Our Trip to Puerto Rico!
So from June 7-13 we went to Puerto Rico. More specifically we stayed in Fajardo on the eastern side of the island. I can’t say i’ll ever go back but it was fun at times. It was the girls’ first airplane ride and they seemed to enjoy it and not inherit their mother’s fear of flying! It took something like 3.5 hours to get there from Orlando.
We arrived, got our Toyota rental from Sixt which is my favorite rental company. But oh my jesus, the driving has no rules there. Their highways and just like the US around, unless you are in the interior of the island where we didn’t get to go. The roads can be dicey and mountainous. We stuck to the main roads and the drive to our condo was good.
So we arrived at our condo, and the first time we got on the elevator to go to our 23rd floor condo, the elevator shut down mid-way!!! I freaked out punching buttons and repeatedly pressing the help button. It seemed like forever in there but really it was like 5 minutes before maintenance came and rescued us. We were comped $25 for that incident, lol.
We had a great view of the sea and rolling hills. No air conditioning in the main part, which was horrible even as they provided fans to suck the air from the bedrooms out front. All the windows opened, large ones, but other than in the morning the breeze was hot. So while we were there we stuck to the bedrooms.
The first thing we did was to go buy some groceries which are expensive there. We also hit up the local “regular” Walmart that had a limited selection of food aisles that 2 people couldn’t fit side by side in. Everything about PR should include the statement “overcrowded”. Absolutely everything.
I think we chilled out the next day, slept, and waited for our catamaran excursion the following day. I was under the impression it was family oriented with a limited amount of people. We paid about $100 per person for this outing.
The next day arrives, we get up early and arrive first, since the marina was a block away. We started seeing tons of people and I was shocked. This boat wasn’t that big. Before we got on board we had to ditch our shoes, which is weird. Once on board they go through some safety rules which they ignored anyway. They told us the boat had capacity for 22 legally and they had 45 people on board. All of us got on the front of the ship and laid there enjoying the breeze and sun in the water speeding along until we reached Icacos island. There we had some fun in the crystal clear waters where I did some underwater photography and videography of all of us. I was always the one to stray too far away from the boat snorkeling and would get honked at.
After enjoying the beach a couple hours we got back on board in our same spot and headed to a designated snorkeling reef. The waters were rough and choppy and the girls had some reserves about going in even though we had good life vests on. It took Ava a while to go in, but eventually she did. I was always on the lookout for sharks and I never saw one. I was hoping for a sea turtle or a dolphin but that didn’t happen. I momentarily freaked out thinking a jellyfish was nearby, but what I caught on video I’m uncertain of.
Ok, so every trip has drama, lol. After snorkeling the boat deck where the stairs are coming up from the water was filled with people sunbathing which was absurd and a huge safety hazard. I got up the stairs and while slippery couldn’t get anyone to move to get by, so I had to step on these nets, and in choppy water, it caught my foot and I twisted my foot and landed on top of my knee somehow and OMG the pain. I was also bleeding pretty bad. One of the boat hands rush over with ice and paper towels and asks if I am OK. I said no, he said, how about some rum, that takes the pain away.
By the way, rum is the cure for everything in PR apparently. So I have a drink, doesn’t help. He sits by me til the ship departs making sure I’m comfy so I won’t file a lawsuit lol. I didn’t want to be on the front of the ship returning back because we were already kind of burned. I couldn’t really walk, so they just left me there. Now I’m sitting on the front of the ship burning to death in the sun, especially the leg that I hurt because I had ice water on it the whole time making it like a mirror for the sun. When we arrive back at the dock, none of the staff helped me off or anything, I hobbled off injured.
My burns were really bad, so bad I’m scarred from it now. Despite repeatedly putting on sunscreen we all suffered bad burns. I guess nothing works when you are that close to the equator… lol.
The next day we all suffered so stayed in. The girls were miserable. Thankfully I brought a pharmacy with me knowing this was a possibility so I had burn creams and sprays, tylenol, nausea, and other meds on me.
Later on that day I notice that my leg is swollen and hurts and I was concerned. Oh did I dare to step foot in a hospital facility in PR, yes I did. Something in the back of my mind convinced me that, well, it’s a U.S. territory, it must have the same standards. Nope!!! We pulled up to the creepy looking hospital that still looks like it’s from the days when Spain ruled it in the pirate days. Iron gates, no lights. You walk in the ER, absolutely nobody there and it smells like death. Immediately i’m telling myself I need to leave. Nobody spoke English. The waiting room had doors leading to other rooms that look like they came off a pirate ship.
About an hour later I get called back, and they take me to this room where the bed mattress literally looks like people of bled to death, rotted on it, and all they do is put tissue paper over it. The pictures below will tell that tale. I am very anxious at this point and Jason goes to tell them we want to leave. About 2 minutes later this doctor walks in after napping and sprays my leg with OTC burn spray and then gives me a thumbs up and asks me if I’m better now lol. I started to say something about how I was concerned about the swelling and he just waved and walked out. Then in comes this nurse with a shot of something I have no idea. I figure it’s rum in a needle, ha ha. No forms said what I was given, I asked but I couldn’t understand, so that will always be a mystery. Then we ran out the door, literally.
The iron gates:
The Spanish style ancient hospital:
The hospital mattress:
My burns:
The following day I thought we better do something else on this trip so we went to Luquillo where there are shacks of homemade deliciousness food I had been dying to try since seeing it on TV. We bought a ton of it, plus a mortar and pestle, and souvenirs for the girls. We also hit up the beach somewhere in there.
On our last day, our flight wasn’t until 10pm but we had to drop the rental off at 3p.m. So early in the morning we drove out to San Juan which is close to the airport. We went to the famous forts and the large cemetary, which was cool.
Then we stopped by the only Denny’s in PR, located in downtown. That is the best Denny’s in the world. The food was perfect, better than any US one I’ve been too. They even had a bar, but that’s not my thing anymore. We all had a great meal.
Next it was time to figure out where our rental dropoff was at. There are two Sixt locations in San Juan and I was driving the whole day. I had a good mental picture of where it was at. I asked Jason to open up maps and guide me. Yes, well he guided me in the wrong direction. After we had looped around the same area 3 or 4 times we were all frustrated so bad everyone was screaming at everyone and we had like 5 minutes left for our return time! Eventually, I saw it on the other side of the freeway so I exited, got over there, turned down a wrong way street or two and made it back with a minute to spare. Wow, now that was the absolute most stressful drive ever for me. Half the problem is the signs say one thing, but Google maps says another thing. Half the directions didn’t match up.
Anyway to the airport we go for a long 7 hours. We had to wait until it was 3 hours before our plane departs before we could even get to the gate areas, so we sat a while near the ticketing booths.
It was a good flight home. We were all exhausted and I slept most of the way. I have to say Spirit Airlines has the most uncomfortable seats ever and we all wished we had neck pillows.
We get back to Orlando at midnight, find our car, and get home as quickly as possible.
So yeah, almost a Griswold style family vacation lol. No more hot destinations for a while. I think Europe will come next! Pics to come below!
