Cruise the Eastern Caribbean – day 1

12/5/2010

Today we got up late, was pretty tired from the trip and the evening walking.  We walked up to the La Bombonera for breakfast it was ok but not great as the reports has stated.  After a little shopping we made it back and checked out of the hotel by Noon.  On checking out we started the drag to the boat.  Moving our suitcases down the brick streets. Ethan got a ride for a little bit of that trip.

Making the trek to the ship.”

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Almost there - just another few blocks and a few turns...

Getting there across the main road.

The check in on the boat was not too bad but we had forgotten to print out the pre-check-in stuff so we had to go through a little double-check to get past the first level of security.  To get on the boat is the same as an airplane but repeated ever time we get off.  We got out bags checked and put some stuff in our rooms and then went to the deck 9 and got a lunch bit to eat.  After a little waiting and discussion we headed back into town to see what we could see.   Made a quick stop at the CVS general store and bought hats as we determined we were going to need them.  Bought me a Panama Jack hat as did Sherrie.  Maybe we have pictures of them at some  point?  Since we had packed our stuff up and didn’t realize we would be walking so much we didn’t have out best walking shoes on and it was hurting, but being good troopers we continued on as we were going to the old El Morro fort.

Fort with open area between town and the fort.

The area between town and the fort is a great area for picnics and flying kites.

=”El Morro in Old San Juan”

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Looking back at town and the School of fine Arts/Las Americas Museum.

Once I got the fort, I was waiting on the others and we were circled by the Puerto Rican Motorcycle gang.  It was a group of very industrious kids that had taken regular bicycles and converted to the run on what appeared to be weed-eater 2 cycle engines – quit noisy but effective at getting around.

Puerto Rican motorcycle gang - The gang collects at the top of the hill.

“San Juan Chopper!””

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They may have been in the 30 cc class but they ran pretty good and each was a unique design.  Give the credit for create-ability here.

It was probably a mile or a little more from the boat and we had planned on riding the town trolley but they were so grid locked and the traffic was generally not moving in any direction it become obvious that we should just walk.  Sherrie was feeling the pain from her shoes of  poor choice and really wanted to wait on the trolley but they never came and she gave up well after I had already walked to the fort.

Here she is walking barefoot in the grass up the hill to the fort.

Shoes in hand and feet rubbed raw.

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Once she got there we paid the $5 each to get in and made a complete tour of the fort,  it is pretty big with a lot of levels and plenty of steps.  The walls are huge.  Interesting to see.

This is the layout of the fort that protected Old San Juan for 400 years.

El Morro Fort model.”

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If you look at any maps of old San Juan you will see that there was also a huge wall the surrounded the city and now there is a trail that covers most of that on the outside.

It has a good collection of canons too:

Cannons on the left!”

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Cannons on the right!”

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And they had balls – cannon balls:

Balls stacked 5 high!”

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Balls in the magazine!”

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Looking down, not an easy approach?

Oh and here we are in our new Panama Jack Hats at the fort.

Visiting the El Morro fort wearing our new hats!

Well after all this fun of stairs

and walking the miles and miles around town we headed back to the ship

Walking the narrow streets back to the docks.

The Carnival Victory cruise ship waiting to leave.

to get back on and rest our feet, and of course start the eating frenzy that occurs on cruise ships.  – Tomorrow will be another day of overindulgence in both respects – walking, stairs and eating.   – WD0AJG