Old San Juan

The next morning, we got breakfast at the hotel and walked around the grounds. There were iguanas EVERYWHERE!

We played in the ocean, in the sand (well Jordan did),

and in the pool.




We spent the afternoon walking around old San Juan, which was about an hour from our hotel with pretty heavy traffic. What an incredible, beautiful city. It ranks pretty high on my list of the cities I've seen. We started at El Morro, "a six-level fort with a gray, castellated lighthouse." It is the oldest Spanish fort in the New World, built in 1539.


From the El Morro grounds, you can overlook the Cementario de San Juan.


We walked past the cemetary and La Perla, "the most picturesque slum in the world," to get to Forte San Cristobal. It was a really bizarre. Beautiful, old San Juan completely surrounds and overlooks this really dangerous ghetto. The guidebook warns, "La Perla . . . remains the prized turf of lawless people who will be only too happy to rough you up and rob you if given the opportunity. . . . This is not a place to wander into." Although we kept a safe distance from La Perla, we were called some names I dare not repeat for snapping photos as we passed over it.

Although it is not as well know as El Morro, Forte San Cristobal was my favorite part of old San Juan. It was a great place for pictures.



After hitting the top tourist spots, we went shopping and in search of a place to eat. Before we got too far, though, a torrential downpour started. It was raining whole garbage cans full of rain. Although completely futile, we pressed ourselves up against the walls under over hangs trying to avoid the rain. We eventually ran into a restaurant and had dinner, hoping to wait out the storm. No such luck. It was still pouring when we left the restaurant and as we tried to navigate our way back to the car, all of the power in old San Juan went out. So there we were, running around lost in the dark, in the rain, and in a city that we weren't sure was entirely safe after dark. We eventually made it back to the car in one piece, but soaked to the bone.

We warmed up back at the hotel, with mojitos in the hot tub. The perfect end to a beautiful day.