Mitsugirlys FASCINATION with San Juan-review & pictorial

[mitsugirly]

Wait' date=' you drank wine!!!! Did you like it??? I sure hope you did and that, if you did, you made note of the type and winery so you can get it again.

 

Your review has been, as always, very entertaining and informative. Thank you for taking the time to create it.

 

Lisa[/quote']

 

LOL. Did you miss the first day on the ship report? :p Our TA got us a bottle of wine and we had a drink every night before we went to bed. It was still a little bitter, but not as bad as all the rest. THIS is it.

 

Kim, did you ever check out/research the Marriott in St. Kitts as an option for your beach day? Trying to decide between Carambola and Marriott. Last time there, we did the train ride and tour option through the ship so this time we just want a beach day there. I have read some things in the St. Kitts Port of Call section here on Cruise Critic but value your opinion if you have one.

 

 

I have not checked them out yet. But they are located on the Atlantic side and I thought I read something about that side is a little rougher than the Caribbean?

[mitsugirly]

Kim, from what I've seen so far, that dive shop looks pretty good to me. I will take a better look at their website over the weekend because my old, outdated tablet was not cooperating with me very well tonight. I will get back to you once I have given their site a better look.

 

I almost booked that same kayak trip to Pinel on one of our stops in St Maarten. I am so glad I did not after hearing your experience. DH would have HATED it! He and Kendra would have been quite the pair if we were with you. :eek: We did a speedboat tour with Capt Bob instead which did include a stop at Pinel, but neither one of us ever did make it on to the island. That was the cruise that convinced me I had to get my knees and remaining hip replaced. Walking in that soft sand simply hurt way too much! We were anchored right outside of the swimming area, so I swam around some, then went and got back on our boat. Swimming at our snorkel stops was fun, but at that point walking definitely was not.

 

Thanks and let me know what you think. It seems to be a pretty good place to me. They have a regular store/shop there and then they do swimming lessons and also swim team in one pool. Then they have such an awesome dive shop loaded with everything and a huge fish aquarium in the middle with a nemo fish in it and Sakari gave that place her stamp of approval. :p Then their dive pool is in another area. It has levels to it and goes down to 12'.

 

I think I might be almost as sad to be coming to the end of the review as you were to get off the ship. Due to scheduling around GROWN children (!!!) I haven't been on a cruise in 15 months. I'm really feeling it. AI scheduled for Christmas (works better for kids, see (!!!!) above.

 

I loved your review. Looking to switch from NCL to Carnival, so I really appreciate all the detailed info.

 

As much as I love doing the reviews and I have so much fun with them, I'll be glad to get it done and over with so that I can get more stuff done around here. :eek:

 

I honestly don't find too many differences between NCL and Carnival other than the shows quality (which is why we usually don't go while on Carnival). Both give great service, both friendly, both cleaning constantly, both with decent food. To me, it just all comes down to the ship itself and what amenities it has on it. Newer= bigger with a ton of more people and more things to do. Older=smaller with less of a crowded, less things to do and a "chill" cruise. :)

[mitsugirly]

My son and I kayaked like Kendra and B. And the pissy face - I had the same look on my face after we were 'saved'. The bio bay was great though and based on what you posted, we were lucky. Thanks for the tip on the tour. Saving this info for the next time we hit St Martin's. :D

 

 

 

 

But I'm sure the bio bay was well worth it. I think it's fun if you have a group of people doing it. More complaining and moaning turns it into a good time and a lot of laughing.

[cainlr]

Thank you so much for your review and experience sailing on Carnival Fascination. My DH and I are sailing the same itinerary next year. I have already been doing research and came across your review. I have been logging in several times a day to see if you had posted more. We did this cruise as our first cruise experience and have always wanted to return. We booked the Nov 2017 sailing during our cruise on the Legend to Alaska. I loved Alaska but love the beach and snorkeling more. You have given me some great ideas for places to snorkel during our cruise. Also, I loved your pictures so much that I went to Amazon and put the cameras you use on my wish list. Thanks again, you have gained a new reader.

[SuiteTraveler]

Other great snorkeling in St. Lucia:

 

Anse de Pitons: Through the Viceroy Sugar Bay beach there is great night time snorkeling at the foot of the Petite Piton, Anse L'Ivrongne (SW foot of Gros Piton) Snorkeling during the day is good as well - but it is deep.

 

Virgin Cove - only 15 feet deep, but very good snorkeling.

 

Anse Cochon - mostly locals snorkel here, but it a great location and very few tourists know about it.

 

Reddit Beach - Good snorkeling from shore, but there tend to be surfers and boats in the area, so it can be dangerous.

 

Anse le Raye Reef:

 

Malgretoute Beach

 

La Pointe Beach

 

Sabwicha

 

Laborie's Rudy John Beach or Stony Beach and several snorkel spots around Vieux Fort...

 

Marigot Bay on the outer edges - you can often see Seahorses here around the "gambion baskets" (rocks held by netting) on the north side of the bay. (go by water taxi to see this - just rent the water taxi for the whole day.)

[anewmac]

Just happened to pop on over to the Carnival site and saw your review. So glad I did. We are doing a Royal cruise in April out of PR, With a few different stops. Im just on your review of your hotel and the private island. Its making me rethink our prestay lol. Cant wait to see what else you do. I also am thinking about the night kayaking with the boys.You think teens would enjoy it?

 

BTW, I cant beleive you have done 2 cruises and 2 reviews now. I have yet to post our Breeze review LMAO. Its really a moo point now (Ya I know its moot/mute... unless your a Friends fanatic LOL).

 

Cant wait to see what else you do in PR. Love your reviews.. also your not alone in the looks you get when taking pics of odd things, like menus, bathrooms etc. LOL.

[mpdog42]

OP: Thanks for a great review!! Do Mermaids not visit ST MAARTEN? I did not see any in your pictures?:mad:

 

What Gives????

 

Mike

[perfect match]

Thanks and let me know what you think. It seems to be a pretty good place to me. They have a regular store/shop there and then they do swimming lessons and also swim team in one pool. Then they have such an awesome dive shop loaded with everything and a huge fish aquarium in the middle with a nemo fish in it and Sakari gave that place her stamp of approval. :p Then their dive pool is in another area. It has levels to it and goes down to 12'.

 

Kim, that dive shop looks pretty good to me! Of course, it is hard to really tell just by looking at a website, but between doing that and from what you have been saying, I like it. If I lived in where you do, it would probably be my dive shop of choice.

 

What I like best of what I have seen and heard is their attention to SAFETY! I also like their attention to detail, their well organized shop, their excellent facilities, the way their diver training programs seem to be organized, and the wide variety of experiences they offer for Sakari - and for the rest of the family should they decide to participate.

 

My suggestion for Sakari - if possible - before she starts her Bubble Maker - practice swimming on the surface using a regular flutter kick, not the 2 footed dolphin kick she uses so well with her monofin. The reason I'm saying this is because a dolphin kick, no matter how good you are at it, will be difficult for her once she gets a scuba tank on her back. The flutter kick comes mainly from the hips while the dolphin kick really comes from the shoulders, a motion that is blocked by the presence of the scuba tank on her back. If you can't get Sakari in the water to practice, I am sure the people running her Bubble Maker program will help her once she gets started, and I am sure that with their help, she will have absolutely no problem quickly mastering any skills they want to teach her. So really, no worries either way. Once she starts, can you come back here and let me know how she likes it? Also, are any of the rest of the family joining her?

[CeleBrat]

So if you haven't figured it out by now...we are at Caribbean Paddling and we are ABOUT TO RENT KAYAKS....and then attempt to paddle our way to 2 islands across the ocean. Ok, go ahead and let your minds run wild with that one. Me and my family (especially Kendra) paddling across the ocean...in the open water...in a "boat"...with children. HA! Yea, I know, this is our idea of extreme sports!! We are going to Pinel Island.

 

 

LOVE Pinel Island! My husband and I visited there on a kid-free cruise a few years ago, by taking a "Blue Safari" powerboat tour. Such an amazing tour, that involved riding ALL the way around to both sides of the island, stopping at Pinel (and swimming to shore), going for lunch on the French side of the island (swimming in from the boat again), and docking out in the ocean so that a plane could fly right over us as it landed. Such an amazing day!

 

CeleBrat

[perfect match]

Other great snorkeling in St. Lucia:

 

Anse de Pitons: Through the Viceroy Sugar Bay beach there is great night time snorkeling at the foot of the Petite Piton, Anse L'Ivrongne (SW foot of Gros Piton) Snorkeling during the day is good as well - but it is deep.

 

Virgin Cove - only 15 feet deep, but very good snorkeling.

 

Anse Cochon - mostly locals snorkel here, but it a great location and very few tourists know about it.

 

Reddit Beach - Good snorkeling from shore, but there tend to be surfers and boats in the area, so it can be dangerous.

 

Anse le Raye Reef:

 

Malgretoute Beach

 

La Pointe Beach

 

Sabwicha

 

Laborie's Rudy John Beach or Stony Beach and several snorkel spots around Vieux Fort...

 

Marigot Bay on the outer edges - you can often see Seahorses here around the "gambion baskets" (rocks held by netting) on the north side of the bay. (go by water taxi to see this - just rent the water taxi for the whole day.)

 

 

Suite Traveler, thanks for the info on snorkel spots in St Lucia and the dive video. I have the info saved for future reference. I haven't been to St Lucia yet, but I'm hoping to change that soon!

 

I really enjoyed the dive video. If you don't mind sharing, what dive shop did you use in St Lucia?

[beachlover98]

Enjoying your review after stumbling upon it recently. I'm a veteran cruiser, but have never cruised NCL or Carnival. What piqued my interest in reading your review was sailing out of San Juan. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sailing from San Juan! I've done 9 cruises embarking from there. I've hit all the usual suspects in terms of ports of call including St. Thomas, St. Croix, Tortola, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Antigua and St. Kitts but also a few in the southern Caribbean not so common, such as Grenada, Dominica, Aruba, Curacao, St. Vincent and Margarita Island, Venezuela.

 

I love reading about all your different adventures, and all the research that went into them. I do the same. The planning is part of the fun! We've done every activity imaginable, from swimming, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, mountain biking, zip lining, swimming with turtles, sea lions and dolphins, lazy beach days, and even hiking to the top of Gros Piton in St. Lucia.

 

Thanks for posting your review, as I never get tired of hearing other peoples' stories and getting ideas for future cruises! I love all your pictures, too. You can never have too many, right? I thought I took a lot, but maybe not! Only time I took that many was a trip just last year when I spent 6 weeks circumnavigating the globe. It included a 15-night transpacific cruise and a Mediterranean cruise, and we traveled to 12 countries on 4 continents.

 

One thing I do wish a cruise line would do embarking from San Juan is bring back the 10-12 day cruises. I've done 3 of those, in '07, '09 and '10. Haven't seen those types of itineraries since. Those were the cruises where we were able to hit the ABC islands, St. Vincent and Margarita Island. 8 or 9 ports of call total, it was awesome! Combine that with a 3 night or so pre-cruise stay in San Juan=perfect!

 

I'll be anxious to hear how you liked Old San Juan. That's my favorite. I ALWAYS stay there for my pre-cruise time. I love the architecture, the cobblestone streets, the culture and THE FOOD! I could go there just to eat!

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I always do.

[SuiteTraveler]

Suite Traveler, thanks for the info on snorkel spots in St Lucia and the dive video. I have the info saved for future reference. I haven't been to St Lucia yet, but I'm hoping to change that soon!

 

I really enjoyed the dive video. If you don't mind sharing, what dive shop did you use in St Lucia?

 

Dive St. Lucia or Scuba Steve's Diving - depending on which resort we were staying at. Both are very good.

That was not my dive video, btw. But that's what it's like.

Edited September 18, 2016 by SuiteTraveler

[SweetPea0517]

Your beautiful pictures of Palomino Island sure makes me want to go when we are there next year. We will be in port from noon until 10 PM but when I searched the San Juan Port of Call it didn't seem like very many has done this. Do you think it could work?

 

Our cruise also stops at St Thomas & St Martin we sail out of Port Canaveral in February. I was researching Coki Beach since we have non-swimmers plus some ppl like me that want to snorkel. Just not sure if Coki beach would be too busy for good snorkeling.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited September 18, 2016 by SweetPea0517

[mitsugirly]

Thank you so much for your review and experience sailing on Carnival Fascination. My DH and I are sailing the same itinerary next year. I have already been doing research and came across your review. I have been logging in several times a day to see if you had posted more. We did this cruise as our first cruise experience and have always wanted to return. We booked the Nov 2017 sailing during our cruise on the Legend to Alaska. I loved Alaska but love the beach and snorkeling more. You have given me some great ideas for places to snorkel during our cruise. Also, I loved your pictures so much that I went to Amazon and put the cameras you use on my wish list. Thanks again, you have gained a new reader.

 

Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate it and I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise next year. It's really a great itinerary.

 

Other great snorkeling in St. Lucia:

 

Anse de Pitons: Through the Viceroy Sugar Bay beach there is great night time snorkeling at the foot of the Petite Piton, Anse L'Ivrongne (SW foot of Gros Piton) Snorkeling during the day is good as well - but it is deep.

 

Virgin Cove - only 15 feet deep, but very good snorkeling.

 

Anse Cochon - mostly locals snorkel here, but it a great location and very few tourists know about it.

 

Reddit Beach - Good snorkeling from shore, but there tend to be surfers and boats in the area, so it can be dangerous.

 

Anse le Raye Reef:

 

Malgretoute Beach

 

La Pointe Beach

 

Sabwicha

 

Laborie's Rudy John Beach or Stony Beach and several snorkel spots around Vieux Fort...

 

Marigot Bay on the outer edges - you can often see Seahorses here around the "gambion baskets" (rocks held by netting) on the north side of the bay. (go by water taxi to see this - just rent the water taxi for the whole day.)

 

Wow there seems to be a lot of great places there to go. I hope I make it back there some day. Thanks for everything. I have to look them up and save them for the future.

[mitsugirly]

Just happened to pop on over to the Carnival site and saw your review. So glad I did. We are doing a Royal cruise in April out of PR, With a few different stops. Im just on your review of your hotel and the private island. Its making me rethink our prestay lol. Cant wait to see what else you do. I also am thinking about the night kayaking with the boys.You think teens would enjoy it?

 

BTW, I cant beleive you have done 2 cruises and 2 reviews now. I have yet to post our Breeze review LMAO. Its really a moo point now (Ya I know its moot/mute... unless your a Friends fanatic LOL).

 

Cant wait to see what else you do in PR. Love your reviews.. also your not alone in the looks you get when taking pics of odd things, like menus, bathrooms etc. LOL.

 

Well hello there! I hope things are going well. I think that the bio bay is a fun experience, just not what it's meant to be at this time with the way it should be lighting up and isn't. I think, by the way others are talking, it may be several years before they come back in full force to experience what others have said from previous year.

 

OP: Thanks for a great review!! Do Mermaids not visit ST MAARTEN? I did not see any in your pictures?:mad:

 

What Gives????

 

Mike

 

She only brought her tail this time. I think she did that with 2 of the places. She made the decision that she only wanted to bring the fin. I'm not sure why. She would always ask where we are going and what's it going to be like before deciding. I told her that this trip would be kayaks, so maybe she misunderstood that there wasn't going to be a lot of swimming time. I'm not sure. :p

[mitsugirly]

Kim, that dive shop looks pretty good to me! Of course, it is hard to really tell just by looking at a website, but between doing that and from what you have been saying, I like it. If I lived in where you do, it would probably be my dive shop of choice.

 

What I like best of what I have seen and heard is their attention to SAFETY! I also like their attention to detail, their well organized shop, their excellent facilities, the way their diver training programs seem to be organized, and the wide variety of experiences they offer for Sakari - and for the rest of the family should they decide to participate.

 

My suggestion for Sakari - if possible - before she starts her Bubble Maker - practice swimming on the surface using a regular flutter kick, not the 2 footed dolphin kick she uses so well with her monofin. The reason I'm saying this is because a dolphin kick, no matter how good you are at it, will be difficult for her once she gets a scuba tank on her back. The flutter kick comes mainly from the hips while the dolphin kick really comes from the shoulders, a motion that is blocked by the presence of the scuba tank on her back. If you can't get Sakari in the water to practice, I am sure the people running her Bubble Maker program will help her once she gets started, and I am sure that with their help, she will have absolutely no problem quickly mastering any skills they want to teach her. So really, no worries either way. Once she starts, can you come back here and let me know how she likes it? Also, are any of the rest of the family joining her?

 

Thank you for all your comments. Glad you seem to think it's a decent place.

 

At this point, we don't have any place to practice swimming because everything is closed now that Labor day and come and gone. Hopefully she'll catch on quickly.

 

We won't be joining her at this time. However, I was looking at their full snorkeling mask they sell and they did say I could get in the water when she does and try it out before I buy one. So I might do that and watch her a little bit.

 

 

LOVE Pinel Island! My husband and I visited there on a kid-free cruise a few years ago, by taking a "Blue Safari" powerboat tour. Such an amazing tour, that involved riding ALL the way around to both sides of the island, stopping at Pinel (and swimming to shore), going for lunch on the French side of the island (swimming in from the boat again), and docking out in the ocean so that a plane could fly right over us as it landed. Such an amazing day!

 

CeleBrat

 

That sounds like a wonderful day. Pinel is very pretty.

[mitsugirly]

Enjoying your review after stumbling upon it recently. I'm a veteran cruiser, but have never cruised NCL or Carnival. What piqued my interest in reading your review was sailing out of San Juan. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sailing from San Juan! I've done 9 cruises embarking from there. I've hit all the usual suspects in terms of ports of call including St. Thomas, St. Croix, Tortola, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Antigua and St. Kitts but also a few in the southern Caribbean not so common, such as Grenada, Dominica, Aruba, Curacao, St. Vincent and Margarita Island, Venezuela.

 

I love reading about all your different adventures, and all the research that went into them. I do the same. The planning is part of the fun! We've done every activity imaginable, from swimming, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, mountain biking, zip lining, swimming with turtles, sea lions and dolphins, lazy beach days, and even hiking to the top of Gros Piton in St. Lucia.

 

Thanks for posting your review, as I never get tired of hearing other peoples' stories and getting ideas for future cruises! I love all your pictures, too. You can never have too many, right? I thought I took a lot, but maybe not! Only time I took that many was a trip just last year when I spent 6 weeks circumnavigating the globe. It included a 15-night transpacific cruise and a Mediterranean cruise, and we traveled to 12 countries on 4 continents.

 

One thing I do wish a cruise line would do embarking from San Juan is bring back the 10-12 day cruises. I've done 3 of those, in '07, '09 and '10. Haven't seen those types of itineraries since. Those were the cruises where we were able to hit the ABC islands, St. Vincent and Margarita Island. 8 or 9 ports of call total, it was awesome! Combine that with a 3 night or so pre-cruise stay in San Juan=perfect!

 

I'll be anxious to hear how you liked Old San Juan. That's my favorite. I ALWAYS stay there for my pre-cruise time. I love the architecture, the cobblestone streets, the culture and THE FOOD! I could go there just to eat!

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I always do.

 

Thanks for your comments. It looks like I have a lot more places I need to go to and find a cruise to book that goes there. I really want to go to the ABC's. Everyone says it's amazing.

 

Your beautiful pictures of Palomino Island sure makes me want to go when we are there next year. We will be in port from noon until 10 PM but when I searched the San Juan Port of Call it didn't seem like very many has done this. Do you think it could work?

 

Our cruise also stops at St Thomas & St Martin we sail out of Port Canaveral in February. I was researching Coki Beach since we have non-swimmers plus some ppl like me that want to snorkel. Just not sure if Coki beach would be too busy for good snorkeling.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Palomino is a private island for the guests that stay at El Conquistador. I don't believe you can just go there if you are not staying there. So, if you are coming in by cruise ship, I don't think you'd be able to go. Plus, it's about an hour away, so figure in 2 hours of driving, I'm not sure that it would be worth it?

 

I absolutely LOVED Coki. The snorkeling was so amazing. It's not the "best" beach out there, but definitely worth going no matter what. Did you read my Coki beach review? TONS of snorkeling pictures in there.

[mitsugirly]

Back in San Juan...Debarkation Day and actually our 11th day of vacation.

 

I woke up at 6:45am. Our cruise had ended and I was sad, but it felt different this time. I guess since we were still going to be on vacation and exploring OSJ today, I wasn't as sad as I normally am.

 

Up to eat breakfast (for free) one last time.

 

 

 

We really wasn't in a hurry to get off the ship since we were just basically going to walk across and down the street to the hotel, which check-in wasn't until 3pm.

 

We hung out until 9:45 and the ship was getting pretty empty at that point. Around 9:30am we decided it was time and started heading toward the gangway. Then I discovered that I didn't have our key cards. I just knew that I probably left them sitting on the table where we were at. Kendra said she would run back upstairs to look for them and I got in line at Customer Service to have new ones made in case she didn't find them. Our new cards were printed off and here she come with our old cards about 2 minutes later. Oh well.

 

We headed for the gangway and before going out, Kendra discovers that B doesn't have his either. She thinks he left his in the room. She told us to go on without her and she'd meet us outside....oh brother!

 

The lines were SO LONG! Then guess who happens to be in the line beside us waaaaayyyy ahead of us in the building. I did not even need to know where they were, I just knew they were there...the screaming kid family from our table at Seuss. He was screaming just to scream the.entire.time! Parents just pushing him along in the stroller like it was a normal activity. People were staring, giving "the look", and they acted as if it was no big deal. He would continue to do this the entire time we were in the building. At one point we caught up to them (our line was moving faster) and I thought my eardrums were going to explode.

 

As we were standing and moving along in line inside, I noticed there was a huge line formed outside now. There were just too many people inside the building so they formed a line outside. I just knew that Kendra had to be in that line by now. She kept sending me pictures and messages about where she was at. She said as they stood outside in the line, the crew was entertaining them and giving them "facts" about the ship. She said they told them how much fuel it took to fill it up, how long, and so on.

 

We finally made it outside and sat down close to the door along the walkway heading to the street and waited. We waited and waited and waited. At one point I stopped getting text from her and I thought she must be close to customs and coming out. But I didn't see her. I then get a phone call from her wanting to know where we are and to let me know she's at the hotel. :eek: Geesh. She said the check in at the hotel was crazy and the entire place was loaded with people.

 

We grabbed our luggage and headed that way. Out to the street and turn left for about a block. IT WAS SCORCHING HOT out. That one block felt like it was a mile long.

 

Once we arrived at the building, I wasn't really sure where the entrance was. I was headed one way down the building and Kendra came around the other way to let me know it's on the other side.

 

 

 

I thought these lights were unusual...they had spikes on the top. Maybe it deters birds from nesting there? I don't know.

 

 

 

 

 

We headed inside the madhouse and it was crazy. We checked in and they said the rooms were not ready yet, but they would take my number and call me when it was ready. I gave the lady my number, she repeated it back, "No, that's not it" and I gave it again, once again she transposed the last 2 digits and I repeated again. They said to give our luggage to them and they would store it until the rooms were ready and we could go explore.

 

Off we went to check out this beautiful place.

 

My goal was to walk along the ocean area and on the side of the wall, then cross under it by the gate. Now, my map/directions were packed away in my suitcase. I guess with all the planning I do, I still need some work on it because I did not factor in leaving that stuff out and having to wait for a room. I packed it thinking I would just get it out of the luggage once we were in our room and put our things down.

 

Oh well, I do study maps and google earth a lot before cruising, so hopefully I would be able to find it.

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

The pigeons were getting their daily bath and at this point, I wish I was too. It was hot!

 

 

 

 

It's not a good thing to be around all this water and fountains when I'm this hot. Do you think I would get arrested if I decided to climb in and lay down?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

We were already thirsty from the heat and Kendra stopped at a vendor who makes snow cones...basically from scratch. He would take this ice scraper and a block of ice and keep scraping it to make the ice that packs into the cone. He had a lot of flavors. It was only $1.00. He did not speak any English at all and we were giving hand signals and Kendra over paid him. She figured they would be at least $2.00 each. He was very honest and gave her the money back.

 

They hubby wanted something from another vendor and stopped here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really wasn't sure which way to go. I know I needed to keep the water to my left. There was an area that you could turn down a street and go left. We stopped and ask several vendors, but none of them understood or spoke English.

 

Then when I seen "The Wall", I knew at least I was still on the right side of it (or should I say left).

 

 

 

I remember the family stopping in the shade and I noticed this statue sitting in the street in a turn around area I believe it was. I knew I had to get a picture. I looked both ways to make sure there was no traffic coming soon and I made a dart for it. I felt like I was playing Call of Duty and running for my life. I ran over, snapped picture, ran back. Whew...shade, I made it.

 

 

 

Now I don't know the history about any of these things I took pictures of. So anyone that is willing to chime in may do so. I love pictures, I love architecture. So that's why I take the pictures, not knowing what any of it is about.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Would you look at the size of that wall?

 

 

 

This place is just full of temptation on a hot day! Why do they feel the need to torture me like this?

 

 

 

 

 

Now we were down by the water exploring...

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2016 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

So do you see anything on the wall?

 

 

 

Yea, I didn't either and the kids pointed it out to me...

 

 

This iguana was WAY up there. The size of this wall is MASSIVE...like you can't even begin to tell from the pictures just how tall this wall is. This iguana is pretty big too, but from the pictures, you really can't tell. He was coming down the wall. He was funny to watch. The hubby has a habit of being a commentator with animals and say what he claims they are thinking at any given moment. It really does get pretty funny. In his weird voice..."Why did I decided to do this today? It's too fricken hot for this crap. Is the food really better on this side? Whoops, that was a slippery. This area looks safer...whoa whoa whoa...that was a close one".

 

Ok...come on children, time to move on. I have started to think that PR is loaded with super old and really weird trees everywhere I go.

 

 

At this point, we were super close to the water. I was almost wishing for a tidal wave to come along.

 

 

 

We all looked at each other and said "Do we really have to come out of the shade?" Ok, come on troop, move along, the sun is not going to kill you...I think.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

These trees were amazing. We really didn't want to leave this area and shade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

You are here....YIKES. That's a long way to go!! I'm not sure we can make it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After looking at the map and seeing just how far we had to go to make it to the end, we decided to just cross over and go into the town, instead of continuing to walk along the water. It was just too hot and it appeared to be nothing but sun the rest of the way. So, we would have a better chance of finding "some" shade within the city.