Puerto Rico - Day 2

 Our exploration bug kicked in quickly and we decided to check out the eastern part of the island.  Not knowing anything about Puerto Rican highway infrastructure, we were immediately impressed with the system.  Freeways (toll) dominate, and it is easy to get around the island.  However, the cities and towns get congested.  We stayed along the coast and explored the towns of Luquillo, Fajardo, Naguabo, Maunabo and finally the city of Ponce.  Fajardo boasts the largest marina in the Caribbean with thousands of boats in dry dock.  We tried to get into a nature reserve but we did not have reservations.  We had a beachside lunch of conch empanadas in Naguabo watching pelicans dive for fish.  A long afternoon drive took us to Puerto Rico's second largest city of Ponce.  We enjoyed a self-guided tour of the historical downtown area with its neoclassical architecture in pastels.  Then it was back over the mountains to San Juan and dinner at a local fast food restaurant near our apartment.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Day 1

 Having arrived the previous evening and securing a rental car, an apartment and some groceries; we got some much needed sleep from our previous travel day that started at 1:30 am.  Our late morning started with soaking in our 14th floor apartment with views of the beach and mountains.  Egg McBagels were easy to make and were supplemented by PR grown coffee.  Late morning we drove to Old San Juan, where jammed traffic inched its way through narrow streets and sidewalks filled with cruise guests.  We ended up parking at a distant beach parking lot and started our trek back to the old city.  It was already hot and the distant Washington winter was soon forgotten in the tropical heat.  Unfortunately, scandal blisters immediately started forming on our feet and we headed for the nearest pharmacy.  Patched up, we headed for the old Spanish fort (Castillo San Felipe del Morro) that guards the harbor.  It's a US national park, but having left our lifetime pass at home, we begged our way in so Esther could get her stamp and we could join the hundreds of other cruise tourists imagining enemy pirate ships on the deep blue Caribbean Sea.  We scooted back to town for a bite to eat, before exploring the colorful La Perla district from its perimeter.  After the long walk back to the parked car, we went back to the apartment as the sun was setting.  The evening was topped off with dinner at a nearby restaurant where I tried mofongo, a local favorite dish made from ground plantain.  A night beach walk ended our 8 miles of walking for the day.