Saturday, July 23, 2011

Puerto Rico - July 23rd - Day 1 of Vacation



This is kind of late but I figured it would be a good way to keep track of what we have done on our vacation in case it takes me awhile to get all the pictures uploaded and into a digital scrapbook. Since I have not even completed the scrapbook for Mike and my trip to San Francisco from last December, I figured this would be the best and fastest way to get our trip documented.

We left early Saturday morning from DFW. Our flight was at 5:15 in the morning so we had to be at the airport by 4:15. Mike said he was wide awake by 2:30 so he went ahead and got up to get ready for the trip. Me, on the other hand, waited until the alarm clock went off at 3:00 to drag myself out of bed. I am a morning person, but 3:00 was a bit early for even me.

Our first flight was to Charlotte, NC. It was only 2 hours and 30 minutes long. I slept most of the way but the plane was a bit chilly, even for me. I was pretty surprised at how full the flight was. I didn't think that a 5:15 flight would be full at all. When we arrived in Charlotte, we had just enough time to get off the plane and head to a different terminal. Just as we got to our new terminal and gate, it was time to board our second flight. We didn't have enough time to grab a bite to eat so we were both pretty hungry by this time. The flight to San Juan was 3 hours and 44 minutes. I was unable to sleep for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there was a group of teenagers that sat right behind Mike and I. They were very loud and annoying (Mike says I'm too kind using those two specific words). They were so loud and obnoxious. Even the lady sitting next to me made a comment about them. The second reason I was unable to sleep was because the plane was so cold. At one point, I asked the flight attendant if she had any blankets I could have. She kindly informed me that she could sell me one for $7. How outrageous was that? If I can't spend money to eat the food on the plane, what makes you think I would pay $7 for a blanket?

Our plane landed in San Juan around 1:30 in the afternoon. The weather was a bit gloomy and rainy but we were both very excited about finally getting there. After getting off the plane quickly, since the teenagers decided to become louder and more obnoxious (if that's even possible), we went to claim our luggage. Mike's luggage immediately came out and we were both a bit nervous while waiting for mine to come up but it eventually did. I would guess that we waited at least 10 minutes for it.

The weather was very humid when we exited the airport. We had to walk to an area marked "Rental Car" pickup and waited for Thrify Car Rental to come pick us up. We ended up renting a small, white, Nissan Versa (which we thought was interesting since we also rented a small, white car when we were in San Francisco). After leaving the car rental place, we immediately went into the neighboring McDonalds because we were both so hungry. The young girl working at the counter had to ask someone in the store for an English translator to help with the translation of a McChicken sandwich and chicken nuggets. I thought that was pretty funny.

After lunch, we proceeded to drive to Aguada, Puerto Rico, which was in northwest Puerto Rico. We had rented a little house from VRBO Home Away. Along the way, we stopped at a Wal-Mart, which we were very surprised to see. This Wal-Mart was very different than the ones back home because it was crazy jam-packed and extremly busy. The store was in a complete disarray and the parking was horrendous. By the way, driving in Puerto Rico is what Mike calls, "free-for-all!" I thought the drivers in Texas were aggressive, but I guess I was wrong. Mike did a pretty good job keeping up with the locals' way of driving.







We arrived at La Casita de Aguada around 6:15 that evening after driving through a flooded street (from all the recent rain from that day) and Mike making ONLY one wrong turn. He had the map memorized in his head but he was just a tad off on the distance. Mike called Victor, the caretaker next door, and he let us into the house and showed us around. It was a very cute little house, but the air conditioner had not been turned on so you can imagine how hot and sticky it was. We immediately started cooling off the place while we unloaded the car. Then we headed off to El Galeon, a local favorite right down the street. We ordered two Coronas with lime and Mofongo balls (mashed plantains rolled into a ball and deep fried) for appetizers. It was absolutely delicious! It came with a sweet dipping sauce but neither of us knew exactly what it was. Mike ordered the Creole Grouper, and I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Both dishes were delicious...and of course, I had leftovers to take home.

All in all, we had a very successful first day on vacation!

No comments:

Post a Comment