9:34 AM >> Carnival Victory Cruise 2K08 [update v>>05.a]

January 8, 2008 - 5pm to Midnight. The first stop we made was in San Juan, Puerto Rico. My Aunt Lilly was going to be visiting her sister in San Juan while I was there. So I made plans to meet up with her. After some cell phone back and forth I found Lilly on a bench outside a tourism building. She was with her sister, Rosie, and her cousin Judy. The three of them all grew up in Ponce.

Lilly and I walked around old town for about an hour and then caught up again with Rosie and Judy. We all hopped into Rosie's car munching on pork rinds and I got a driving tour of the island. The girls were chatting away in spanish and Lilly would point out whatever they were talking/reminiscing about. It was great. I got to see a lot of the city.

Then we went to a spanish place for dinner. Everything I had was great. Smoked chicken, black beans and rice, and plantains. I also had a Medalla, a local beer along the lines of a Miller High Life. After dinner we went to Rosie's house which was a couple of blocks from the finiacial district (I think they called it the gold mile)-- lots of banks and stuff, and a couple of universities nearby. The best part of her and her husband, Paco's, home was their back porch. Lots of tropical plants and chirping birds. Paco drove me back to the ship after I was offered an after dinner citrus-y liqour and a dessert of jellied papaya (from their backyard) with white cheese.

I walked around the city a bit and went into a bar for a couple more Medallas before getting back onto the ship.

Here's a little slide show of my night in San Juan >>