Monday.. last day in Puerto Rico

Plans for the day...
8am - leave with Janet for San Juan, where we hope to visit old San Juan and the old fort and maybe a couple of souvenir shops before lunch. Then Janet has to take the rental car back to the airport by 1pm. Then my flight is due to check in from 3pm to take off at 6pm. We have a touchdown at Antigua before continuing on to Gatwick, arriving TUESDAY morning because of the time difference.

I can't wait to see Eli again, but I will be very sad to leave all my Puerto Rican family after getting to know and love them all so much.

My last full day in Puerto Rico

Sunday dawns at last with me having a rare lie-in. Joey, Armando and I went to the Mall so that I could get a few last minute presents to take back with me. When we returned there was some drama which resulted in us leaving much later than we had planned to go visit Chriiz's family at Anasco. We eventually set off, then needed to detour via Hormigueros police station, which is right next to a fascinating old cemetery. I took photographs showing some of the mausoleum buildings from outside the cemetery as it was closed. Then, all sorted out, we drove out to Chriiz's family home, which is beside a river in the forest. When we arrived, after dark, it was actually PITCH dark, as the electricity was out. I didn't mind, because it gave me the opportunity to experience seeing fireflies for the first time. Plus, the sky was so clear and the stars so visible in the lack of light pollution. A beautiful place to live, and I am told it has lovely views in the daytime. Maybe on my next visit ..... :D

On the way home, as I was starving!!!! we went to Pizza Hut and then finally back to the house. I finished my packing for the morning. I can't believe I've been here three weeks!!

Sea, surf and stars, and Stella Lighthouse

Tonight (Saturday) we went to the Faro at Stella. We were able to walk along the path by the light of the stars, and Venus was so bright she backlit the clouds beautifully. Photos have me all red-eyed from crying after saying goodbye to Sonia and Robert. Can't do justice to the star-filled sky or the crashing surf lit by it with photos or with words, you REALLY had to be there!

When we got home, I made "Wasikoki"s for everybody, and we talked for a long time into the night. It feels so good to relax with the family.

The final Saturday

Today I lay in bed till nearly ten a.m. after waking early but deciding I really did NOT want to get out of bed for just one day on my holiday!

I did my final Spanish lesson and uploaded the photos from last night. Then, this afternoon, we went to Robert and Sonia's lovely beach house in Rincon. I went swimming in the sea and enjoyed it very much. Then we had a delicious meal of chicken wings, potato salad and green salad. Orange and grape water ices afterwards.

I was very sad to say goodbye to my new aunt and uncle. Although I have only known them for three weeks, they have really found a place in my heart. I hope it is not Adios, but Hasta Luego!

A wonderful ceremony

This afternoon Joey and Kim made their vows to each other in front of the family and friends and I had the privilege to be there with them. Of course I cried. Afterwards we had a lovely meal that Robert had prepared. The piece de resistance was the island speciality of roast suckling pig which was absolutely amazing. After the meal, we went to the Villa Cofresi in Rincon (the surfing centre of the world) for Pirate specials in coconuts. I had a pina colada with rum. It was delicious.

There was a party going on at the villa, a family event for the Cintron family, strangely enough! So we were allowed in (being Cintrons).

A wonderful day, wonderful memories, wonderful photographs, I hope!

Friday

Today I decided to walk to Camille's Sidewalk Cafe for breakfast. It is about a mile from the house so it took me about an hour. I had breakfast muffin, with a banana boat smoothie (bananas, pineapples and honey).

After calling in at Walgreens and the local Criollo Supermercado, I made it back home in a round trip of about two hours. Tired but I feel I have achieved something.

Rainforest

If it's Thursday, it must be time to visit the rainforest. Joey, Kim and I went for breakfast at Denny's on the way to collecting Janet from the Holiday Inn in Mayaguez. Then the four of us headed out along the south coast to Ponce, before turning inland to the wonders of Toro Negro rainforest.

There is no way I can make words equal the beauty and variety of this place so I'll just let the photographs do the talking.

We had a wonderful lunch at a place almost at the top of the mountains. I had red snapper pastry parcels, which were delicious, along with papas fritas.. so, in effect, I had the Puerto Rican version of fish and chips :D

After lunch we headed for the beautiful 60m waterfall, before turning for home to get off the mountain before sundown. There is no way you want to be driving those roads at dusk or after dark!

Got back to the house about 8pm, exhausted but happy.

Topped the day off with ice cream and apple pie from MacDonalds!!

Trying out my Spanish .......

Tonight Joey and Kim, Sylvia and I, Chriiz and Armando all went to a nearby roadside bar where I was allowed to try out my Spanish by ordering the drinks. Not one word of English, and I managed to get them exactly what we wanted.... Seis "Wazikokis". This is an evil blend of spirits, cranberry juice, pineapple juice and orange juice poured over a HUGE beaker of ice. They are quite delicious.......!

Later we went to Mayaguez to a pavement bar and I had "Gasolina" which is a sort of pouch of s mixture of rum with whatever.. mine had sangria with it. I went onto water after that.. I have photos to take :D

Armando gave Kim a salsa lesson and Joey and Kim DID get up to dance. So romantic!
A good night was had by all.

Shopping trip...

This morning (Wednesday) Joey, Kim and I went quickly to the local shops to get a few necessities, so I took the opportunity to buy a CD of "Le Coqui" so that I can take this signature sound back home with me. Also got some playing cards, postcards and some hair slides because I seem to have lost mine!! Bought something called "circus peanuts" which, apparently, are not actually peanuts. They are a sort of sugary, stiff marshmallow sweet similar to the "shrimps" back home, so I decided Eli would enjoy those :P

back home, tidied up and now planning a siesta, island style.

lullaby

Every night, especially after heavy rain in the afternoon, we go to sleep listening to the calls of the coqui (a tiny frog). These are so small that I have never actually seen one, but they are unmistakable in the sound of their two-tone call.

Finally! A Pina Colada

Yes, I did eventually drink a Pina Colada, but I should mention that mine did not have rum in it. Drinking from a coconut is an iconic "trip of a lifetime" event if you visit the Caribbean, so of course I wanted to try it too. At Hotel on the shore watching the surf by the lights from the pool bar (that's pool as in the one you can swim in) listening to wonderful latin music and dancing and having a wonderful night with the Puerto Rican Family :D Special memories are being created on this trip.

Beaches

more sand, sun and surf :)

Iguana Safari

Up bright and early to go looking for iguanas along the riverside. That was the plan. As it turned out, we didn't see any sunning themselves today. However, we did see other wildlife. Tortoise and white heron to name two I recognised! Lovely day, back to the house, then the next door neighbour decided to cut down the palm tree next to the fence about four feet from where I was sitting doing my Japanese studying!! weird isn't quite the word :D

Monday

The beach! YAYAY! What can I say. Caribbean island, sunshine, coast, sand, palm trees, warm weather, and most important of all... GREAT FRIENDS!

Thanks to Joey and Kim, dear newlyweds, for taking me along to the beach with you for a fantastic day. I really enjoyed it. Special memories that will be with me forever.

Sunday night

We had an unusual visitor... this crab was walking up the street! We are not close to the ocean, so it was either lost, an escapee or a banana palm crab.. not sure which! At least it wasn't eaten by us, for which I (and I suspect, the crab too) am grateful.

Sunday morning

Went to the Kingdom Hall for the special talk, to be given in 109,000 congregations around the world today. I am very excited! Nathali came to pick me up and I took my camera because I am not sure whether this will be my last meeting with the brothers and sisters on the island of enchantment. I will be very sad to say goodbye to them but I will do my best to keep in touch :)

Lunch at Don Quixote this afternoon. I managed to order my meal in Spanish, which didn't raise any laughs so I must have got it right. In any case, the waitress brought what I wanted :D I tried a Puerto Rican speciality... mofongo, which I had as mashed plantains, as an accompaniament to chicken stew. It was unusual, and a bit too stodgy for my taste, but I wanted to try some of the local cuisine.

Saturday... continued

Finally everything is ready and we had a lovely afternoon with Yolanda and the rest of Armando's family (his father and three brothers, Geraldo, Allesandro and Angelo). In the evening we went to the movies :D

Sylvia and I went to see "Mirror, Mirror" and the boys went to see "Wrath of the Titans". It was a lovely evening. Had hot chocolate at Subway while we waited for the boys to come out of their movie.

Joey and Kim were supposed to be at the house tonight, but a small hiccup with the arrangements means we will only see them tomorrow morning.

saturday again!

The time here is flying past! Tonight the bride and groom arrive at last. I am really looking forward to seeing Joey again and meeting Kim. We spent the morning cleaning house and doing laundry and shopping. This afternoon a few guests are expected to celebrate with Armando as he is 19 today. After that we are hoping to go see a movie. It is very warm. We have had a small amount of rain today but nothing much. Maybe it will be a downpour tonight!

Waterbombs!

Today Chriiz and I had the promised water bomb fight in the garden. I am sure the palm trees appreciated the extra shower! It was so warm that it was good to get sprayed with the cold water :D

I was happy that Sonia and Robert visited and invited me to their beachfront home for a couple of days. Of course I said YES!!!!

Joey arrives tomorrow so things are of course in a bit of a tiz a la casa Cintron :D

Memorial at Mani Kingdom Hall

After a lovely day, I got ready to go to the Hall for the Memorial celebration. Sylvia, Chriiz and Armando took me in the car to Mani to the Kingdom Hall so that I could attend this most important annual event. The congregation has 51 publishers, but managed to cover 95% of their territory with invitations, and were happy to see an attendance of 118 altogether for the Memorial. I was very pleased to be able to spend this special time with my Puerto Rican brothers and sisters, and enjoyed the talk by the visiting brother from Brooklyn Bethel, as he explained the reason for our gathering together on this special night.

After a spiritually upbuilding meeting, I said farewell to my "family" at Mani and returned with Sylvia and the boys towards home. On the way back we called in at Macdonald's and had supper.

I was very tired by the time we got home, but felt really happy.

Tango

Today we went to visit friends in the mountains, and went to Amigos Sports Bar, where I had a beer and danced the tango! In the late afternoon we stopped by a roadside vendor and had freshly made Alepas (I had chicken) which were delicious :)

The meeting at the hall tonight was very good. Nathalie had her first talk in the hall and the mikes failed, but she kept going and we all enjoyed her talk. Looking forward very much to the Memorial commemoration tomorrow night.

Tuesday

Sylvia and I went shopping then over to Anasco to see Juan before driving back along the coast. We stopped for a little while to let the sea soothe our journey and arrived back late afternoon. This evening we had pizza for dinner then down to Cabo Rojo to Galloways, a restaurant built out over the sea along the mangrove swamp coastline. We saw HUGE fish swimming under the restaurant :) small sharks! Back via Macdonald's for ice cream before home and bed.

Monday

Got up and did my laundry this morning, hanging it out in the garden to dry. Should take about five minutes :)

My feet have finally stopped hurting, so walking around is much easier today. After doing my bible study and my Spanish lesson, I sat in the garden reviewing my Japanese book. After lunch (watermelon) I relaxed for a while before going out in the late afternoon for ice cream and some time chilling in the Plaza Mayaguez. This is a lovely square in old Mayaguez which has lots of statues and a central fountain. It was so peaceful and relaxing. After dark we headed back home. A beer and good conversation on the porch before bed. Perfect!

Sunday

Up bright and early, showered, breakfasted and dressed in time to be collected by two lovely sisters from the congregation to take me to the Hall for the meeting this afternoon. A very uplifting talk by the visiting brother and of course the Watchtower study was interesting and encouraging.

Afterwards we went to Chilis for a late lunch. I had Cajun chicken pasta and a strawberry margerita! It was lovely, and the company was even better :)

Home later than expected after a very enjoyable day. Watched TV with Sylvia and had an early night.

Saturday

I feel better than I have done for years. This climate really does agree with me. Today I walked to the supermarket and back (that's roughly a mile round trip). Okay, my feet are sore, and I'm very tired, but I am very pleased to have accomplished this. The last time I walked a mile would be... maybe... fifteen years ago. Rest of the day chilling in the garden I think :)

Tonight we have a special talk at the Kingdom Hall with a brother visiting from the Bethel in Brooklyn. What a treat! This really is going to be a wonderful week of spiritual activity.

Friday

Another lovely day in Puerto Rico... sun is very warm today, and we went to Rincon to the beach house and had a lovely afternoon playing dominoes and listening to the surf pounding on the beach. Robert cooked red snapper and conger eel, which he had caught himself! It was delicious. A perfect day.

The Rains came down

Then the rain came and the floods came.. and did I mention the small quake during the night?? No?? well I slept through it anyway LOL! But, seriously, the east of the island is suffering floods after being inundated for hours. I hope it doesn't continue much longer. I feel so guilty for bringing unprecedented rain to this paradise island.

Wednesday's child

A lovely morning, and I had a very good sleep so that makes it an even better morning! Tonight I will be meeting the brothers and sisters at the Kingdom Hall in Mani, Mayaguez which is very exciting :)

The first morning

Well I can say without reservation that I had the best night's sleep I've had in a lot of years. No matter that I was exhausted, that the temperature didn't drop below 78 all night, that I was in a strange home (as in new, not as in weird) and any other reason for not sleeping well. I woke at seven PR time (about lunchtime UK) and felt like a completely new woman! Thank heaven for the island of enchantment. I feel in love with it already. Sylvia and Sylvita are lovely people and have made me very very welcome. I really feel like family here. I know I am going to love this place more and more. There are homes in all the colours of the rainbow, and combinations of the colours, and under the bright blue sky they don't look over the top at all, just pretty and a bit rundown in places but different and bright and cheerful and so much better than grey old Carlisle! Can you imagine a street in Cumbria with 20 houses all coloured like a child's box of crayons??? It's wonderful :D

ah...

But the water has gone off due to a burst pipe somewhere so we can't take a shower or do the laundry today. Not to worry. Always tomorrow. I refuse to stress over anything! This is my holiday and if I have to live in a towel for two weeks I don't care :D

Taxi ride... or rollercoaster, which is better value, which is scarier????

Finally I find a taxi driver who is prepared to take me the two to three hour trip to Hormigueros on the other side of the island from San Juan. Apparently this is not a usual request, so even though they have a set tariff for the journey, the drivers need incentives to make the trip. I agree an incentive and we set off for a very strange, not to say 'white knuckle' drive across Puerto Rico's Cordillera Centrale. I don't mind the way vehicles change lanes without indicating, or speed, or the driver trying to read something while driving at 60+ miles per hour, or the fact that the roadworks are poorly signposted, unlit and suddenly come out of nowhere... I also don't mind the fact that it is a good indication of the standard of driving that most of the cars we pass have dents along the sides like a rite of passage has been observed along the highway at some point... The time I really got worried was when the driver (and several other vehicles) started driving along in the lane reserved for emergency vehicles. I won't dwell on the near misses with other vehicles or the fact that my driver spoke only a little English and I spoke only a little Spanish.

On the plus side... he was kind enough to buy me a bottle of water at the garage where we stopped to refuel. The gasoline as they call it was only about one dollar per litre.. very very cheap... so that explains a bit why so many Puerto Ricans take their cars on trips of a few hundred yards or less!

Anyway, I arrived safely eventually at Sylvia's after driving around for about an hour in the dark looking for the street. Home sweet Home!

The Trip of a lifetime

Monday, wee small hours and Eli and I are not only awake, but up, showered, dressed, packed and ready for the shuttle bus to the airport by 7.05am!!

The staff at the airport are extremely helpful, and supply labels for the wheelchair and removable parts in case the footrests come off in transit :D

by 9.40 I am on my way to the gate and headed for the plane. Lovely staff, lovely day, only difficult bit was saying bye to Eli. We haven't been this far apart EVER so it is a big wrench, but one that is healthy for both of us.

The plane is fairly comfortable, and even though I can't see much of the outside from where I am sitting, on the centre aisle, I enjoy the trip. The food could be better but I'm hungry so I'm not complaining!

Touchdown at Antigua, and finally I get to sit by the window for the last leg of the trip and take some photos. If they come out I will be posting them on here because the scenes of the islands and the boats down below are truly beautiful!

Now landed at Puerto Rico and waiting at the airport for a taxi to take me to Sylvia's house... more to follow.

A day of rest

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, and so it proved to be. Eli and I surfaced about mid-morning, too late for breakfast. Eli ate the leftover pizza from last night's supper and I eventually persuaded her we needed some fresh air and we went and bought a sandwich or two for my lunch. A lovely bright sunny day in London with all the daffodils out around the hotel making it look really pretty. View from the room is trees and fields, so that's fantastic, only half a mile from the airport!! Lazy day today, did us both a whole lot of good. Early start tomorrow so we ate dinner early so that we could get to bed before midnight. I hope I can sleep!

The journey begins

Saturday at last!

Mum came to the railway station to see us off to London. Eli and I finally finished the packing with about five minutes to spare before the taxi arrived to collect us. Now the hard part begins. The train to London won't be too bad, we have done it before.

Ah, well I spoke too soon. Got on the train and they had not booked us a wheelchair space, despite me having specifically requested one. Not to worry, there was a spare one so we got in the space, after moving a crowd of kids and sundry luggage out of the way to fit the wheelchair in the designated area. Next problem, the toilet goes out of order about Kendal so now we have a few hours travel with no access to a loo!
Bless you, Virgin Trains! At least the staff have their wits about them. They detrained us at Warrington Bank Quays and took us along the platform to another wheelchair space, with a working toilet nearby. Only problem was, it was in first class. That wasn't a problem, actually :D

Taxi from Euston to Victoria, train to Gatwick Airport, shuttle bus to the hotel and FINALLY we get to our rooms to find there is only a double bed made up, with a sofa bed needing bedding. On raising this issue with the desk, we are told we can have a twin disabled access room (which was actually what I ordered!!) and are moved down to the ground floor. At least everything comes to he who waits (or she, in my case). The dinner was good, but a very long wait as it was a very busy time in the restaurant. Bed was very welcome, after I repacked my bags. Only to find.. problem! I had, in my rush, not packed ANY CLOTHES for the days in London!! So it was just as well that I didn't feel like going anywhere...

Always at the last minute....

Well, Friday is here and there is still so much to do! Packing is not yet sorted, I don't have a money belt, or a few other things I really need. So much has to be finished by tomorrow so we can leave for the train. I need to get a move on! No time to post today. Maybe tomorrow....?

Preparation

It's Thursday. Usually, on Thursdays, Eli and I look forward to a visit from Alex, our friend who lives on the next street. The three of us are learning Japanese with Harumi-sensei, and use one evening a week to try and have some Japanese social time. We are not yet able to speak exclusively in Japanese, but we use as much as we are able to practice and improve. Sometimes we eat Japanese food together, or play Scrabble and try and use some Japanese words using English letters, or romaji. Often we just chat about things Japanese, anime, manga, problems we are having with parts of the grammar or vocabulary. It is always a very pleasant evening together. Tonight is different. We had to cancel at the last minute, which I was not happy about because I hate letting people down. However, circumstances conspired against us. Alex leaves for Japan this weekend, so I was hoping to see him before he left, but it was not to be.

I will be away soon on my holiday, my first foreign holiday EVER. I am a bit nervous because I will be travelling alone, and flying over the Atlantic to the Caribbean to visit friends in Puerto Rico. It is known as the Island of Enchantment, and I expect to find it very different, not just because of the language (they speak a version of Spanish based mostly on Castillian but with local variation) but because of the climate and the scenery. I am looking forward to exchanging cold grey Carlisle for sunshine, palm trees, soft sandy beaches and rain forest, mountains and turn of the century spanish architecture.

For tonight though, Thursday, I have so much still to do. I am not yet packed, but have sorted much of what I will need to take with me. Tomorrow I must pack because Eli and I will head off to London by train, the first stage of the journey.

I will post here as often as I can while I am away and let you know how things are going.
Buenas Noches!