Old San Juan,The People Make It Special

Visit The Castillo de San Felipe del Morro.
Visit The Old City Gate.
Check out the street artists.
Sip suds at Bohemios on Christo Street.
Eat Mofongo at Ajili Mojili.
Gamble at one of the casino's at you're own risk.

Quick Tips:

Be careful with money there.
Negotiate you're cab fare in advance.
Don't gamble at the casino's as they have strange rules and practices.
Don't be a shopaholic, San Juan is not a duty free port.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis or publicos. I prefer the taxis. Negotiate the fare ahead of time. Walking in Old San Juan is pleasant and safe,(a cop on almost every street).

After meeting Angel and Julie and their son Angel on a cruise to The Grand Bahamas in July of last year,I contacted them when I found we were going to be in San Juan, Puerto Rico as they live there. I made a dinner date with these folks, and asked them to make a reservation at their favorite restaurant there. I asked Angel to select a restaurant which served Puerto Rican Cuisine. I explained that if I wanted McDonalds, I would have remained in the states.

The restaurant they selected fit the bill just right. When I told the cab driver where we wanted to go, he had one comment, "they do it right."

The second we entered Ajili Mojili we knew we had received good advice. The place was packed with locals. I didn't see any tourists in this place. While it was crowded it didn' feel like it. After greeting our friends who were already seated, we got down to the business of ordering.

When the waiter found out I was only interested in local cuisine, he did everything he could to help me. After explaining some of the dishes I settled on Monfongo con Camerones,and it was excellent. This dish consists of ground plantains mixed with rice, and fried in garlic and butter. This is then served with you're choice of meat. I chose shrimp. The side dish was rice and beans but the name of this dish now eludes me. My wife played the chicken on this trip and ate a steak, also very good.

The food, atmosphere, service, and price were all outstanding. The people were very friendly and the locals know the place.

When we arrived in Old San Juan,the first thing I wanted to see was El Morro Fortress.I've long read that this is the best preserved fortress in the New World,and I now know that to be true. The place is pristine.

For it's day this fort had to be of incredable importance in the defence of the city. Looking over the walls toward the sea as ships enter immediately shows that anything entering the harbor would be under the guns of El Morro. It is no wonder the construction of San Christobal became necessary to protect against land invasion. Facing El Morro at that time would have been a daunting task,and land invasion would have been an attractive alternative.

Life at El Morro would have been difficult at best,as the fort is a multi-tiered laborynth of corridors, ramps and gun ports. Hauling cannon and ball up and down these levels in the summer heat must have taken it's toll.

El Morro is a must-see in Old San Juan.

After we visited El Morro Fortress my wife and I felt like walking. Everything just seemed too interesting to pass over by taking a cab. We soon found ourselves on Christo Street,walking downhill toward the port. Soon we found ourselves thirsty and stopped at a little bar known as Bohemio. A quick beer and we were again walking to find a camera. Our camera had been damaged, costing us a great roll of film and for El Morro Fortress we used a disposable. We bought an inexpensive Advantix camera at Walgreens and went outside to load some film.

Once outside I tore and fought with the camera packaging, all was no use. Then,a man sitting on a bench in the square summoned me over and said we were never going to get it open this way, and could he see it. I turned over the camera to him and he began tearing at the stubborn packaging and like me was having no luck. He started using his teeth to open the package, I thought for sure he was going to break a tooth. Soon a friend of his joined in the now public struggle to help the tourists. Again, all to no avail, until one man had the solution, a knife. Another friend of theirs took the stubborn package and opened it with his pocket knife, commenting on his embarrasment, "I can't believe it, a Puerto Rican without a knife.". He laughed and gave us the open package. We thanked him,and realized that much we had heard and read of this island just simply was not true. Walking around Old San Juan was certainly more comfortable than some places in Italy, Sicily, Germany, and the United States. I felt right at home here, besides, there are a lot of cop's in old San Juan, damn near on every other street corner. We continued our walk through the streets.

We finally settled on our aquisition for this port, a simple piece of spray can art that we watched created on the street. We felt this street art typified San Juan more than anything we had seen in any of the stores.

We have come to believe that trinkets purchased soon end up in a drawer at home and are soon forgotten, while a piece of local culture on display in the home will bring back fond memories every time it is viewed.

I have included some pictures of Old San Juan, and hope they convey the friendliness we felt there.