San Juan, Puerto Rico

Hi guys,
It passed too much from the last time I’ve updated this blog but unfortunately San Juan doesn’t offert really cheap Internet Café’, thus I’ve waited to arrive here in LA for talk you about Puerto Rico!

26th May – After an easy previous night passed watching a comic movie at Sandy’s house, I woke up quite relaxed and we went to the airport (but before I went to say goodbye and thanks for everything to Dino): for just 5 minutes, I’ve lost the flight: I’ve arrived almost 2 hours before to departure but the was such a long queue that when I’ve arrived in front the check in it was only 40 fucking minutes before the departure!!! And the lady in front of me didn’t allow me to check-in since they close the gate 45 minutes before to leave (I believed it was 30minutes…)….anyway, I’ve spent another couple of hours in Miami’s airport (I’ve made of course some others change to my itinerary, just for sport!), then I’ve taken the flight for San Juan at 1.20pm! On the flight I’ve met a nice puertorican girl, Aliza, and she were so gently that when we arrived to San Juan she gave a lift to Old San Juan! At the end, we spend all day together: we first went out for eat something, then she left me at the hostel and pick me up a couple of hours later for going out…my first night in Puerto Rico, waoouu!! I’ve told her my preferences about latin music and thus she bring ma at “El San Juan”, an amazing hotel with casino and 2 clubs!! One of them was enough for dance salsa, then we decided to swin to the atlantic (it was 1am…)….let’s don’t talk about my clothes the next day! 
Anyway, that hotel isn’t easy to forget, really good swimming pool, next to the beach, nothing compared to my hostel: maybe the only one in San Juan (it’s pratically impossible to find an hostel in San Juan, the most of them are hotel starting from 100 dollars!), this shit of place was really dirty and old, not a really good place to recommend BUT, the nice thing was that for only 25 dollars (later became 20…) you can have a single room, with a king size bed, fridge in the room and other facilities…..at the end, I enjoyed the time passed there so if you’re interested I’ll give you all the details now:

Guest house - Viejo san juan (Old San Juan)
Tanca st. , 205
Box 9020947 - Puerto rico 00902
(Vicente "Quique" Castro, 787-722-5436)

Note that the only way to make a reservation is calling Señor Castro and take a reservation talking only in Spanish!!!

I really liked Puerto Rico since nobody speak English, you can live 24h speaking Spanish (and that is what I’ve tried to do, since I’ve take Spanish courses for 2 months!).

27th May – Saturday: To be Saturday, I really was expecting to have another such crazy and nice night! During the day I’ve visit all Old San Juan (basically where is the hostel), really cool city since it appear as an old Spanish town, with all the builings and architectures made 500 years ago (maybe my hostel was included!). The night I was alone, since my friend Aliza went to visit her parents in Fajardo, thus my strategy was: get drunk at home, really drunk, then walking around for San Juan looking for nice “puertoricheñe”…and that was what I did: in the afternoon I’ve bought the famous local beer “Medalla”, then I went home, drinking as much as possible! At 10pm I went out, and the first strange place I’ve seen I entered and orderd a medalla! Outside there were two nice girls, so I’ve waited the right moment to introduce myself and start speaking Spanish, the only recognized language (and Puerto Rico is considered an U.S. state….)
Anyway, this night changed all my permanence in the Island since Alexandra and Judithmar were so nice with me that basically they take care of me for all the rest of the time, that night and more: they showed me the busiest street in Old San Juan, where all the pubs are, then they recommended me Bar Rumbas for dance salsa...they weren’t interested to they left me their contact and I went by myself dancing salsa!
After those two nights my opinion about salsa in Puerto rico wasn’t really good, since both the night I’ve only not skilled people, none of them was as good as me for dance salsa…shit, I was in Puerto Rico, not in England, where a fuck are the amazing dancers??

28th May – The day before I’ve asked for information about the public transport in Puerto Rico, considered so bad that all the people here have their own car, everybody talk bad about the AMA (the name of the public transportation company) and also, the service is limited in San Juan, thus, without a car I couldn’t visit all the island but I was forced to remain to the biggest city….the truth is that exist another public transportation, called “carros publicos”, but they really look much more worst than the AMA and fortunately I haven’t used them!
Anyway, I’ve take the bus and I went to Ocean park beach, for my first day “a la playa”! The beaches are of course nice, but still they lack in organization for sports activities…later I understood that all the people go to Rincon, another small city on the west of the island, where there are big big waves for surfing! Anyway, it was nice to see this other aspect of San Juan, then I went home and met again Alexandra for the night! Sunday wasn’t really cool, we just play pool (everybody here play pool), and that was weird for me since the day after was the Memorial Day and nobody work (it’s an national holiday)…

29th May – Old San Juan was too small for me, the first day was enough for visit it, thus I’ve taken again the bus and this time I went to the famous local market, Rio Piedras, and later Plaza Las Americas, where I’ve seen for the first time the really puertorican style life (nothing compared with the touristic place where I went before!). In particular, I really enjoyed the food and have some shopping, things here are of course really really cheap!
The night I’ve watched Miami win game 4 against Detroit, now they’re 3-1 (but later they won the series, now they’re on the NBA final!). Then I’ve asked where to dance salsa (of course!) but for Monday night I really was asking too much, nothing was up, but it was a positive night anyway since I’ve seen another amazing club, Nuyorican café’, where to dance salsa (not for that night!)

30th May (Tuesday) – I’ve been to the bank earlier with the owner of the hostel for extend my permanence, then I’ve been to Isla verde, another amazing side of San Juan, famous for the beaches and night life….here I’ve met some actress (there was making a new series of CSI Miami…yes, in Puerto Rico!): the beach here looks equals to Miami (and I’ve been in both the places, I can confirm!) and thus they came here for make some scene, much less money to spend,no?
In the afternoon I finally met Alexandra again (I was waiting her since the morning, later I’ve understood that this retard was normal for her, I get piss off many times the days later waiting for her….), with her friends and then they bring me to eat tipical Puetorican food (I don’t remember the name of what I’ve eated but I didn’t really enyojed….but in general the cousine here is really good!).
Finally, I’ve had the opportunity to have a meet with Alexandra alone (instead to be surrounded by all her friends), and this was great for me since I was much more involved in speaking Spanish and interacting with her: of course, I bring her to the Nuyorican Café’, the place discovered the night before, and even if there wasn’t salsa music, I really enjoyed the jazz band. Also, during the break, the dj put on salsa thus I’ve danced anyway….TEACHING TO A PUERTORICAN GIRL HOW TO DANCE SALSA!!! The world is crazy sometimes…..

31th May – The “puertoricheña” was conquered! In fact, we met again the next day and we spend all day (and night…) together: we met in the late afternoon in San juan, went together to rio piedras market again, then to an Open Bar place (drink all the rhum as you like for only 11.50$ - tips included!), where of course we got drunk! I really happy for the day passed since I’ve found the original CLAVE of Puerto rico, now I can play as well all the salsa song I want!! 
Anyway, after the pub Judithmar give us a lift to the hostel and here the most crazy night of all the period spent in Puerto Rico started: I leave Alexandra sleeping and completely drunk in the hostel, I went out for a couple of minutes looking for an open pharmacy but then I realized that the only way to have what I was looking for was to enter in a club and ask to the people….thus, what a better idea than going again to Nuyorican Café’? I knew that night there was the salsa night, with a teacher for beginners the first hours and then open night for dance…..the result was that instead of spend there one minute, I’ve spend much more time, dancing a couple of salsa songs….and this time the dancers were really cool, oooohh, finally I’ve found the right night for dance salsa!!! But shit, Alexandra was sleeping into my room, so I could’t stay longer, I’ve took what I needed and I came back really happy and satisfied about the nice salsa break….when I came back, I’ve found Alexandra up, really really angry: basically, she got up after I left and, still drunk, she didin’t understood why she were there, sleeping in that shit of place, alone! Thus, she went out but, the security of the hostel is brilliant, since even for exit the main door you need a key (I don’t wanna think what happen in case of fire!!!)….Anyway, I saw her quite angry but after a long discussion I convinced her about my right explanation and then she came back again with me.

1st and 2nd June: Those last days weren’t really interesting during the day since I went sleep too late both the time and the day after I’ve woke up too late! This lose me the opportunity to visit the Jungle and other nice place in Puerto Rico (since Alexandra has a car, now it was possible to visit those places, but the late time didin’t permit us to drive with the traffic of Puerto Rico!). Thus, except than speaking and improving my Spanish all day, nothing special happened! The nights were of course more interesting, the first one spent at SHOT, a nice and famous salsa club, the second and last night in Puerto rico in a raggaeton place: I don’t really like the music but it was nice to nice a real puertorican night life….of course even here my friends got drunk and, as normal now, my last day in Puerto Rico was spent driving a car in order to bring back home Alexandra’s friends (just like in Miami when I drived Dino’s car!)..It was funny since after 11pm Puerto Rico became Naples: nobody take care of the law and in particular everybody cross the traffic light even with the red light! Perhaps I’ve also met, always in the same way as in Miami, the local police, since at the beginning of the night (thus not drunk) Alexandra was driving in a direct opposition of a one-way street….
We went home so late that I couldn’t have the time for a nap, just something else and then go to the airport, say goodbye to my temporary girlfriend and leave for Los Angeles!!!

An overall of Puerto Rico: absolutely to visit (and even me, I need to come back!), great for those who like speak Spanish, but don’t forget to rent a car, without there is not too much things to visit!


See ya

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