updated 4/19/13
HELLO SAN JUAN!
after a veeeery long day the night before, once again emme decided to wake up super early. we both made our way to the balcony to check out where we were. it was always so exciting to see. i felt like a kid at christmas.
we were greeted by double rainbows. so beautiful.
there were some grey clouds in the sky but i wasn't going to let that diminish my day. i did not plan any excursions for my family at puerto rico. my mom was pretty exhausted & emme loved the kids club. i read that there was also a fort in walking distance so i thought i would do that....solo.
the weather was noticeably hot. emme & i got breakfast from the concierge lounge & had breakfast on our balcony. it was going to be a scorcher of a day...so this just reaffirmed that i'm glad i didn't plan any excursions for this day.
after our light breakfast, we went to take a quick walk around our deck, deck 12. i wanted some shots with no people in the background.
poor donald gets no respect.
speaking of donald...
the aquaduck!
and this is the view i would never grow tired of:
the ship was so pretty. there was just so much to look at and do. even though we were on it 7 days, i feel like i didn't even see half the ship.
we made our way back to our room after some more exploration. i got my mom some breakfast from the lounge & cabanans, got emme ready for the kids club & then prepared for my own self guided tour of the fort in puerto rico.
i slathered on sunscreen & off i went. let me tell you, it was
HOT. it wasn't humid but it was very very hot. it was a different heat intensity than i've felt in florida. the sun was relentless and beating down on my skin. i could just feel myself burning. i was repeatedly slathering on my sunscreen. don't forget the tops of your feet everyone! my word, it was hot.
after getting off the ship in port, i noticed there were a ton of other ships at port. but the fantasy towered over all of them. the ship is massive. beware of all the locals trying to sell their goods to you. there's also panhandlers (a really sad sight) everywhere along this strip. it might make some people uncomfortable.
as i crossed the street, i noticed a cvs! i wanted to stop by there and take advantage of the one hour photo kiosk as i made thank you cards for our conicerge team with some photos i took while on board.
but i digress...
i am really bad with directions so i just started to walk straight. i was pretty excited to see a sign and knew i was going the right direction.
a really cool statue.
i was getting closer to the fort but the heat was really getting to me. did i mention it was super hot??
i knew i didn't want to walk in the fort. i really wanted to walk around the fort. sounds crazy but the water was so calming & picturesque. i've seen my fair share of forts in florida but i've never walked around one.
hot.mess.
i saw people with tour guides and people making their way inside the fort but i kept trekking along, drinking my water & applying my sunscreen. the views that i got were absolutely spectacular. the fort was amazing.
i loved this bridge.
being on this road really made me miss my brother who is deployed in afghanistan. this is his second deployment. he was in iraq before this. he's 24 years old, a sargeant & the head combat medic in his unit, the 320th MP. he visited puerto rico with his friends before he deployed & he really wanted to visit puerto rico together.
after feeling sentimental, i continued my walk forgetting for a moment at the intensity of the heat.
quite picturesque.
there were a few other people who took this off beaten tour like myself. i offered my sunscreen to a man who was really struggling with the sun. his forehead was super red.
i continued my walk...i wanted to go as far as i could but i had to make sure that i made time for cvs & get back on the boat by 4:30.
after seeing this, i was curious as to what the view would have been like up there.
i finally got to the end & could go no further. i turned around & began to walk back. there were some guys working on top of the fort. they were saying things to me....i wonder if they thought i was an idiot for walking around the fort instead of going inside. HA HA!
there was a little enclave towards the front of the fort. i was curious so i walked inside.
this reminded me of the cars parked on the hilly streets in san fransisco. there were vendors on the street selling snacks and water. the water was only $1.00! such a sweet deal compared to the prices on the ship. given, i didn't have to buy any water but i did see the prices for the evian. yikes.
the doorway took me back to the path of the fort.
i noticed some graffiti on the side of the fort. this was a picture i took and instagrammed. btw, sprint is my carrier & i had great service while in san juan & the islands. the 3G reception was better while on vacation than in my own city back home. TRUE STORY!
i guess nothing says rebel like a ghost on a fort.
i finally made it to cvs by 330. my self guided tour was for almost 2 hours. it was a leisurely stroll & i really enjoyed the solitude of just being by myself.
cvs was a madhouse. everyone and their mama was there. i found the photo kiosk and began to go through the hundreds of pictures i had taken. i found some that were usable and created thank you cards for the concierge team. i also found some mickey mouse cards as well.
after checking out, i headed back towards the ship. i stopped at the local table stands and saw some turtle figures. turtles are good luck in my culture & i've worn the same turtle pendant on my necklace since i was 15 years old. i found 3 cute turtles for alice, kemisha & julie. i also found one for me.
i was able to knock a few dollars off the price. feeling victorious from wheeling & dealing i made my way home.
i also bought some cold waters to give to the people who were panhandling. i figured they were just as hot as me by this point.
the glorious fantasy!
i had my drivers license and room key handy & made it on board at 4:25. right on time!
i was a hot sweaty mess & made my way to the concierge lounge. i really wanted an ice cold water & an alcoholic beverage. happy hour wasn't for another hour but i was hoping namchan would be set up by now.
and much to my delight, namchan was setting up. he already knew what i wanted & prepared my drink. he's a total star.
grey goose vodka + soda + lime + splash of cranberry
i asked for two to take one back to my room. i sat on my shady balcony & enjoyed my 2 drinks while staring out at the ocean.
there was still no phone call to pick up emme from the kids club so i savored the silence & took a cool shower & got ready at a leisurely place for the "prince & princess dinner" @ enchanted garden.
overall, i really enjoyed what i saw of san juan. it was just so nice to spend some time to myself. just me & my camera. i don't get moments like this very often. it was wonderful.
up next,
PRINCE & PRINCESS DINNER @ ENCHANTED GARDEN!!