I'm on my second-last day in Puerto Rico, a fun little island, and what can I say? I'm going to be cheesy but honest and say that, like most journeys I've made, it has been the people here who have made my stay so good. my travelling companion is a diminutive blonde firecracker, whose utter disparity with my own personality has made for constant entertainment on both of our parts, and we have Definitely learned a lot about each other. from day one, moving into the newly-opened San Juan International Hostel we met open, entertaining, contrasting and fascinating people. their website is http://sjihostel.wordpress.com/ and if you follow me on Twitter, their tag is @SJiHostel. I'm hereby recommending all weary travellers to book in advance for this hidden gem. having not booked in advance, we have stayed at various places, but ended up coming back, almost every evening, whether it be for poker, rum, or just good old-fashioned witty banter. As a nerd of all things historical, I made a point of taking some time to myself to ogle over the extensive fortifications in the old town. The weather- and salt-stained masonry of the Spanish colonial period, intermingled with more recent US militaristic concrete creates a shocking contrast, but a fitting example of what makes this the 'Gateway to the Caribbean'. as you enter the old town proper, down by Plaza Colón, the sprawling fortress of San Cristobal looms large to seaward, while the plaza itself is a nice place to chill and people-watch, especially on those days when the local rum has left a void between the ears. the 'Gateway' tag is especially deserved when you realize the amount of cruise ships which dock here, almost every day. there have been at least four different floating cities docked there in the last week. Crazy, right? Well, maybe not. I like the idea of a cruise, probably more than I might enjoy the actual journey. Being aboard ship makes me feel great. As soon as i feel the craft pitching and tossing on the waves beneath my feet I get a sense of excitement, of discovery, even, that flying in an aeroplane can just not compare. But the sheer size of these ships makes me wonder if anything but a storm-tossed sea would create that same feeling, and maybe I would not achieve that sense of adventure that makes me love being on the sea. I think the only way is to attempt it. And when I do, I shall be certain to record the experience right here. In a side note, while on the island here, we took a ferry to the smaller island of Vieques, off the eastern coast. It reminded me very much of the ferry to the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway. That, I suppose, is where I get my romantic notion of seafaring from. Another companion, early in our trip, was a medical officer on board a sailing vessel, and confirmed to me that my notion of sailing is quite probably a serious misconception.
On a totally unrelated topic, we also visited Arecibo Observatory, which is where they filmed the closing sequence of the James Bond movie 'Goldeneye' which was one of the first James Bond movies I think I had ever seen, and still remains a firm favourite. I know what you're thinking: "doesn't he know that Arecibo observatory has the largest reflecting telescope in the world, and is also home to the SETI foundation.. ?" well, I do know that, but as I'm an avid consumer of popular movie culture, the James Bond reference is what I first picked up on. And do you know what? I was very surprised that more people didn't get it straight away, some people I mentioned it to HAD NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE!!!! crazy? damn straight.
peace and love brothers and sisters
Dermo
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