ESJ Towers Carolina

... etc they all really started to perk up and because a FABULOUS crew! <br><br>Our crew kept our cups filled with yummy rum punch and pina coladas as we sailed to Icacos Island. We got off the boat here and did some snorkeling until it was time for lunch! They had a great spread of sandwich makings, pasta salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, salad, pickles, chips, etc....hit.the.spot. YUM. <br><br>After lunch ...

... was even a group of 27 teachers doing their own girls getaway, boy they were a fun rowdy bunch!<br><br>For dinner we got ourselves all dressed up and made our way to Old San Juan where we enjoyed a delicious Puerto Rican dinner at Barrachina's. Fun fact about Barrachina's - it is the birthplace of the Pina Colada, so be sure to ask for a free sample to taste - they were ...

... the islands kept the water calm and made conditions perfect for windsurfing. Our next stop in Playa Salinas was a pleasant surprise and was a little reminiscent of Luperon, Dominican Republic- filled up with loads of sailboats. As it turned out about half of the boats were vacant as people use this as a hurricane hole and leave their boats anchored there for months. This mangrove-rimmed bay is a yachtie's haven and had all the local gossip to go with it. Two of our friends, Kalida and ...

... but has been bony a few times. Anyways, we were scheduled to pull into Puerto Rico around 8am so pretty much everyone got up at 6 and went out to the decks to watch the sunrise and see us pull in. I took a ton of pictures pulling in as we went past the old forts and the sun was rising in the background, it was pretty nice. We pulled in past the other cruise ships at the port (which are absolutely enormous) and customs came on to check everyone ...

We were all awake and up early. Paul drove me to the airport, then returned to the take the shuttle from the hotel with the kids. We checked in -- not much wait for the First Class check-in, but we did have time to make fun of the family with the matching pink luggage behind us in line. Went to Peet's for coffee; got bagels for the kids. On-time to Chicago, and, despite the potential for very horrid weather, had no delays. In fact, it was ...

...

... I had a 930 walking tour of Old San Juan which didn't even talk about old San Juan and just toured us through Fort San Cristobal and Fort El Morro, which were neat to see but not in the program description. Getting tired of the Fort, this girl Erin and I broke off from the group and decided to wonder though Old San Juan. Erin really wanted to go to Wal-Mart of all places but settled on Walgreens in Old San Juan, she bought me whatever I wanted for going with ...

... on your wall" and yet, I cannot know. I feel isolated, withdrawn, lost out there in the world somewhere. Strangely enough however, it's exhilarating. To know that no one can reach me, at least not easily, is somewhat powerful. I know where they all are, relatively. But they have no way to pinpoint my exact location. They can only guess at my whereabouts on the sea. And they can only guess at what I must be doing. Knowing this inspires me all the ...

... new and old. I like Old San Juan better. Capital hall is down there, and a bunch of other buildings, like El Morro, a fort. It was all very beautiful, and colorful, and very very warm. We had to stop and buy water and gelotto after a while. All in all, it was a great first port, it kind of baby stepped me into things. I hope all of you are doing good. Six days 'til Brazil! P.S. classes are doing well, too. Yes they are making us think and work&#61514;

... By the time we arrived the seas had grown and the turn into the anchorage was fraught with whitecaps. We skated in, picked up a free DNR mooring and ate quickly as we watched a Fountaine Pajot bounce out and several large motor yachts rock their way out. We were crushed to have to rush as the setting was spectacular. I would highly recommend a spring or summer visit here. The forecast was for accelerating winds so we headed down the Culebra coast to Ensenada Honda where we ...