Vacation February 7 2016 Saying Goodbye To Puerto Rico

After that great day in Puerto Rico it was time to board ship and set sail.

At the end of the Disney cruise last year we had signed up for another which got us a good deal. This would be a re-positioning cruise - starting in Puerto Rico and ending in Miami so that, aside from really enjoying San Juan last year was why we were in San Juan.

This time instead of the Disney Fantasy we would be on a smaller ship, the Disney Wonder. With half the passengers of the Wonder class ship, it offered just about as many amenities except for the Aquaduck, and it promised to have a lot in store for us.

Boarding was flawless and quick.

We could see the fort we had explored the day before from the ship as it dominated the side of the harbor.

Soon we set sail and headed to our first stop on the cruise - St. Kitts.

Old San Juan: The Castillo San Cristóbal

After the zip-lining adventure it was time for some history.

We went into Old San Juan to visit the fortifications. We went to the eaatern of the two forts, Castillo San Cristóbal.

Begun by the Spanish in 1634 and completed in 1790, the Castillo San Cristóbal is the younger of the two forts with the El Morro fort that guards the western side of the bay begun in 1539 and completed in 1787. A wall surrounding Old San Juan, 20 feet thick also took well over a century to complete. The forts and walls guarded the strategic deep port of San Juan very well indeed.

Castillo San Cristóbal covers 27 acres and is the largest Spanish fortification in the New World.

The fort has multiple buildings with thick walls to resist cannon fire and impressive views.

At the battlements where the main firing battery used to be, there was a display of cannon balls, some of which could be moved around. The fuses of the balls had been removed and you could see their interior construction. Interestingly enough, there were no cannon on display on the walls or at any firing port. Only a lone cannon stood in the main entrance room to the fort.

The kitchen for the garrison when the fort was under US control was rather sparse.

The dungeon was indeed dark and dank, with drawings on the walls apparently from a Spanish captain that had been imprisoned there long, long ago.

It was an interesting self-guided tour and gave you an appreciation for the life of the soldiers at the fort from its construction through its being used by the United States as late as the Second World War.

El Toro Verde - Wild Rides

This is El Toro Verde - The Green Bull:

The Green Bull stands at the entrance to the El Toro Verde Adventure Park in Orocovis, Puerto Rico - A zip-lining adventure high in the mountains about an hour from San Juan. The road up had 137 tight curves in it - Leah counted. It was a good thing the El Toro Verde driver that picked us up was quite a skillful driver.

We were so high up, helicopter rides came in to land below us:

We arrived, checked in, signed waivers, got our equipment fitted and it was time to zip-line.

Think long zip-lines, high above the trees with awesome scenery as you ride suspended from a dual cable system at speed so fast if you tough the cables they will burn a hole in your glove or even remove a finger.

Here's the video of me riding one of the zip-lines:

Here's what it looks like from a third person view:

Here's a wide angle shot of another zipliner that came in after us:

To say it was awesome would be an understatement.

Abby, after unstrapping from the first zipline announced that she was no longer afraid of heights. Leah impressed two young men right behind us that couldn't believe a 9-yeeay-old would ride these with such wild abandon as they were freaking out from the bheights. She strapped into the line, looked at them, said "See ya!" and took off. We then rode 7 more, for a total of 8 unforgettable rides.

We did not ride The Beast - a zipline a mile long and moving at speeds of 60 miles per hour that you ride suspended from the cables lying face down like you're flying - because you are:

Sadly the kids were both underage and of insufficient weight to ride it. Next time.

The kids declared that it was one of the coolest family activities we've ever done and we were the coolest parents ever. We'll take it!

2016 Vacation Day 2 - The Streets and Vittles of Old San Juan

We had taken the Flavors of Old San Juan walking tour last year, and enjoyed it so much we did it again this year.

It was not an exact repeat of last year, but had some new restaurants along with some of the best from the previous trip.

Our guide for this tour was named Juan, and he was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide.

We were in a group of 13, us and an extended family of 9 who were celebrating their fathers/grandfather's 60th birthday. They were an interesting and fun bunch - Hindus from Guyana of Indian (as in the subcontinent India) extraction who now lived in various parts of the USA. They're quite an accomplished family and they were great company to stroll around the city.

So we got the history of San Juan and got to sample some great foods.

First were two appetizers, one was a croquette made to a 300 year old Spanish recipe, the other a popular Puerto Rican appetizer.

Both were tasty.

We then went to the Parque De Palomas, where the pigeons rule the roost. Way more pigeons than people, and they know they're in charge in the park and will stare you down.

We also stopped by the second thinnest house in the world (apparently the thinest just opened in Amsterdam). If you want to stay here, they apparently are going to make it available on AirBnb for rent. If you want to live thin, that's the place for you.

We again went to Rosa De Triana and made Mofongo, which was great. Mofongo is fried green plantains that you mash up with a mortar and pestle with garlic and butter, spoon on a topping, ion this case chicken, and you're good to go.

We also stopped for popsicles, had some awesome Pina Coladas and enjoyed hours of touring the city and learning more about it.

By the end of the tour the kids were wiped, so we headed home where after a nap they revitalized enough to hit the beach.

Then we went to dinner at Molini's.

A small cafe, there's no permanent menu as everything is made fresh depending on what ingredients they get that day. The menu is handwritten on a chalkboard and the owner translated it for us.

Tash and I each decided to try professionally made Mofongo (#7 & 9 on the menu), one with shrimp and the other with steak. To say both were awesome would be an understatement. The kids had the Salmon and rice to share and it was plenty of food. Great service, cool atmosphere and awesome food. I also sampled one of the local beers, Magna, and it was quite good.

Then we tucked the kids into bed as tomorrow promised some high-flying adventure.

2016 Family Vacation Day 1

Our vacation started out at about 0400 as we got up in the cold to get to the airport.

We got all our bags checked, went through security. For some reason they ran me along with every other male in line through the rapiscan but did not do so for Tash and the kids.

Got on board the Spirit Airlines Airbus 321 and fervently hoped our checked luggage would make the connection.

The flight was on time and aside from the cramped and uncomfortable seats was fine. Our first stop was Fort Lauderdale, where we had a snack at the airport and then got on our next plane.

We then touched down in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Happily, all three checked bags also made the trip.

We used AirBnb to find a place to stay and were pretty happy with the accommodations in the Condado district, a short cab ride into Old San Juan and a short walk to the beach and some great restaurants.

So we first stopped at Kasalta for a snack and coffee. Kasalta is a cafe/bakery in the area that had tons of great stuff and the coffee was great.

Once refreshed, we hit the beach.

The water was warm, and we spent time swimming and wandering around the neighborhood, then we went back to the room, prepared for the next day and then went out to dinner at "La B De Burro" a Mexican food restaurant a short walk form the beach and the place where we were staying. Great Mexican food - the chips were fresh made, the salsa was tasty, and the chimichangas, tacos and burritos were excellent, as was the agua fresca.

Then we got things ready for day 2.

Closer To Home Than Greece, The Rich Port Isn't

Puerto Rico has also just announced it has run out of other people's money.

Powerline: Puerto Rico Goes Broke

Puerto Rico has also just retained Judge Rhodes, the judge who took Detroit through its Chapter 9 bankrupty in the matter.

The Detroit News: Rhodes on Puerto Rico: ‘It’s exactly like Detroit’.

I'm not sure if Rhodes means that Puerto Rico did itself in by a corrupt Democrat administration that squandered its funds through waste, fraud, incompetence and by paying the ruling party's cronies for contracts for in excess of the value received and sweet heart deals with Unions in return for political support. To be charitable to Puerto Rico, perhaps he just meant Puerto Rico's government was both borrowing too much and massively overspending beyond its capacity to repay.

It's the same, except of course Puerto Rico's debt is 4 times bigger than Detroit and there is both no surrounding state to bail it out as occurred for Detroit and no Chapter of the Bankruptcy Code to provide for the bankruptcy of a United States Commonwealth.

Perhaps Spain will offer to buy the island back in exchange for paying off the debt. That is of course assuming Spain doesn't join Greece in running out of other people's money, due to its debts, as it's debt loading on a per capita basis actually matches Puerto Rico's.

May you live in interesting times was indeed a curse and not a blessing.