Friday June 13 (afternoon)

Traveling with the family again. It’s so much easier now than it was when the kids were younger. They can carry their own stuff now – which is easier on all of us – and they don’t have to carry NEARLY as much stuff as they used to. The blankies, pillows, etc. are almost entirely left behind at this point.

We opted for muffins and juice on the road rather than an airport breakfast, given that nobody eats kiddie meals any more and the simplest repast sets us back between $100 and $150. Fresh Muffins and juice, on the other hand, were a mere $40 and held everyone over until we got to Puerto Rico.

When we’re going on a cruise, there’s no way we can all go in one car because of the luggage, if nothing else. That lets us cut down on the time on the road, because it means that we meet Benita and the kids at a service station on Startown Road, just off of Highway 321. It avoids the backtrack of having to travel from one house to the other early in the morning.

Oh, did I mention that we met at 6:30 in the morning? That’s one aspect of traveling that hasn’t been universally greeted by the kids. Jordan, especially, is not a morning lark and doesn’t come into her own until 10ish most mornings, although all the kids were in good spirits on Thursday. Maybe the thought of vacation puts everyone in a positive frame of mind.

The plane trip was uneventful. Thanks to Eddie’s planning months ago, we had exit row seating. Well, most of us did. The boys got stuck back on window seats 1 and 2 rows behind us, since you have to be 18 to sit in an exit row. Of course, they weren’t checking ID’s . . . . . so they just assumed that Jordan met the requirements.

The hotel here is great. We’re at the San Juan Marriott, which is right on the beach. There’s a great pool, which we’ve made use of both days, with lots of beach chairs around. The ocean is right there and some of us ventured out into it, but it is ROUGH, with a wicked undertow. After a few minutes, we opted back for the pool (and the poolside bar).

Last night we ate at a Tapas Restaurant named Miro that had been recommended. It’s right across the street from the hotel, so no need to deal with cabs or transportation. It was pretty good – mostly seafood – Eddie, Caleb and I each ate a baby octopus that was in Eddie’s entrée. They’re kinda chewy, and they get bigger and bigger in your mouth when you realize they aren’t all that great. Eventually, you just gotta swallow and pray you don’t choke on it.

My entrée was striped bass with garlic shrimp. It was pretty good, although as a rule I prefer that my food not be looking at me from the plate. Benita had the best of any of us – a white fish (halibut?) in a really creamy cheese sauce.

Oh, and refills here – either tea or soda – aren’t free. That’s a little surprising if you’re not expecting it.

This morning we did easy breakfast at the hotel buffet and then went to tour Old San Juan. Lots of shops, nothing we couldn’t live without. I think our purchase for the day, other than lunch, consisted of a 6 pack of bottled water, a refrigerator magnet, a shot glass and a handful of postcards. All of that was purchased at Walgreens across from the hotel. So much for contributing to the local economy.

That little excursion just about caught us, too. Bobbie Jean simply can't walk a lot, so we try to do cabs or trollies or whatever to accomodate. After we got downtown and had eaten lunch, we were ready to go back and couldn't figure out why we couldn't find a cab to take us. There were lots in the line, but none were working apparently. We went up to a van that held us all, there was a big argument (in spanish, if course) among the drivers, and we were headed back. On the way back, the driver told us that there was a cab strike today, in protest of the rising fuel prices. The cab we took into town earlier that day hadn't mentioned it. Anyhow, we could see them where they were parking and essentially choking off traffic to one lane in some places. He wouldn't bring us al the way to our hotel but instead dropped us a block away (at Walgreens, which was convenient anyhow). He said if he went to our hotel, the other drivers there would beat him up later. That certainly impacts whether we take cabs tomorrow or not!

Oh, did I mention there’s a casino here? We’re putting everything on a spreadsheet to keep track of it now – so far we’re up $82.30 in the casino, but then we’ve been here a mere 24 hours.

That’s it for today. Tomorrow we get up early and go on a rain forest tour. Apparently Puerto Rico has the only tropical rain forest in the United States, and everyone says it’s not to be missed. The tour ends at 2:00, so that gets us back in time for an afternoon nap.