Roosevelt Roads
Puerto Rico
18.14.018N
65.37.582W

Happy Birthday Geri! You know that you’re getting older . . . when the twinkle in your eyes is the sun hitting your bifocals!

The crews of Orpailleur and Gypsy Palace dedicated today as a day of sightseeing. We started off with a trip to downtown San Juan and learned that we had chosen the day of the Boy Scout Jamboree as our day in the fabled city. Boy Scouts were pouring into the city by the minute.

We were early, so we parked next to the cemetery by the El Morrow fort. On our way up the hill, Nicky and I decided that it would be prudent to head to the loo before we got to the fort when we saw the sign indicating that there were none in the fort. We found some very nice ones in the conveniently located souvenir shop. However the ladies room was in the process of being cleaned and we were directed to the men’s room across the hall. It was clean and tidy and not at all what we envisioned a men’s room to look like, except for one item; a blow dryer at waist height. Now I suppose that this could be for children or those in wheelchairs but when we turned it on, the force was enough to blow a small child to the next island. Of course there is only one thing we figured this could be used for and indeed we harassed the guys about it for several minutes upon our return. . . . . . . . . If they didn’t splash water all over the place, there would be no need for a stand up clothes dryer.

We continued with our tour of El Morrow enjoying the views and imagining what life must have been like in days of old. By mid-morning, it was obvious that this was going to be a sweltering day. After a couple of up and downs on the steep staircases, we made our way out of the fort and headed out of the city at a snail’s pace. By this time the streets were clogged with uniformed munchkins with their larger versioned leaders and guardians in complimenting colors. The main street heading out of the city was closed for the mid-day parade so we eased through cobble stoned side streets built in the 1600’s, long before today’s SUVs were thought of.

Nicky had been looking to purchase a mask that is made in Ponce and we saw several in the windows of the stores as we passed slowly through town. We considered jumping out a making a quick purchase but the guys said that as soon as we did, the traffic would clear and they would be forced to circle around to come back and pick us up. It was made clear to us that this was not to be considered. No sense of adventure, it seems.

We eventually made our way out of San Juan and followed the signs to the Bacardi Rum factory for the tour there; no I didn’t buy any rum - in fact, I volunteered to be the designated driver. This time the walking tour wasn’t turned on (probably due to all of the cruise ships in town) and we quickly made our way through the audio/visual center and back to the tasting center. Thankfully, the tastes seemed much lighter than our first encounter a year ago and my driving services weren’t required.

We headed back to the mall in Carolina and grabbed a quick bite for lunch before making our way to Sears. Nicky’s vacuum sealer had sealed its last bag and we found a newer, smarter, more expensive version to replace it. We walked with purpose and determination through out the remainder of the mall looking for the Ponce masks, just in case they might be there and quick enough so the guys had nothing to complain about but still, no joy.

Later as we passed by the souvenir stores at the El Yunque rainforest turnoff, we found just what she wanted and just as the shops were closing. I’m glad we were able to locate them as Nicky wanted to pick one up for their daughter but they had only spent the night in Ponce and did not have enough time to locate the masks there.

Another full day and one that we ended with dinner at Lolitas as we were all exhausted from the fresh air and sunshine.