The situation in Puerto Rico remains bad, however, an aid package passed through Congress today. The Washington Post reports an estimated 80% of the Puerto Rico power grid remains offline. Federal aid agencies are operating effectively according to personal acquaintances.
We are doing what we can to help. When our six year-old daughter learned about the hurricane, she decided to have a lemonade stand in support of hurricane victims. She raised well over $100, and many people donated sums beyond the cost of what was sold. Our thanks to everyone who stopped by for their generosity.
Amy and I also made the decision to donate all of our book earnings for October to hurricane relief. Please join us in this effort, whether through buying books or donating directly to an aid effort of your choice. The organization we chose is GlobalGiving, mainly because of the the transparency in the way they do things.
It all goes to hurricane relief this month.
We met many, many kind and generous people in Puerto Rico. When we ran into trouble, there were several offers of help that went beyond what anyone would expect. As I said elsewhere, after just a short time, you feel as if your among old friends. That is our enduring memory of the people of Puerto Rico, and it is our turn to help.
Thanks to all who choose to donate or simply help by spreading the word.
It was already Day Three of our Puerto Rico adventure and the beach, unsurprisingly, featured prominently. Our plan for the day was to walk around Old San Juan and see the fortresses. We knew there was a time limit to the activity because our children Molly and Michael are age six and five, respectively. Fortunately, one of the items in the condominium we rented was a stroller.
We hit the beach for about an hour in the morning, repeating a pattern from our trip to Florida earlier in the year. While there, we went to the beach pretty much first thing in the morning and, as it turned out, the habit saved the day a couple of times.
As the Day Goes – Planning
Amy and I pretty much let the kids establish the schedule. Because the sun set so much earlier in Puerto Rico than at home, the kids were generally in bed early and up at dawn. This schedule was key to the success of our trip, particularly when we moved on to Luquillo. That’s a story I’ll share in the coming weeks.
Molly and Michael (and Bear) at the Parque del Indio.
Our early days meant opportunities for more activity. After the beach we had a meal and headed out. We caught a special “tourism bus” near Parque del Indio. The bus seemed to operate exclusively between the beach areas and Old San Juan. It was a hot day and we were thankful for the comfortable, cool bus. I’ll underscore here that buses are the best way to get into Old San Juan. There is a long lane (Calle del Tren, “The Train Street”) running through San Juan that seemed for bus use only, and possibly only the public-run system.
The tourism bus did not make use of the lane, but delivered us directly to Castillo de San Cristobal with little delay, and perhaps a little quicker than the public system because it wasn’t obliged to stop in the convention district.
Largest Spanish Fort Outside of Spain: Castillo de San Cristobal
No description does justice to Castillo de San Cristobal. Considered for its original purpose, it intimidates, though in its modern context it’s simply a wonder. It towers above both the Atlantic Ocean and the old city, and in fact marks the border between the San Juan Historic District and the rest of the city.
A friendly iguana greeted us at the gate for some light fun. “Friendly” might be stretching it; I don’t think it really cared we were there, but it was a cool moment and we enjoyed watching it forage for a couple of minutes.
We took an elevator up and came out facing the east side of the fort that faces the modern parts of San Juan. I was excited about it because one of Amy’s illustrations for Molly Goes to Puerto Rico depicted our characters there. I took several photos of Amy, Molly, and Michael checking the particular garita that was a prominent feature in the illustration.
Scale view from the top of San Cristobal. Note my position in relation to the beach and street level.
The fort was modified during World War II to be a lookout station for U-Boats. As you might imagine, these areas provide stunning views, especially turning west (photo) to take in the colorful architecture of Old San Juan, with another fortress, El Morro, providing the backdrop. It was a unique experience. Amy said over and over how the photos simply cannot show the majesty of it all.
The Importance of Puerto Rico
Look at a chart or map that shows the wind currents of the Atlantic Ocean. The “Trade Winds,” you will see, blow directly from Europe to Puerto Rico. It was simply the first stop in coming to the New World. You begin to understand the importance of Puerto Rico to Spain, and why these fortifications were built.
Old San Juan is actually an island, one that sits astride the entrance to a natural harbor. It’s not difficult to imagine this as a key port not only for trade, but for repair and outfitting ships headed further west or south. As steam replaced sail, this first outpost became a little less visited, but for roughly 400 years, Puerto Rico was the gateway to the Americas.
Next up: El Morro.
The view of the greater San Juan area from Castillo de San Cristobal. Molly and Amy are inside the garrita, the small turrets that are today a symbol of Old San Juan.
Wow! We had an absolute wonderful time in Puerto Rico and for many reasons. There is much to share and we’ll do it over the course of three, maybe four posts. I first wanted to share our arrival and first day and a half or so. This provides a few travel tips and can help you get settled if you opt for an experience similar to ours. We loved Puerto Rico and highly recommend a visit.
First Flight for the Kids
We booked an early flight. Our flight plans for the day included one connection with a fairly brief layover. Our children, Molly (age six) and Michael (age five) were great. The only squeals came from their delight and were brief. Several people napped around us (phew!).
One thing that helped Michael was his car seat. We drove to Florida last spring and it is a comfortable, familiar space to him. One thing to note: our airline required the car seat to be placed in the window seat. Check your airline’s policies on this if you choose to bring one along. Anyway, the familiarity of the seat seemed to make it a better experience for him and us.
We also had a booster for Molly and checked it with the other baggage. The booster did not count
Molly also gets a window for the first leg. This is her trying-to-smile-big smile.
as a checked bag in terms of fees. We knew we had to have both to be safe on the road, so there was never a question of bringing them with us.
Another thing that helped with our flight was a series of surprises for the kids. This isn’t original thinking, many family travel blogs recommend this. We were also successful using this tried and true method.
First Day in San Juan
The eventual arrival in San Juan was mid-afternoon. We thought having a bit of time to leisurely settle would be nice. We didn’t stay at a resort, but booked a three-bedroom unit via HomeAway. I want to share more about our accommodations in another post, but will say were thrilled with the place.
We chose to simply get a taxi after conferring with the condo owner. It was easier than we expected because the man running the taxi lane at the airport prioritized us because we had kids. Nice! On the way to the Condado area of San Juan, our driver gave us a tip on where to eat. That is yet another post, but it pays to listen!
Near sunset and it’s so bright the camera barely registered any color here.
The leisurely settling in would have to wait because the beach wouldn’t. We didn’t bother to unpack, but changed and hit the sand shortly after arrival. There are many details to share here, but I want to stay focused on a bigger picture.
Our second day was largely the same. We spent time on the beach and made it to the local grocery. Tip for the grocery: the supermarket delivered both the groceries and us back to the condo. We just had to meet a certain threshold of spending, and, actually, we tripled it.
Yes, we cooked while there, even after having some wonderful mofango our first evening. We did, however, decide to dine out again our second evening. This was our first adventure into Old San Juan.
The Charm of Old San Juan
We had no rental car at this stage. I didn’t think we’d need one in San Juan and it turned out to be
the right call. Instead, we made use of the local buses and had no problem. There is a public bus terminus in the south-east part of Old San Juan, just about a six-block walk from Castillo San Cristobal. All bus lines that go to Old San Juan end here and it’s as good a place as any to start exploring. Bus Tip 1: they take exact
Antiguo Casino, with part of Castillo San Cristobal visible behind it.
change only ($.75 per rider).
We didn’t explore much that evening, but found an excellent restaurant. Molly wanted a milkshake, but was more than satisfied with the fruit smoothies on offer. We finished dinner and to our surprise, it was dark out. Another travel note here: we live in the Midwest and the sun sets around 9:30 or later during the summer. In Puerto Rico, the sun set around 7:30. I never thought to check on this detail.
Waiting on a bus at the Old San Juan terminus.
We took a brief stroll on the darkened streets and saw the Antiguo Casino before heading home, again on the bus. Bus Tip 2: the lines seem to run about every thirty minutes. This is a potentially difficult situation with small children. Wherever you are in San Juan, I suggest finding a stop that serves more than one bus line.
It was a successful trip so far, and the kids were having a great time at the beach. Our third day would be a test: touring Old San Juan. Can’t wait to tell you about it in the next post.
We are doing what we can to help. When our six year-old daughter learned about the hurricane, she decided to have a lemonade stand in support of hurricane victims. She raised well over $100, and many people donated sums beyond the cost of what was sold. Our thanks to everyone who stopped by for their generosity.
