Puerto Rico - Dias 4 & 5

Our trip in Puerto Rico continues with a change in venue ...

We didn't stop here, but I was fascinated by the food cart!
Baked potatoes!  Yum!

We discovered the best place for breakfast on our last day in Old San Juan.  It was on the way to the Chocobar and we were intrigued by the interesting menu items and more appropriate breakfast pricing.  It was called The Carthage  Express and since Dick has been writing a play of ancient Greece, it seemed more than appropriate.

Pancakes with guava &
cream cheese topping.

Breakfast "taco"

We decided to share our orders, so Dick got pancakes with a guava cream cheese topping.  I ordered the breakfast taco, which is really more like a burrito.  Both were delicious and just right for what we needed to start the day.  My coffee did not come with a fancy puppy dog drawn on top, but the whole meal was the nicest breakfast we'd had.

Back to the hotel to shower and pack up.  I decided to investigate Uber.  Neither of us had ever had a reason to use Uber, but having learned they had just started serving PR about two weeks prior, I thought it might be fun to try.  It took a while to register (since internet service was limited wherever we went), but finally we had it all set up.  Our car came in about 2 minutes and we had a lovely ride, chatting with our driver, Jose, who was practicing his English.  We saved about $15 on that ride.

We arrived at our new hotel, Hotel InterContinental on the Isla Verde strip.  This was the resort beach area in Puerto Rico.  The hotel was gorgeous!  Dick promptly asked me how much the room was per night.  (ha!) Um, more than the Casa Blanca, but well worth it!   The bellman took our bags to storage and we registered at the front desk.  They promised to call us as soon as a room was ready, but we were free to use the facilities while we waited.  It was about 1:00 and check-in wasn't until 4pm.  Foreseeing this  possibility, I had packed a beach bag.  We changed and went down to the beach.

Such a beach!  Beautiful, fine sand.  The bluest skies, and the ocean was clear and warm.  We immediately jumped in the ocean.  It had to be about 85 degrees - marvelous to just float around, relaxing and wondering if this was truly "our" vacation!  Blissful!

Pokemon?

We had lunch on the beach - mostly because it was so much fun to call the waiter over and order drinks and a meal!  No, Toto, this was not Brockport!  


I enjoyed a delicious mediterranean salad and Dick had a sandwich of some kind.  I enjoyed mine thoroughly, but Dick found it difficult and messy to eat on the breezy beach.   

After another dip in the ocean, we decided to check out the pool.  It, too, was warm and inviting.  

Of course we had to check out the swim-up bar and enjoy a Caribbean cocktail!  We sunned ourselves and met up with a couple from Westchester, NY.  They had been here before and advised us on all the places to eat, and how to cut down on your bar bill by visiting the market across the street and sneaking your own drinks down in your beach bag.  They were a pair of characters.

Finally, we checked in and found our room to be spacious and with an absolute gorgeous view of the ocean.  We were  on the top floor (just under the last "N") and it couldn't be more perfect!  We showered and changed for dinner after an afternoon siesta.

Dick swam with money in his pocket ...
Here we are "money laundering."

We decided on Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, mostly because we didn't want the bar selections or Italian - the choices the hotel offered.  It was a good meal - not great, and not worth the pretentious bill.  The steak was excellent, but the lobster tail was lacking.  Good lobster bisque and good sides, but overall it left us feeling like we could have had something really spectacular (and native) without taking out a second mortgage.  I guess this inspired us to find something better for the next evening.

On Saturday we had booked a visit to the El Yunque Rain Forest.  A mini bus picked us up at the hotel and we drove about 45 minutes to the rain forest.  It was truly beautiful, but we felt the whole experience was just not what we expected.
  

Perhaps it was the commercialism of the whole experience -- too many souvenir shops along the mountain road (a paved road), and an unscheduled stop to buy lunch at our tour guide's brother-in-laws roadside shack.  

Can you believe they keep this bathroom locked?
Why on earth? 

We did take a lot of spectacular pictures and I loved seeing the amazing plants and trees.  The variation in the size and shape of the leaves was inspiring.  I tried to do a mini photo study of what I saw.

Resident Cock

Never did see anything that was
posted on the signs!

Ylang Ylang (one of my Essential Oils!)

I climbed to the top for spectacular views!

    

Home in the early afternoon, we had more time to visit the beach and pool.  Again, just a lovely place to be to relax and take in the beauty of the ocean.


We set out to find a local restaurant that had gotten rave reviews on Yelp.  It took a bit to find, since we went in the wrong direction, but it was well worth the walk!  

  

El Alambique doesn't look like much when you see it, but there is magic happening inside that kitchen!  The food is delicious and comes out looking like you're in a five star restaurant.  We had an appetizer of ceviche, which was wonderful!  

Seafood Mofong

Dick ordered Mofongo, which was better than the two previous times he'd had it.  I ordered a Sweet Chili Salmon over coconut rice.  I was in love!  

Sweet Chili Salmon over Coconut Rice

Pina Colada & Local Craft Beer

We left stuffed and satisfied, and grateful for the walk that followed!  We finished the night be visiting the casino housed in the hotel next to ours.  It was a disappointing night there, but we still had fun.  We also stopped by the market before returning to our hotel and bought a little dessert to share back in the room.  Betty and William were right!  That little market had everything - including half a liquor store!  We skipped the liquor and opted for water and ice cream.  Another wonderful day in Puerto Rico!

Vida en Puerto Rico - Dias Numero Dos Y Tres

Wednesday morning and day two of our adventure.  We enjoyed sleeping in, then went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  Convenient, but not memorable.  They tried to do a Puerto Rican - American style breakfast, but it just wasn't that good and not worth the price.  

Cruise Ship docked!

After showering and prepping for the day, we ventured out to tour one of the two forts in Old San Juan.  Today was Castillo San Cristobal, located just a few blocks from our hotel and at the entrance of the city.  We climbed up the steps inclines to the top of the fort and took some great pictures.  There are a lot of smaller, mostly empty rooms along the mid section of the fort with history, but we mostly enjoyed the views.  The weather was very warm, but the humidity was stifling.  Thankfully, up top the fort we embraced the beautiful ocean breezes.  After a few hours, we returned back to the hotel to rest up for our late afternoon outing ... Food Tour!

Our guide, Denise, met us a few blocks from our hotel.  We were the first to arrive.  Well, we were the only ones to arrive, which meant we had a private tour!  Cool!  This allowed us to ask as many questions as we could think of, and Denise answered all of them eagerly.  She was charming!  When talking about the cooling, gentle winds, she could not think of the word "breeze," and instead, much to Dick's delight, called it a "surprise wind!"  We referred to any breeze after that as a surprise wind!  LOL

Senor San Jorge of Viejo San Juan!

Our tour began at Princesa Gastrobar.  All along the way, Denise filled us in on the history of Old San Juan, enriching our understanding of the city and the island.  At Princesa, we first met the bartender who gave us a run-down of all the different types of rum.  (Who knew 

there were so many?)  

There is a Bacardi distillery in Old San Juan, but everyone is quick to tell you that THAT is not Puerto Rican rum!  It is 

Reminds me of Steve Stanton...

Cuban!  So, of course, we decided not to waste our time with that tour!  Our first tasting was a pina colada, which they claim was the of the first recipe ever invented.  When we mentioned Barrachina's, the explained that the fellow who invented the pina colada did so before he began working at Barrachina's.   So, my understanding was that it was the same recipe -- and it did taste similar, but I liked the one at Princesa better. 

We also had two food tasting here -- first a fried eggplant topped with chicken.  Well, that doesn't do it justice.  Berenjenas Rellenas Criollas was a battered eggplant, stuffed with chicken stew and dusted with brown sugar and ground cinnamon.  Muy delicioso!  The second tasting was a croquette with ham and chicken - Croquetas Espanolas!  Oh, were they amazing!  We decided that this might be a place to return to for dinner one night (but alas, we couldn't make that happen!)

Wish I had gotten the huge line!

Second stop - Señor Paleta!  This is a tiny little shop that sells nothing but ice cream bars!  I'm glad we were on the tour because our hotel concierge told us we needed to go there if we liked ice cream, but the line out the door went halfway down the block!  We sampled a strawberry mojito ice cream bar which was yummy and very refreshing after our 10 minute uphill hike from Princesa.  Denise had us sit and relax a moment before moving to our next restaurant.

Third stop - Cafe al Punto!  This was a small cafe style restaurant with a small souvenir shop in the front.  It wasn't your typical souvenir shop, in that it sold only arts and crafts made in Puerto Rico.  The walls were lined with unique masks and carvings.  

Can't remember what this was
stuffed with, but delicious!

Our first tasting was a pocket-type appetizer, but I can't remember the filling.  I know it was very good, though!  The second tasting was ceviche - a sort of fish salad, which doesn't sound that good, but was really refreshing.  It became one of our favorite dishes and we can't wait to make it at home.  The fish is poached or sautéed and this was served in a ceramic spoon with a light dressing and a piece of avocado.  Oh, and for those of you who come to our annual holiday party, this will definitely be on the menu!

On the way to our fourth stop we peeked in one of the old churches.  It was beautiful inside, and Denise said that Ponce de Leon was buried inside.  Not sure about that - as she wasn't sure either, but there was a tomb of some sort with his name on it.

Ponce de Leon is buried here!  (And I saw it!)

(THIS JUST IN -- He was buried in Puerto Rico, in the crypt of San José Church from 1559 to 1836, when his remains were exhumed and later transferred to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista.)  So, that WAS him!

Rosa de Triana was the fourth restaurant and it was adorable!  One sign on the wall made me laugh ... "Quieremos Clientes.  No se requiere experience."  (Translation:  We want customers.  No experience required.)

Those are our "mashers" on the plate for making the mofongo!

We sat in what was once a jail cell with curved low ceilings in   a tunnel.  










We ordered drinks here, as this was the "main" meal of the tour.  Sangria was recommended, so that's what we got - delicious!  

The first tasting was Mofongo!  Dick had tried this the night before, but this was an even better experience!  We got to make our own!  Well, sort of.  Mufongo is made by slicing

We now have four of these pilones for
making mofongo!  Who's up for a
food adventure?

and frying plantains, then mashing those together with butter and garlic (and sometimes pork fat.)  We were each given a pilon (mortar) and pestle which already had in it the butter, garlic, and fried plantains.  The mashing of the ingredients has to be slow and steady so you don't splash butter all over.  It didn't take long, as just as we were done, they served the creole chicken to put on top.  WOW!  That was amazing!  Making the Mofongo fresh really did make a difference, as this was much more moist and tastier than the previous day's.  It certainly was filling!  I don't remember if there was another tasting here ... I was pretty overwhelmed with all of the samples!

We waddled on to the last stop -- The Chocobar at Casa Cortez.  Casa Cortez is known for their chocolate in Puerto Rico like we know Hershey.   The Chocobar served all things chocolate - and even in dishes that you wouldn't expect it to be.  We were given small cups of hot chocolate - which was thicker and creamier than any hot chocolate you've ever had.  It was a bit too thick and sweet for my taste - I wouldn't be able to drink a mug of it, but it was yummy.  We also received a slice of chocolate served on a slice of cheese.  That's a big thing for them in PR - chocolate and cheese.  I almost cringed at the thought, but I was adventurous and tried it.  Not bad, but I guess I still prefer them separately.  Denise also encouraged us to dip the chocolate and cheese in our hot chocolate, which I did, but again, it wasn't to my liking.

That was the end of the Food Tour - which lasted about three hours.  I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to anyone visiting Puerto Rico - especially if you are a foodie like me!

Naturally, we weren't hungry for a big meal, but later that night we visited GreenGos restaurant and ordered take out, along with two beers.  We went up to the roof of our hotel, filled a tub, and soaked up the moonlight and the beautiful views while sharing our evening snack - a chimichanga!

The next morning we set out for the Chocobar for breakfast! Dick had chocolate waffles, which were fabulous, and I had a veggie omelette, but with a side of fruit - watermelon, papaya, and strawberries.  

Cute puppy in my cafe con leche!

There's a chocolate waffle under there!

The toast came with cheese on it ...

We visited Castillo de Phillipe del Morrow, which was located on the far east side of the city.  We waited a while for the trolley and enjoyed the breezes the ride provided before arriving at the fort.  It was very much similar to the first fort, but with even more breathtaking views! 

  

For lunch we returned to Cueva del Mar and our waitress talked us into a variety of appetizers to try.  They were all amazing.  I've never been excited about the idea of fish tacos, but these made me a true fan!  We also had mahi bites, empanadillas camarones (mini shrimp empanadas), and one other dish that escapes me.  They didn't have rum punch, exactly, but I had a Rum Runner that was close, and Dick had a "Pain Killer" that was deliciously potent.  Oh, I ordered one of those, too, after my Rum Runner.

We were pretty full that evening, but decided to grab a snack at the hotel restaurant.  I must have been feeling the effects still, of the Pain Killer, because I have no recollection about what we ate -- just a few appetizers, I think, and then back to the room to watch a few more episodes of The Walking Dead before bed.  (Who does that?  We do, I guess!)