Puerto Rico: Sailing Away

Monday morning, 7 am rise and shine:
8:00 am: G had spotted a breakfast place down by the harbor that boasted coffee, eggs, ham and toast for $3.00. Since this was more food than what we were getting at the hotel (icky $9.50 breakfast of so-called "croissants" and "fruit salad") we hit it bright and early.
8:30 am: drove 10 minutes to the over harbor which was home to our chartered boat of the day: the Erin Go Braugh (not so Latin...).
8:45 am: arrived 45 minutes early, so slathered on the sun screen
The marina was full of large, expensive boats with catchy names. We caught our first look of Captain Bill, who looked just like you'd expect a boat Captain to look like: crazy white hair and long white beard, both yellowing, sun/age spots, leathery skin. He was only missing a pipe and a parrot.
9:45 am: a 5 person family arrives-- a husband and wife and their 3 young children. The husband eyed us and told Captain Bill he thought they had booked the boat "exclusively" and when told they hadn't, muttered "that's disappointing." G and I looked at each other and thought it would be a looong day on the boat with this family.
10:00 am: The husband sucks it up and puts on a happy face and introduces us to his family. Turns out they are from New York (ah ha!). Captain Bill is originally from New Hampshire, which shows that even when you go on vacation, you are never far from home. The sails unfurled, we set off.
10 am-1 pm: I don't feel seasick at all (except when G steers) and we enjoy homemade salsa and swimming and snorkeling off a small private island. Captain Bill bbq's lunch and the family offers us a bottle of wine. Life is good and very relaxing.

2 pm: the skies begin to darken and the wind picks up. The boat is rolling and I'm worried about my lunch. Captain Bill tells us this wasn't predicted...and as the storm gets worse (rain is now pelting down) he tells us he hasn't sailed in weather like this for a very long time.
2:30-5:00 pm: the storm wanes a bit as we head back to port. I clutch the side of the boat and huddle under my towel.
5:00 pm: Captain Bill advises us on some local restaurants and we head out, making use of our land legs once again.
7:00 pm: Eat at Rosie's Seafood. The restaurant is nearly empty and the staff is all sitting around the back. But we get excellent service and the food is affordable and delightful. Another evening passes and we hit the sack early.


Tuesday morning, 7 am:
Careless packing and dressing in layers for our return to Boston.
9:00 am-- drive to San Juan to check out the old city before our flight.
10-11 am-- having overlooked the part about impossible parking in Old San Juan in our guidebook, drive up and down the streets only, enjoying the old architecture, beautiful colors and amazing scenic views over the water.
Afternoon: leave Puerto Rico. It's raining so we don't feel bad. And it's a balmy 47 when we arrive in Boston! There's still ice on the ground, but we feel rejuvenated.

Puerto Rico, Day 2

Sunday morning, 8 am: Rise and Shine!
8:30 am: dismal hotel restaurant breakfast-- overpriced and not good!
9:30 am: drove down to Balaneiro Seven Seas Beach. We set up camp in a not yet populated edge. The water was warm and the sun was starting to bear down...perfect! Soon couples, friends and families set up near us. I was weary of the families at first, but everyone was having a great time. As G pointed out, the difference between the Puerto Rican families and the U.S. families is that the PR families don't yell at their children.
noon ? (no watch, so who knows): hit the clam shack for lunch. G discoverd Medalla beer-- only $1.50 per can! We also ordered several fried treats and mofongo.
3:00 pm: felt cooked so left the beach and headed to El Yunque, the rainforst.
4:00-5:30 pm: with only limited time until the gates closed, we just did the rainforest drive through. We took the main road and pulled over to take pictures, but didn't really have time to hike any trails; next time.

6:30: back in Fajardo...we fortuitously found a restaurant, El Estacion, recommended to us by the beach lifeguard. I got the yellowtail and it was great! Also, more pina coladas.

Overstuffed, slightly tipsy and sun fatigued, we called it a night and were asleep by 10 pm.

next up...all aboard! sailing and snorkeling

From Icy Sidwalks to Icy Drinks: Puerto Rico, Day 1

Before living in Boston, I didn't understand why New Englanders felt compelled to go to the Carribbean in the late winter/early spring. Vacation, sure, but why always the beach? I spent many a forced, I mean, happy, spring break in Oklahoma City growing up and was no worse for the wear. After a few years living in Boston, however, I realized the draw. A midwestern winter can be brutal, but it is also relatively brief. Spring really does arrive by mid April and you can safely pack away the winter coats and sweaters. In New England, June 1 is still risky and the radiators still clang and thump. So, for the past several years, I've tried to head to warmer climes if possible, even if only for a few days. G and I decided on Puerto Rico this year and the gods must have been smiling on us since we were some of the only ones to make our scheduled flight after a huge storm left major parts of the country inundated under snow and ice. In fact, our brief trip went so smoothly and we packed so much in to our 2 full days (and 2 partial days) that a timeline is below:

A few days before takeoff:
Andrea to G on phone: "Our flight is at 6 am, so we should call a cab and leave the house by 4 am."
G to Andrea: "-----------"
Andrea to G: "Just be ready."

Friday night:
Whirlwind packing, trying on summer clothes and finding sunscreen. Procrastination method employed to further delay packing: clearing off bedside table and identifying back issues of the New Yorker that must not be thrown out because I will definitely get to that May 13, 2006 issue soon, I'm sure.


Saturday morning, 3:30 am: alarm goes off, cats tumble out of bed confused.
3:55 am: cab driver calls from downstairs
4:00-4:25 am: drive to airport with chatty G who has no shortage of conversation-- replete with questions-- at such an early hour.
6:00am-2:00pm: no recollection as I passed out on the plane.
2:30 pm: rent car and head from San Juan to Fajardo
3:00 pm:feeling famished, pull over to a stand selling pork (the pig's head is prominently displayed). Tell the vendor, "we need lunch!" and he chops up 1 lb of pork for the 2 of us. We take that and 2 Cokes and devour.

4:00 pm: arrive at the hotel where G asks a series of questions all pertaining to the beach and snorkeling. We're told that it's really too late to go to the beach and that we should enjoy the pool instead, then hit the beach the next day. G rephrases the questions several times, trying to elicit the answer he wants (which would be something like, "the beach is a 5 minute walk down the hill, you can rent snorkel equipment and of course there are reefs and fish just off shore."). Nevertheless, we do hit the pool then decide to try out one of the hotel's two restaurants.
8:00 pm: The Mexican restaurant had been deemed so good as to attract locals by the guidebook. Sure enough, there were locals...they were the servers and bartenders. The salsa tasted kind of like ketchup, but the drinks had alcohol in them, and the food was filling. We were tired and vowed to do better on a full night's rest.

next...hitting the beach and fried food

Preparing for Paradise

I've recently emerged from several busy months at work only to find frigid, tundra conditions outside. To remedy the dry skin and frozen nostrils this creates, G and I booked a trip to Puerto Rico! Since I will not be wearing five layers of clothes, hats, gloves and coats, I realized I needed to take action to make myself presentable. Starting the beginning of January, my svelting group and I started to prepare for bikini bodies. I had to work on a shortened timeline-- Feb. 17 instead of May 31. This past week was dedicated to all that could not be fixed from cardio and healthy eating, namely, bikini wax to pedicure. These "ladies activities" were interspersed with, and included, quality time with girlfriends, many whose faces looked unfamiliar after my self imposed hibernation due to stress.
To prepare mentally for tropical temperatures, G's mom and I went to Boston Ballet's production of A Midsummer's Night Dream. The lush sets and gorgeous costumes made me temporarily forget the sub-arctic temperatures outside. I also met Nora for a sushi dinner-- seafood, omega 3s and serious discussion about shoes. Slowly but surely, my mind was checking out from the workaday worries I'd been so preoccupied with recently. Last night was the piece de resistance of the week of preparations: a pedicure with ET#1.
A winter storm the day before brought rain and slush, which froze over, creating icy roads and sidewalks, forcing me to wear boots with dorky grippy things attached (a bruised bum would not be attractive on the beach). Perhaps not the best time to get pedicures? Au contraire...after waiting for the bus in 10 degree weather for 30 minutes, our frozen toes steamed and turned red when we put them in the foot baths. I chose a pink color called "Tunnel of Love" and ET #2 forgot to choose a color, confounding the pedicurist further when she declared that she didn't even really care what color would go on her toes, as only she would see them. Except a bright red would personally offend her, so she used my pink as well. We relaxed in the massaging chairs which contorted our backs in strange ways, and caught up on our lives until Entertainment Tonight came on with updates on the "Anna Nicole Tragedy". ET#1's eyes glazed over as she became absorbed in the drama, and filled me in on the strange updates. The pedicurist chastised ET#1 for her falling off nails (ET#1 is an avid runner, so this is an unfortunate side effect) and I felt guilty for not having shaved my legs in a month. No doubt the pedicurist thought we were a couple of hippies, or at least weirdos, especially when I told her I'd brought a second pair of shoes and socks to wear out. When we stood up our legs were so relaxed that it was difficult to walk out, but the promise of salty carbs and beer at the Washington Square Tavern lured us into the cold.
Now, I'm all ready to go-- toned, buffed and polished. Of course, both G and I still have to pack, but as long as we have swimsuits and sunscreen, I'm sure we'll be in paradise.