All About Trey

Old San Juan

Old San Juan is actually a walled city. Or, it was originally. Most of the walls and fortifications are still left and there is a big fort, complete with moat, at the end of town called El Murro. That’s where I started my tour. The old fort is pretty amazing and there are these turrets at the corners of the fort that overlook the deep blue water surrounding the island. Just like a tourist postcard. The wind is blowing pretty hard, which is nice because it is HOT, and the wind keeps me cool. Overhead, the sky is filled with kites. I’m not sure if it’s spring break here in San Juan, but in the big field in front of the fort, there are easily 50 children flying kites. Of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s really pretty. I walk around El Murro and then head into the city proper.

With it's small streets, cobblestones, and quaint little houses Old San Juan reminds me of the little towns in Spain or Italy. All of the houses are painted in pastel colors: pink, orange, yellow, light blue. It really is pretty. I wander the city for a bit, trying to find someplace to have lunch, but the only place I find is a McDonalds. Just say NO! So I keep wandering. At the other end of the town is the other part of the main fort: Fort San Cristóbal. It’s about lunch time now and I’m seeing more gay guys who are going to be on the cruise sort of wandering around the town. I head into the fort and am really appreciating the shade from the battlements. Part of the tour heads deep underground, into the heart of the fort, where they used to store gun powder and there was a small prison. It’s just hard to imagine how much time and effort it took to build these huge forts.

I cab back to Condado and do the beach thing. All I want is some peace and quiet. But no, the spring breakers are here. I’m sitting in front of three girls and a guy, all probably under 20, who are getting hammered on cheap Puerto Rican beer at like 2 in the afternoon. And one of the girls is just this little whiny bitch. “Jeff, go get us some more beer.” “Jeff, go get the bottle from the room.” “Go get my cigarettes.” I’m just hoping that Jeff is getting some from her after taking all of this crap.

Back to the hotel to shower, change, head to the Atlantic Beach Hotel. A quick drink there and then it’s off to the Hilton Caribe for the Atlantis welcoming party. I ended up sharing a cab with a couple who own a guest house in Ft. Lauderdale. They are hammered, but hilarious. The Hilton is pack with gay men. All fighting for the spot at the bar. I meet some interesting folks, including a hot couple who have cards made up and they are handing them out. Yep, little cards with their pics, their names, and their room number on the ship. I would see this couple off an on during the whole trip but never got a chance to hook up with them. Oh well.

After the cocktail party, I decide to go back to Condado to grab some dinner before heading to the Eros nightclub. On the way back to Condado I get stuck in this horrible traffic jam. I ask the driver what the problem is and he says that there is a section of town where all of these bars and restaurants are and that’s what causing the jam. So I decide to hop out of the cab to explore some of the local nightlife. Couple of things: Puerto Ricans are loud. Loud talkers, Loud music, just loud, loud, loud. The street is packed, like what I imagine Mardi Gras is like in New Orleans, except it’s just a Friday night. Salsa music is blaring from every bar and restaurant. The street is packed with Puerto Ricans of every age and they ALL have either a drink or a cigarette, or both. I worm my way through the crowd and find a restaurant. The menu is only in Spanish and the waiter can’t tell me what the food is in English, so I just order blindly. I ended up with a stuffed game hen. Not bad, and definitely different. After dinner, I walked up to the Eros nightclub and hang out for a couple of hours. The music was okay. Around 1AM, it was back to the hotel.

posted by Trey @ 1:19 AM