plundered riches from the New World back to Spain, which of course also made it a target for other colonial powers who wanted a piece of the action. In order to protect their interests, Spain ordered the fortification of San Juan. This began with El Morro (the headlands), the westernmost point of the islet. Construction began here in 1539. Sandwiched between the walls of the fort and the Atlantic Ocean is the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery. The cemetery dates back to 1863, and was administered by the Carmelite nuns who were cloistered in the convent (now the El Convento Hotel, where we are staying). We observed the cemetery from above, as we looked out over the city walls. The tombs and monuments are carved from white stone, and the contrast with the blue ocean backdrop is striking. Within the cemetery are a colonial arch and a domed chapel. Off to the east, the colorful homes in the barrio of La Perla are visible. We stepped inside one of the sentry boxes (garitas), which affords panoramic views across the shore via narrow windows. The view was beautiful. We walked up to the main entrance to the fort: a dry moat. There had been a drawbridge here initially, and if it was closed, attackers in the moat area would be facing 30 foot walls, and they could be easily shot from many angles by the fort's defenders. This fort, along with Castillo San Cristobal, is a part of the San Juan National Historic Site. A $7 admission ticket to either fort provides free access to the other fort within 24 hours. It is so impressive and imposing - 6 levels in height with walls that plunge a maximum of 145 feet straight down to the sea. The fort was designed to shelter 3000 people. The fort has a storied history. Its troops were able to hold off a British attack by Sir Francis Drake in 1595. In 1598, El Morro was attacked by England again. Spain surrendered, and Puerto Rico was under British control for two months. But summer heat and disease beset George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland's British forces, decimating their numbers. After plundering everything they could find, they left the island. In 1625, the Dutch attacked El Morro from the East, gaining access to the islet by bridge. They proceeded to keep El Morro under seige for 21 days. Spain persevered, but it became clear that they would need to seriously fortify their defenses. In 1634, city walls were constructed, and a small fort was established about a mile to the east of El Morro, at the present site of Castillo San Cristobal. Labor was provided by approximately 400 slaves, convicts, soldiers, and day laboreres. Major construction of the city walls and Castillo San Felipe del Morro completed in 1790, 251 years after the fort was first established. The outer walls of the fort were originally 6 feet thick, but by the time construction was completed, they were 18 feet thick. The fifth level of the fort boasts the Faro de Morro Port San Juan Light. Though the current lighthouse dates back to 1908, the fort was the site of the first lighthouse in Puerto Rico in 1846. In 1898, the top of the original lighthouse was blown off during an assault of the Spanish American War. As a result of this war, Spain ceded control of Puerto Rico to the United States. Tres banderas (three flags) fly over the fort: the Burgundy Cross (Spanish military flag), the flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the United States flag. We enjoyed exploring the fort, taking in the ocean views. There was a nice sea breeze, which made the sunny afternoon more comfortable. We saw some interesting features, including a triangular staircase. Like a spiral staircase present elsewhere in the fort, this allowed for access to the other levels without much of a footprint. We climbed up this staircase. Cannons were strategically placed on the ramparts (across the two forts, 450 cannons were in use). We inspected a bronze "8-pounder" cannon, operated by 8-10 artillerymen, which could fire every 30 seconds and hit targets up to a mile away. The two forts are a mile apart, so this type of cannon could defend the land between the two forts as well as a mile offshore. "18-pounder" cannons from the same period could shoot a cannonball three miles (which contributed to the original definition of international waters being 3 miles or more offshore). We were disgusted by the entitled behavior of some of the tourists. Instagram culture is wreaking havoc on tourist destinations. People do dangerous things to get good selfies, and they monopolize scenic vistas. Two young women were intent on getting the perfect model-like shots, and climbed up onto one of the walls overlooking the ocean. There is a beautiful view to the east, and in addition to climbing out where they obviously weren't supposed to be, they took photo after photo, scrutinizing the results, trying different filters, etc. None of the couple dozen other people at the lookout point could physically take a photo without them in the foreground of the gorgeous view. This persisted for around 10 minutes before a ranger approached, calling out "Please get down from there. It's dangerous." The young woman replied, "Oh, you scared me. I heard you shout at me and almost fell. If I had fallen, it would have been your fault." We were flabbergasted by this blatant display of entitlement and narcissism. The fort closed at 6 p.m., and we exited shortly before that. As we walked away from the fort, most of the kite flyers had left, but women were beginning to gather with yoga mats. This seemed like a lovely place to do yoga in the evening and enjoy the sunset. As we walked further, we encountered more women heading in that direction with yoga mats under their arms. On our way to dinner, we passed a young man on Calle del Sol who was offering free hugs. "Puerto Rico needs more hugs," read his sign. I had heard about the free hug movement before, and I find it heartwarming. I got a hug from the young man. I love this attitude from young people: pure peace and love. Well done, young man! We continued to Ajo del Pais. We were correct in thinking that Craig would really like this place for his birthday dinner. Manager Chino was especially welcoming and friendly, singing along boisterously to the salsa music that was playing on the stereo. I ordered a piña colada, and Craig had a Magna beer. The food was incredibly affordable, and we each ordered a couple of items. The highlight of the meal was arepas de cocos, loosely translated as dumplings but more like a sandwich on fresh hot bread. Craig and I had octopus, which was the most tender octopus we have ever had. It was so tasty, in a garlic and olive oil sauce which seeped into the bread...and it only cost $8! Marty had one as well, but his had shrimp instead of octopus. Craig and Marty also got mahi mahi skewers, while I had chicken nachos. Chino noticed that Craig was enjoying the aji hot sauce, and so he came over and offered the house special blend hot sauce, with multiple types of peppers added to it. Craig loved it, and before we were done eating, Chino had brought over a new bottle and gave it to us to take home! What a nice gesture, and on Craig's birthday, too (total coincidence, as we had not mentioned the birthday to Chino)! Craig was immediately worried about how we would get the hot sauce home given that it was over 3 ounces and we weren't checking any bags. I knew that we would figure something out. This was 5 star cuisine at a laid back bar...highly recommended! We passed on dessert (after 2 frozen drinks I simply didn't have enough room). We wanted to come back again, and Chino advised us that they are closed this weekend. We said that we would definitely come back tomorrow night, post-skydiving. Marty asked what we would do if one of us didn't...survive the activity. We made a pact that the survivors would go anyway, to drink a toast in his/her memory. As we walked past the Plaza de Armas, I pointed out a drug store. We went inside and in the travel section we found some TSA-approved plastic bottles in which we could carry our hot sauce home. Problem solved for under $5. When we got back to the hotel, we stopped at the third floor to get some bottled water, and then tried to get some sleep before our big day of skydiving tomorrow! El Morro Fort |
 Breakfast at Cafe Manolin  An unexpected ruenion with Will  San Juan Cathedral  Marty suggests stopping in for a drink at Ajo del Pais  Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery  Exploring Castillo San Felipe del Morro  Castillo San Felipe del Morro  Posing at a garita (sentry box)  Castillo San Felipe del Morro  Craig's birthday dinner at Ajo del Pais See all photos from May 16 |
 Castillo San Felipe del Morro |
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