Saved on Sifnos - a travel story out of the Aegean Sea that includes little harbours, sleeping villages, several tavernas, a ferry onward, a Greek cultures festival and a room with a view, travelogue, trip, travel, Greece, Cyclades, Sifnos, Kythnos, ferry, island-hopping

 
 
 

 







Snapshots of the Caribbean
Part 6:
Old San Juan


Saturday lunchtime sees us back at the airport for a flight to an island with a different landscape, culture and language. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States of America, with Spanish being the first language of most of its residents.

During this flight we pass over islands that we identify as Martinique and Dominica. As we come in to land in Puerto Rico, we pass over the city of San Juan, and I am strangely glad to see the built-up urban areas, with tower blocks and multi-lane highways

US customs are a nightmare as usual, with long queues and less-than-friendly officials. However this is made up for by the efficiency and friendliness of the Tourist Information staff, who hand us an abundance of brochures, and organise a taxi to our hotel. We have splashed out a little on this trip, and the hotel is very smart, with tanks of tropical fish in the lobby and beautiful tiled floors. Our room has a sea view, although I am more excited by the choice of more than 90 TV channels… in Barbados, we only have one!

At tourist information we were told that we could walk into
Old San Juan, the historic old town, in about twenty minutes. Unfortunately, we only walk about hundred metres from the hotel before it starts to rain. I discover that kitten heels and wet pavements are a bad combination, and eventually we hail a cab. Slightly bedraggled, we reach our destination, a hip restaurant that serves modern variations on traditional 'criollo' cuisine.

There is a band playing, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is vibrant, with a refreshing mix of locals and tourists. The food is delicious and very filling. I am unable to identify the vegetable served with my meal, and I am surprised when the waiter tells me it is plantain, cooked and mashed with garlic and herbs. In Barbados, plantain (a close relative of the banana which is inedible raw) is often served fried or roasted, but I have never heard of it being mashed.


Part 7
: In Case of Siege


this travelogue is part of the subside travelzine
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