Hi friends!
One month in, and I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of things. I did my first “out of base” trip. Normally, all my trips start/end in Minneapolis. But this month I branched out and picked up a trip in New York! With a full 5 weeks of work, I finished out the month having worked 25 flights, having flown through 14 cities, having spent over 88 hours in the air and having enjoyed 5 different layovers. I was very excited for my New York trip because I knew the layover would be *amazing* So naturally, I have to award Layover of the Month to San Juan, Puerto Rico!
Puerto Rico catered to all my sensations – from sipping coconuts in a quiet cafe, to singing my heart out with locals at a drag show in the suburbs. I got to see, hear, taste, feel, smell and truly EXPERIENCE San Juan. It’s hard to narrow down all the highlights, but I’ll give it a try!
For starters, San Juan is a great location for solo travelers! I felt like the locals were very easy to talk to and everything is accessible by foot. I don’t speak Spanish well, but that didn’t stop me from asking for directions or getting food recommendations.
The city is peaceful in the morning as the cruise ships don’t arrive until around noon. I headed out early so I had time to take pictures before the tourists showed up. 😉 My only regret is spending all morning in Old San Juan. By the time I was ready to visit the El Morro Fortress, it was waaayy too hot to be in direct sunlight. The walk out to the fortress is a quarter mile (400m) with no shade. I was already burning up so I opted to stay in shady town squares and pop into souvenir shops.
Lunch was at a classic Puerto Rican restaurant along the harbor. I ordered mofongo and mamposteado (see below). Mofongo is fried meat (in my case, pork) with mashed plantains. Mamposteado is a moist rice and bean side dish that paired perfectamente with the mofongo!
Strolling around the streets, I was on the look out for the best shot of the Puerto Rican flag! I found some really cool areas to take pictures, most notably being the “calle del sol” in old San Juan. I don’t have a picture that does it justice, but I did post a video on my Puerto Rico highlight on Instagram. Being from Utah, I loved being back in the Caribbean (I was in Cuba Oct. 2017) and I know I will be back in San Juan soon!
As an island, Puerto Rico is extremely diverse. In the future, I would love to discover the El Yunque Rainforest and the Bioluminescent Bay at Vieques. Has anyone been? Where else should I go on my next trip?
Sending you all my best wishes from 30,000 feet,
– Paul