Me Trip Day #4

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Yesterday was St Patrick’s Day and the college kids must have been out late drinking at the Irish bar because they didn’t arrive to the beach until noon. That was fine by me! The view was fantastic! The water was choppy today; the waves were bigger and louder than yesterday. It will make for great white noise when I sleep tonight! 

 

After a few hours on the beach, I took an Uber to Old San Juan for a history and food tour. My uber driver was fantastic! Besides telling me he thought I was 38 (looking for a tip no doubt), he let me practice my Spanish with him. Even when I used Italian words instead of Spanish, he told me my Spanish was perfect. 🤣

I had some of the best food and drinks on the tour: ceviche, gnocchi made from a yuca, mofongo, rice and beans, and tembleque. This drink was fantastic, but I downed two watermelon mojitos prior to being served this and missed its name. That mojito was singing my name tonight. I’m pretty sure it’s the local Don Q rum that I’m loving so much. 

But the best surprise was running into one of my current and favorite students on a side street! He was in shock. I was in shock! What are the chances?!?!

I love Old San Juan - the colors, the architecture, the blue cobblestone - but two cruise ships were in the port. The streets were crazy crowded.

Tomorrow I’m up early to catch a flight home. I’m always a bit sad to leave a vacation destination, but I’m really wishing I had one more day here. If TSA strikes in San Juan tomorrow, I won’t be sad one bit. This trip was everything I wanted except one day too short. Solo traveling is better than anticipated. It’s a solid 10/10!

Until next year!

Me Trip Day#3

​I was one of the first with my toes in the sand this morning. 

(That water! Love the blues!)

And gradually every college student on the island for spring break joined me. North Carolina. Clemson. UofMass. Just to name a few.

Just like any tourist area, the locals try to make a buck selling just about anything. I passed on the jewelry, the hamburger, the water, the beach massage, and the picture with the bird.

I passed on the opportunity to take a hit from the bong. But I didn’t pass on this! The college kids drinking boxed wine from red solo cups on the beach were jealous of my $20 splurge. 

They watched me eat it, and then bought their own. Whoever created this concoction is making a killing! 

I love Puerto Rico and I’m not sure I understand exactly why, but it might have something to do with pride. The flag is displayed everywhere, and it reminds me so much of Texans and the pride they have for their state. 

Or it’s the mojitos talking to me. I do love a strong mojito.

I tried to get a workout in this afternoon at an OTF two blocks down the road, but the front desk lady told me they are an “international studio” and don’t recognize US memberships. That killed me. She kindly offered me the drop in rate of $30. I kindly declined. I guess it’s up to the Puerto Ricans’ choosing when they want to be American. I respect that. But I’m not paying the $30 when I already pay a monthly membership fee. 

For dinner I went back to the hookah bar for fish tacos. I devoured them like I hadn’t eaten in days. I debated ordering two more and now at 2000 wishing I had. My two mojitos and tacos cost $7. I think the bartender was drunk. He offered a tequila shot, and I declined. That soured his mood, but he still gave me the discount on the discounted happy hour rate. So I won tonight. 

I’m still hoping for a sun kissed look before I head back home, so I guess I’ll have to go back to the beach tomorrow. It looks like another W for me. 

Me Trip Day #2

​I slept for 10.5 hours last night! Nothing woke me. The teen girls swimming at 0100 squealing with the crash of each wave only made me roll over. The neighbor going to work at 0500 made me roll back over the opposite direction. I slept like I haven’t slept in days. It was fantastic! When I did finally wake up, I was greeted with this view.

I spent the better part of the day with a small group tour in El Yunque in Rio Grande. The rainforest is always mesmerizing to me. You see it sure, but there are so many things you can easily miss if you aren’t really looking. The berries. The snails. The leaf shapes. The frogs. The flowers.

I booked this tour specifically for the hike - something I didn’t do when I was here in 2021. After a half hour on a trail, I climbed the 77 steps in the Yakahu Tower. Because I had done this previously, I climbed and quickly went back down. The crowds up top were thick, and the views from the inside windows were just as picturesque.

On the way out of the park, we stopped at a swimming hole “popular with the locals”, but only tour groups were here today. I didn’t swim, nor did much of the group, but the weather was perfect for sitting on a rock and watching the fish.

The tour made one last stop for lunch at a fruit stand. It wasn’t a restaurant per se, but the stand served traditional Puerto Rican lunch and fresh fruit smoothies. 

The papaya hot sauce - I was a fan in Aruba and I still am - and the fresh mango smoothie were fantastic!

Once I returned to San Juan I headed to the beach. I read a book, listened to the frat boys play Bad Bunny, and people watched. 

For dinner, I walked up and down the main road trying to decide where I wanted to eat. I eventually found my way off a side street to a bar for a mojito and fish tacos. It cost me $13 and rivaled any fancy meal I’ve eaten. I commented to the bartender that the tacos were great. A local sitting at the bar next to me, suggested I go one block east and try the fish tacos at the gay bar. 

Tomorrow I think I’ll rewind and redo today - the beach, a book, and a mojito or two. The lure of great fish tacos will probably not be enough to get me in the gay bar, though.

Me Trip

​It’s spring break and I’m doing something I’ve never done before! I’m traveling solo. It’s a Me Trip. On a whim last week I booked a $12 flight using my credit card points. I lucked into finding a small Air B&B on the beach with a discounted last minute rate, and I decided it was meant to be. 

I have been giddy with the thought of this trip, even when everyone else found it odd. Keagan doubted my decision. What will you do for dinner? I’ll go to a restaurant and eat by myself. My co-workers thought it sounded lonely. What will you do all day? I’ll sit on the beach with a book. My gym partner thought it was unsafe. What will you do at night? I’ll be in bed asleep. 

And despite the nay-sayers, that’s how I find myself today in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

I will miss tonight’s tornados and Tuesday’s dusting of snow in Tennessee. I’ll return home just as the weather returns to a perfect 70 degrees. Meanwhile, I will spend the next week in near perfect beach weather. Here’s the view from my balcony.

I got out of the taxi this afternoon and thought I was super lucky to be next door to a local bar. That’s until I realized it’s a gay bar. I skipped that and walked down the street until I found a restaurant with no “Americans.” Then I ordered a passion fruit mojito, churrosco with hot sauce, and sweet plantains. It was delish - after only eating a yogurt and protein bar in the airport I’d probably been just as happy eating a meal in the gay bar.

I’m listening to the waves crash, reading a book, and feeling so lucky. Tomorrow I’m headed to the rain forest. 

Valentines Day

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Just another day in this house. 

Keagan came by the house last night for dinner. I marinated some steak bites and cooked up some shrimp, and we ate our meal in front of the tv while watching college basketball. For the record, the steak bites were excellent!

I’ve put off completing the dreaded FAFSA for months, and told Keagan we had to do it this weekend. I logged in, and soon verification codes were being sent to Evan, Keagan, and me. We put Evan on speaker phone to get the numbers, and while I was trying to gain access, the boys made small talk. 

Keagan: The FAFSA accounts are messed up. They have you listed as my parent. 

Evan: Thats crazy! I just almost started a fire in Bella’s apartment boiling water for fettuccini. I’m not responsible enough for any other life. I can barely take care of myself.

Keagan: I just ate dinner. Some steak bites and shrimp.

Evan: Where are you?

Keagan: I’m at the crib,

Evan: Woah! You got steak bites and shrimp? I thought you were in Nashville at a Japanese fusion restaurant. 

Keagan: Hey, little bro comes home and Mom goes all out.

Evan: I see that. When I’m at home, I’ve gotta eat Ritz crackers, peanut butter, and two pink ladies for dinner. That’s crazy you get the good stuff.

😂🤣😂🤣

Pink ladies. 🍎 🍎

I laughed until I cried! 

(And I cook every night.)

Snow Week

​One full week. No alarms. No work. No appointments. No obligation to do anything. 

Perfection. Life is good.

White Coat

​I saved my personal day leave for seven months - even skipped on a bucket list concert in September to make sure I had one day of leave to see Evan’s white coat ceremony. I have looked forward to this event for a year! Then the snow storm hit; the ceremony was canceled. A make-up ceremony was scheduled later in the week for a smaller venue, but guests were not allowed. 

No problem. The school agreed to live stream it. We logged in to see this. 

The screen eventually got righted, we listened to multiple guest speakers talk about a lot of nothing, and I counted 51 students walking across the stage. My number 76 was almost up. I had my phone ready to record and screen shot. And the internet went down. Not mine. The school’s!  

No problem. They have a photographer taking pictures to commemorate the occasion. Here’s what I got.

(This expression is my dad all over.)

Grainy. Out of focus. But he’s wearing slacks, a button up, and dress shoes. 

Congratulations to my boy!