Another Spontaneous Adventure Begins!

"Dude! How the hell are ya'll!" Mike said in his southern accent as he swung open the door to his town house in an upscale neighborhood in Atlanta and wrapped his bare, burly upper body around Tom and myself in a happy greeting. He was shaved bald and smiling from ear to ear. He had packed all he needed for a tropical adventure, but had somehow not yet put on a t-shirt. I mention that he was shaved bald, because the last time I had seen him he was on his epic bicycle adventure across the lower 48 states and he had a long, blonde, curly mane that made him look like Jesus. While he isn't the "Lord and Saviour" re-incarnate, he certainly has a big strong free spirit and a lust for life and adventure that makes everyone around him love him instantly. Mike and I became fast friends...nay brothers last year when a short stay turned into a 10 day fun fest that spanned a couple Northeast states. We had way too much in common to not form a life long bond, and yesterday morning was a sort of re-joining of the forces. Tom and I had just spent the whole night driving the deserted I 75 South to reach our formidable friend early in the morning and continue on the Leesburg Florida, where Tom is now living.

This adventure had spontaneity written all over it from the start. About a week ago, Tom, who had been working in Buffalo for the past few months, came home and said, "Hey man, we ought to go to Puerto Rico with Mary and Colleen on the 10th of November." "I'm in!" I said without hesitation, knowing that Mary was going on the trip on account of all of my recommendations of the island. She also wants to meet Lucy and the children. She has been very sick for the past year, so I knew this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us to really enjoy a vacation together while she is feeling good. Mary owns a fabulous restaurant downtown and has been a dear friend for a few years. I met her like I meet everyone I spend any time with...it was an instant, serendipitous connection. She came over to my table and started rubbing my shoulders and telling me that I must have a "charmed life" and "an old soul" and that I was soooo cute, like a sweet son... to her. Needless to say I became a great customer and a dear friend over time... Mary has tons of friends and customers who love her for this very charm. Not to mention the food at her restaurant is to die for!

This put the wheels in motion. I checked my schedule for November, made some adjustments to free up time, and picked up the phone to call Lucy in Puerto Rico and make sure we could come stay with her. "Of course! We can't wait to see you again!" was her reply. "We will get your house ready!" I hang up the phone and it rings again.... Mike.... "Dude, I need something to do... I am stagnant down here in Atlanta and I just quit my job a month ago. I"m gonna go into hibernation mode of I don't get the heck outta here" "Wanna go to Florida and then Puerto Rico?" I asked. "When do we leave?" "We'll pick you up in a few days... I'm ordering your plane ticket now." "Awesome! I'm so excited!" It was that easy, Mike was going on this adventure. He requested that we just buy one-way tickets in case one or all of us decided to just stay in the Caribbean for a while. Now the goosebumps were building up my arm. I told Tom the good news and he shared my excitement!

We got into Leesburg last night and the fun began. Hot tub, pool, golf carts. The luxury life in Tom's new "retired" community has been super sweet so far! Plus you can't beat the weather. It has been a bit seasonably cool at 67 F with a light breeze and plenty of sunshine. We made steaks on the grill last night. I cooked a salmon and eggs breakfast. Mike and I talked about tons of awesome adventure ideas while swimming in the pool, including one that would involve us leaving and living for one year just walking around the continental US, following the seasons. Today we helped Tom clean up the house and get things organized. Everything is just flowing so sweetly.... the way it should be. There's sure to be some great stories from the three of us.... keep your eyes peeled!!!

Another day in paradise....

Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap Tap in my back. My elbows flailed into the air, body convulsed and I took a big endorphin filled breath as my fight or flight instinct kicked into full gear. "Whoa buddy, it's just me Alwin. I'm waking you up to take Sam to the doctor." Sigh of relief.... a second prior I was sure I was being prodded by the crazy horse that roams the property and is said to be a bit bite happy. How the hell would he get into the house anyway? Probably the same way everything else does. Another day in paradise...

We finally got Sam to the clinic this morning for a visit with a physical therapist/doctor and he got some great news. Nothing is wrong with his spine, it's only muscle tension in his back that has been giving him all the problems. The solution to which is a heavy dose of muscle relaxers and some physical therapy for the next couple weeks. The doctor also recommended that he carry a lighter backpack and do some exercises to build the muscles. While Sam was at the doctor's office, Alwin and I made a pit stop at the beach park in Pinones so I could do my morning jog along the ocean. It was an awesome morning, the trades challenging me during the upwind portion of the run, and the sun beating down providing the extra sweat factor.

We had our normal breakfast at one of our favorite panaderias and I grabbed an extra cafe con leche for the road. A brief trip to the drugstore and we were on our way home to get ready for the beach.

We sped back down the mountain and back to the area we had come from in Pinones, but this time we passed our beach spot from yesterday and drove onward through super cluster of food stands that line the beach in the western part of Pinones. Here we stopped for some Coco Frio (ice cold coconuts cut with a machete so you can sip the milk out) and snack foods at a stand and then parked and walked around back to what I like to call "Brad's Beach".

Brad's Beach is a tiny stretch of beach that we found a few years ago when we were here for a vacation. It is behind one of the stands, and like the other beaches in the area, protected by an old fringe reef. There is a quickly sloping beach of porous sand that leads you into a tiny tidal pool filled with little fish and sea glass. The glass has been pounded over and over on the reef by waves and is usually smooth on all edges. One of the reasons that this is Brad's favorite beach is because he usually collects the sea glass and takes it home to make interesting artwork or fill vases for clients. There were a couple children playing while their father was fishing for crabs, but he wasn't the only one fishing. Dozens of sea birds were scouring the reefs for the delicious black crabs that hide in the old coral formations. It was awesome seeing them tear them up when the caught them, and they were usually able to swallow them down with a few quick gulps.

The day passed along nicely and we got some great ideas for the orphanage project while brainstorming on the beach. We sat until sundown and enjoyed the view of the north Atlantic swells coming in. Almost every minute there was a jet plane flying over the beach. We were very close the the end of the runway for the main airport in San Juan and we got to see the first turn into the trade winds as the planes carried load after load of people off the island. You can rest assured that the other side of the runway was dropping an equal amount of people here, even though we weren't able to see it from our perspective. Luis Munoz Airport is the busiest in the Caribbean by far.

On the way home I spotted a small red car stuck in the sand at one of the neighboring beaches. We pulled over and offered our help. It was a tiny Toyota and it was buried deep in the front end. I had the driver get out and I began to dig out the tires by hand. A gentleman who had got there before us suggested we pick the car up. He looked at me and said in Spanish, "With your strength, we can just lift it!" I don't know who he thought I was, but I sure as hell wasn't lifting a car out of the sand, so I kept digging to expose the lowest part of the tread. We then made a ramp and pushed it out while it was in neutral. They were so thankful that we stopped because it was a rental and they had to get it back in a few hours! Whooo.... close one for them!

We stopped at the grocery store to get some dinner and I got to play chef again. This time it was steak, eggplant and maduros (a sweeter plantain that is closer to a banana in taste) all grilled and seasoned to perfection. Like I said... another day in paradise! Getting some planning done now for the orphanage and then going to bed. Hope you are all having a great night wherever you are! Sweet dreams!

Ye old fort...thine protectorate!

Old San Juan holds many architectural and cultural delights. By far the most stunning and popular are the two forts that surround this city of Caribbean antiquity. We opted for the smaller of the two, San Cristobal on the northeast side of the city. The fort, with its towering walls and gunnery posts, is a sight to behold from afar and up close. We pulled into this UNESCO historic site for a day of exploration.

Built in the 1600's to protect the then burgeoning Spanish port, the fort is an architectural masterpiece for its time period. There are numerous features that blew my mind, including the water collection system that led all rain water to a holding tank in the depths of the fort that had a capacity to store 870,000 gallons of fresh water. They even had the foresight to line the tank with limestone as a filtering agent, and rodent and animal control measures were used to keep the grounds in pristine condition so the inhabitants of the fort would be healthy as possible. Even then, the military spent a great deal of money and had the best technology and resources available. Some things never change!

San Cristobal and her sister fort, the formidable El Morro were part of the Spaniard's intricate network of defense and transport dedicated to mostly one cause... acquiring as much gold as possible. Spain was in love with gold and glory and they used God as the excuse to travel the world in search of the precious metal. Silver and other metals were in demand as well, but gold was the premium exemplar of wealth and prosperity. I believe they would have eaten it if they could! The network extended through the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Florida and was quite extensive. Other maritime countries of imperial Europe were interested in much of the same and the battles and constant turmoil over ports and passages were constant in those days. Pirates were everywhere, some independent, others working as vigilantes and buccaneers for opposing nations. Everyone was trying to get a piece of the action, and the biggest losers were the Taino and Caribe natives who lost their homelands and health to the European's diseases and treachery.

We spent the rest of the day at the laundromat chatting with the lovely attendant named Vanessa, who used to live in Buffalo! How ironic. I spoke in broken Spanish, she in broken English, and we chuckled at each other as we tried to find out about each other's lives. Turns out she lived only two blocks from my old office on the West Side. Now we are neighbors in Rio Grande. She spoke about her children and her husband, who love Puerto Rico, but miss the states because of the opportunity. She enjoys the simpler life here on the island. She was amazed that I had no children (as I sometimes am.. ha ha) and said I should get started as soon as possible. I tried to explain to her that I was surrounded by wonderful children at the orphanage, but she would have none of it. Most Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general are very family oriented and productive when it comes to having children. They seem like little baby factories at times and most of them are married with children before their 18th birthdays. They are raised this way though, and far more mature about it than most of the teenagers in the states. I'm an old bachelor by their standards, but I wouldn't be able to travel and do the things that I do if it weren't so!