(Really our first real vacation!) We are in Puerto Rico tonight in Mayaguez, and tomorrow we are planning to head to Aracibo... I have written about our travels every day but haven't had a chance to post... so here are the posts for the first three days... Mom and Dad, I miss you!
10/11/08- Puerto Rico
And we are off… okay, not really. Eva, Daddy, and Mommy are sitting at the airport waiting for our plane to arrive. So far, the trip has gone well. We packed last night, went to get some last minute Eva things and grabbed dinner. I should point out that last night, Amanda had an Amanda-fit in true fashion… we all know that vacations are not really vacations without a Mommy-fit! Then, this morning, we woke up on time (and for those of you who know us, you would know that getting up on time is an accomplishment for our little family). After getting ready, we headed out and went to the airport where we found that there was no economy parking, so we went to the “parking spot” (and they totally have spotted shuttles!) and left our car and got on our shuttle and got to the airport quickly (our driver cut off the park and go shuttle!) and safely. We are waiting now for our plane and we should be off soon (or so the lady at the ticket counter says…)
We spent nearly one hour waiting for the plane to take off, which seemed crazy at the time but I would learn later that one hour is NOTHING. The flight was relatively uneventful and Eva did really well. Once we arrived in San Juan, we got our luggage and then we went and caught a shuttle to the rental car company where we were given our very cute gray Corrolla (I thought that it was cuter than Ronnie did). And, we were off to Mayaguez, an hour and half away on the western side of the island.
The trip was crazy! I mean, bizarre and stupidly long. Ronnie and I had no idea that the people of Puerto Rico could ever get so excited about something like a governor’s election; but, we were surprised when, after sitting in traffic for nearly an hour, we learned that the traffic was the result of a political party on the streets. The people were waving flags, honking their horns, blaring music and standing in the road touching the cars with their flags. Crazy. So, our hour and a half trip took us nearly sevem and a half hours, including a scenic tour (we were lost) of San Juan.
We finally got to our hotel at around eleven thirty p.m. and checked in. We had to pay $48 for parking! Then, we went to room 216. I loved our hotel room with it’s cute little stained glass window, high ceilings, and tiled floor. Our hotel is a converted monastery and is located right next to a beautiful, historic Catholic cathedral. Overall, the trip has been exciting and somewhat eventful and we are ready for bed!
10/12/08
I prayed that we would make it through the night last night. I remember waking Ronnie up at one point to tell him that we were certainly unsafe and I was afraid because I heard gunshots. The night was terribly long and the streets were very load; but when I woke up, I was very excited to get out and about and see the island. After getting ready, we went downstairs and were given our breakfast coupons for the bakery. Once I stepped outside, I realized how silly I was to be afraid last night. The “gunshots” were definitely just construction plates over the road and the noise was just Saturday night partying. Mayaguez is just a town filled with working class people just trying to get by day by day.
The bakery across the street, Ricomini, is amazing and filled with yummy sweet treats. I got a breakfast sandwich and Ronnie got sweet bread with butter and we both got orange juice. Yummy! While I was waiting for Ronnie to come back from the car, I was left at a table with Eva. I looked in the corner of the bakery and saw an older Puerto Rican woman with deep lines in her face eating a pastry. I could tell that she was looking at Eva and she kept smiling and waiving me to her. So, with a little hesitation because of my poor Spanish, I stood up and went to the woman’s table. She was covered in food, and older than I first thought, and she could not wait to get her hands on my baby girl. She kissed her and told me that God would bless her (something that made me smile, and I later learned that nearly all the people who stopped us, and there were a lot, would say the same thing) and she covered Eva’s chubby legs with kisses. After walking back to our table, I was thinking that I was so blessed to meet that little woman who was so eager to share her love and joy with us. It’s amazing that in all things, God is waiting to be noticed and thanked. So, while sitting in that little baker in a foreign city, I rejoiced in the God that made my child and that old woman and I thanked Him for bringing both of them to me.
After breakfast, we headed south around the island toward Cabo Rojo towards Ponce. Rain started falling early on our trip and then we found ourself in traffic because of the crazy political mess; apparently, in Puerto Rico, Sundays are not God’s days, they are days for PPD (Partido Popular Democratico) but soon the rain cleared up and we were off. The road followed the coast at first, and it was beautiful! The roads were winding and I had the two people I loved most in the world with me and I couldn’t stop telling Ronnie how happy I was.
We grabbed lunch in little café where everyone kept looking at Eva and commenting on how cute she is (of course!). We had turkey sandwiches (bocadillos con pavo) with real turkey (not deli meat). The food was really good and I enjoyed watching the people and taking in the scene. After lunch, we continued on to Ponce. The view was amazing but when we got to Ponce, we were a little disappointed at hour industrial the town was so we decided to go up into the mountains and take the scenic route. We rolled the windows down and the air was balmy and heavy as we traveled through the clouds. The roads were lined with crazy sights: horses, chickens, dogs, and broken cars. Rain started to fall again late in the afternoon and we took a road off of the scenic route and got some gas, fed Ebbie, and ate dinner before we drove the hour or so back to Mayaguez. Oh, in Puerto Rico, they sell gas in liters and do distance in kilometers.
And we are off… okay, not really. Eva, Daddy, and Mommy are sitting at the airport waiting for our plane to arrive. So far, the trip has gone well. We packed last night, went to get some last minute Eva things and grabbed dinner. I should point out that last night, Amanda had an Amanda-fit in true fashion… we all know that vacations are not really vacations without a Mommy-fit! Then, this morning, we woke up on time (and for those of you who know us, you would know that getting up on time is an accomplishment for our little family). After getting ready, we headed out and went to the airport where we found that there was no economy parking, so we went to the “parking spot” (and they totally have spotted shuttles!) and left our car and got on our shuttle and got to the airport quickly (our driver cut off the park and go shuttle!) and safely. We are waiting now for our plane and we should be off soon (or so the lady at the ticket counter says…)
We spent nearly one hour waiting for the plane to take off, which seemed crazy at the time but I would learn later that one hour is NOTHING. The flight was relatively uneventful and Eva did really well. Once we arrived in San Juan, we got our luggage and then we went and caught a shuttle to the rental car company where we were given our very cute gray Corrolla (I thought that it was cuter than Ronnie did). And, we were off to Mayaguez, an hour and half away on the western side of the island.
The trip was crazy! I mean, bizarre and stupidly long. Ronnie and I had no idea that the people of Puerto Rico could ever get so excited about something like a governor’s election; but, we were surprised when, after sitting in traffic for nearly an hour, we learned that the traffic was the result of a political party on the streets. The people were waving flags, honking their horns, blaring music and standing in the road touching the cars with their flags. Crazy. So, our hour and a half trip took us nearly sevem and a half hours, including a scenic tour (we were lost) of San Juan.
We finally got to our hotel at around eleven thirty p.m. and checked in. We had to pay $48 for parking! Then, we went to room 216. I loved our hotel room with it’s cute little stained glass window, high ceilings, and tiled floor. Our hotel is a converted monastery and is located right next to a beautiful, historic Catholic cathedral. Overall, the trip has been exciting and somewhat eventful and we are ready for bed!
10/12/08
I prayed that we would make it through the night last night. I remember waking Ronnie up at one point to tell him that we were certainly unsafe and I was afraid because I heard gunshots. The night was terribly long and the streets were very load; but when I woke up, I was very excited to get out and about and see the island. After getting ready, we went downstairs and were given our breakfast coupons for the bakery. Once I stepped outside, I realized how silly I was to be afraid last night. The “gunshots” were definitely just construction plates over the road and the noise was just Saturday night partying. Mayaguez is just a town filled with working class people just trying to get by day by day.
The bakery across the street, Ricomini, is amazing and filled with yummy sweet treats. I got a breakfast sandwich and Ronnie got sweet bread with butter and we both got orange juice. Yummy! While I was waiting for Ronnie to come back from the car, I was left at a table with Eva. I looked in the corner of the bakery and saw an older Puerto Rican woman with deep lines in her face eating a pastry. I could tell that she was looking at Eva and she kept smiling and waiving me to her. So, with a little hesitation because of my poor Spanish, I stood up and went to the woman’s table. She was covered in food, and older than I first thought, and she could not wait to get her hands on my baby girl. She kissed her and told me that God would bless her (something that made me smile, and I later learned that nearly all the people who stopped us, and there were a lot, would say the same thing) and she covered Eva’s chubby legs with kisses. After walking back to our table, I was thinking that I was so blessed to meet that little woman who was so eager to share her love and joy with us. It’s amazing that in all things, God is waiting to be noticed and thanked. So, while sitting in that little baker in a foreign city, I rejoiced in the God that made my child and that old woman and I thanked Him for bringing both of them to me.
After breakfast, we headed south around the island toward Cabo Rojo towards Ponce. Rain started falling early on our trip and then we found ourself in traffic because of the crazy political mess; apparently, in Puerto Rico, Sundays are not God’s days, they are days for PPD (Partido Popular Democratico) but soon the rain cleared up and we were off. The road followed the coast at first, and it was beautiful! The roads were winding and I had the two people I loved most in the world with me and I couldn’t stop telling Ronnie how happy I was.
We grabbed lunch in little café where everyone kept looking at Eva and commenting on how cute she is (of course!). We had turkey sandwiches (bocadillos con pavo) with real turkey (not deli meat). The food was really good and I enjoyed watching the people and taking in the scene. After lunch, we continued on to Ponce. The view was amazing but when we got to Ponce, we were a little disappointed at hour industrial the town was so we decided to go up into the mountains and take the scenic route. We rolled the windows down and the air was balmy and heavy as we traveled through the clouds. The roads were lined with crazy sights: horses, chickens, dogs, and broken cars. Rain started to fall again late in the afternoon and we took a road off of the scenic route and got some gas, fed Ebbie, and ate dinner before we drove the hour or so back to Mayaguez. Oh, in Puerto Rico, they sell gas in liters and do distance in kilometers.
I slept much better in our second night in Puerto Rico, minus the cold air from the air conditioner that was not adjustable….
10/13/08
Our third day started out just as beautiful as the day before. We ate breakfast across the street at the bakery and took a long walk around town. We had planned to talk to the zoo but the road did not have sidewalks so we turned around and decided to take the car. We got to the zoo (I had read online that the zoo was free, but it wasn’t (sad) it cost $15) and as soon as we left the visitor’s center, it started to rain… We took cover with the bald eagle, some owls, and eventually, some Puerto Ricans. The rain came down in sheets and we were all soaked but decided to stay. I loved the aviary and we took some great pictures. The zoo was really great and I enjoyed the day. After the zoo, we went to the bakery and got lunch, a donut for me and a cheese danish for Ronnie. After we got lunch, we went back to the hotel were we were surprised to find out that there was a tropical depression heading towards the island! So, we went to Walmart (of course) to get some emergency food and some stuff for Eva. That night, we ate dinner at Popeyes and talked about how we would love to live somewhere else and have different lives.
10/13/08
Our third day started out just as beautiful as the day before. We ate breakfast across the street at the bakery and took a long walk around town. We had planned to talk to the zoo but the road did not have sidewalks so we turned around and decided to take the car. We got to the zoo (I had read online that the zoo was free, but it wasn’t (sad) it cost $15) and as soon as we left the visitor’s center, it started to rain… We took cover with the bald eagle, some owls, and eventually, some Puerto Ricans. The rain came down in sheets and we were all soaked but decided to stay. I loved the aviary and we took some great pictures. The zoo was really great and I enjoyed the day. After the zoo, we went to the bakery and got lunch, a donut for me and a cheese danish for Ronnie. After we got lunch, we went back to the hotel were we were surprised to find out that there was a tropical depression heading towards the island! So, we went to Walmart (of course) to get some emergency food and some stuff for Eva. That night, we ate dinner at Popeyes and talked about how we would love to live somewhere else and have different lives.
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