Captain Jerry docked the boat and we packed up our remaining items. Darryl, Lora, Ann and Jerry Krause were the first to leave. We all said our goodbyes while we waited for their airport taxi. I decided that it would be a fine time for a group picture, so we took a few amazing group shots, thanks to my camera's self timer and a beer cooler to prop up the camera.
Alex, Brian, Dale, and Captain Jerry returned to the boat to hang out while Erin and I went on a search for island spices, salsas, and rubs to bring back to family and friends as Christmas gifts. We walked all around town until we finally found a local island shop called Sunny Caribbee.
Erin and I loaded up on Jerk Sauce, Mango Chutney, Caribbean Hot Sauce, and Jerk Seasoning and headed back to the boat. On our way back to the boat we ran into Captain Jerry and Dale leaving for their ferry to St. Thomas to begin their journey home. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for an amazing trip. Erin and I continued back to the boat to find Alex and Brian finishing off the last of the heinekens and telling jokes, so Erin and I decided to join them.
At noon, we requested a cab to pick us up at the Catamaran Company office at 1:15pm. We dropped our luggage at the office and walked over to Pusser's Restaurant for our last bushwacker of the year and some lunch. Unfortunately, the bushwhacker machine was broken, so we settled for good old Caribs instead. Alex ordered the biggest deep fried hot dog we had ever seen and that made us all very happy!
When we returned to the office, the taxi was already there waiting for us, so we quickly loaded our bags and off we went to the airport. I had a hell of a time at the airport. I got my bag searched going through security and then I was stopped again when we were boarding the plane! This time it was a pat down! Anyway, we finally made it to the plane and enjoyed a short little flight over to San Juan, Puerto Rico where we we spent three days and nights at the Caribe Hilton in Old San Juan. I of course did not miss the opportunity to get a few gorgeous shots of the BVI's from the plane.
We arrived in San Juan and made it through customs without a hitch. We caught a cab and arrived at the Caribe Hilton Hotel around 5pm. The hotel was pumping! There were several weddings going on and the guests were dressed to the nines. This type of wedding glitz and glamour made Brian and I think about Mike and Paula's wedding in Brazil. Boy, do the Brazilians know how to throw a party! The check-in line at the hotel was at least a 30 minute wait, so Erin and I went over to Starbucks to order up a spring in our step. The lobby of the hotel was beautiful! It is an open air lobby with many high end shops, a trendy, yet sleek bar, and a beautiful pool with a swim up bar, and finally, an annoying parrot in a huge cage, which I assume they gagged around 10pm, so the guests can get some sleep.
We finally checked in, went to our rooms to unpack and met 20 minutes later in the lobby bar to access the world wide web on Erin's iPad, so we could find a restaurant for dinner. After two vodka soders, trip advisor, and suggestions from our waiter, we came up with more restaurants than we could handle. We headed back to our rooms showered (I must of showered for 30 minutes because I finally could) and we met in the lobby at 8:00pm. We told the taxi driver to drop us off on Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan. All of the restaurants we wanted to check out were along this street and a few of the restaurants were run by the same owner and chef. We made stops at AguaViva, The Parrot Club and Dragon Fly to decide on a place to eat. We also stopped by Marmalade Restaurant because this place was rated #2 on trip advisor. Erin was very excited to eat here, but we could not get in because we did not have a reservation. We rolled over to the Parrot Club and they sat us right away.
The atmosphere of this place was great. It was welcoming and vibrant with bright colors and live Latin music. The Parrot Club was celebrating their 14th anniversary; green and yellow balloons covered the ceiling and were scattered throughout the restaurant. We asked our waiter what the significance of 14 years was and he did not seem to know or care, he told us they celebrate every year.
The food was excellent. We shared an order of plantain nachos with shredded beef, main dishes included empanadillas (a Puerto Rican specialty, a small savory meat pie, fried crispy and golden brown), mahi mahi with peruvian potatoes, and pork tenderloin.
After dinner we walked around checking out the cobblestone streets and old architecture. We walked down to the water and back up to Fortaleza Street where we found Tantra, an Indian restaurant for after dinner drinks. It almost felt and smelled like we were walking into some kind of holistic healing spa. The restaurant was comfortable and refreshing and we spotted a cozy nook with a ton of pillows in the back of the restaurant to sit and have drinks. Everyone ordered martinis, the specialty of the house, and each martini was served with a lovely rose petal embellishment. Half way through our drinks, a belly dancer came slinking out with finger symbols crashing and gyrating her hips. Brian was thoroughly delighted, but Alex was not impressed. The belly dancer tried to get us to dance with her, but we graciously declined.
We finally headed back to our hotel to our king size beds, completely excited for a restful night of sleep. We all agreed to that we would not call each other until after 10am.
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