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PUERTO RICO
DAY 1 - ISLA VERDE AND ITS HOTELS The minute we stepped out of
the plane, Puerto Rico's warmth and humidity hit us. It was 86
degrees at lunch time on Saturday, our skin felt immediately damped, but
a light breeze cooled us down. A dark cloud almost rained down on
us, but changed its mind. It has smelled like salt and wet sand
all day.
We're staying in an area called Isla Verde, in one of its smallest
hotels, Borinquen Beach Inn, which has only about 12 units that are kept
very clean. Our room has everything we need, including a wall a/c
unit that was already running when we walked in. We rented a small
car from the agency right across the street from our hotel.
Everything has worked like a charm today, for sure not by luck; David
worked out all the details perfectly.
We had the best Cuban food at Metropol. We walked around the
main street for a while. Found out that the place so many people
recommended to us for Thursday dancing, Shots, is closed for remodeling
until August.
Everybody here looks as if they could speak English, but the majority
won't, or don't. I am learning fast that I'm better off addressing
people in Spanish, even if it means David is left in the dark until
translation. People respond much better to me that way. During
our stroll we walked into the magnificent Hotel San Juan. It is
gorgeous. There's so much to see that I found myself lost in a
chandelier, in a flower vase, even in the plastic stirrer in my drink.
A five piece band played in the lobby at 7 pm. I doubt anyone ever
dances to their music, it's just not the right set-up, but those five
guys are really good. I guess you have to be, to keep a job like
that in this land of music. In the evening we went to the Courtyard
Marriott. There was no cover charge at their bar 'Picante', where
La Sonora Sabanera (with a kick-ass singer,) and La Sonora Sanjuanera,
played 30 minute sets intermittently, and were still at it when we left
at 2 am. I'd never seen that, two bands come off and on the stage
throughout the night. Makes me wonder whose instruments those
were. It seemed nice for the musicians though, who got to hang out
and dance while the other band played.
The Marriott had a bit of every dancer type I know: from the older
couples, who dance as if they've done it always, to the hyperactive
younger ones who turn and flip time and again. Even a dancer who
was missing an arm was doing flips on the floor. I won't lie, it
scared me, but he was quite proficient... there's no accident to report.
There's one more type of dancer in Puerto Rico: the non-dancing,
American tourist, who finds himself having a ball, and tries for the
life of him to keep up.
Good first day!
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In Costa Rica, they say "ALTO" |
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The Hotel San Juan's lobby |
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Dancing at the Isla Verde Courtyard Marriott |
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It was said, this bongo player was Yani's conga player on tour . ? . |
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