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One of my favorite features of El Convento is its interior courtyard.  During my recent stay, it served as a constant reminder that I was in Puerto Rico–or at least a much warmer climate than Vermont.  Every time I walked to the balcony railing to gaze upon the courtyard, my glasses steamed up. At times humid, at times cooled by a slight breeze, you could find sun in the courtyard or sit in the shade and enjoy the soothing, piped-in music playing in the background. It was an oasis in the busy city.

The centerpiece of the courtyard is a very old and large nispero tree, which bears a small, round, fruit. There is something appealing about an old large tree growing in the center of a hotel courtyard.  It adds character.  (As if El Convento needed any more character than it already has.)

Nispero Tree in El Convento Courtyard

One night, I sat in one of the cozy seating areas in the open hallway, enjoying the night air, and heard a persistent squeaking sound and felt a whoosh of air as something flew by my head. Then a second missile flew past.  I could hear the whirring of wings. They were bats, drawn by the tree–or, more specifically, the tree’s small, round, golden-colored fruit. There might have been a day when this would freak me out (I mean, EEK! BATS!), but after seeing countless news items on TV about this white-nose fungus that’s been killing off bats by the millions in the northeast US, I have come to appreciate the role of the bat in our fragile ecosystem.  I was more than happy to share the nispero tree with them, so long as they ate bugs as well as fruit.

My friend Osvaldo Soler, Reservations Manager at the hotel, told me that years ago, when the new gardener arrived at the hotel, the tree was dying.  She lovingly revived it and now it thrives, almost as tall as the hotel itself.  In fact, if you stand on the fifth  floor, you could reach out and pick some fruit from it.  I’m not sure how edible it is, though, or what it tastes like, so do so at your own risk.  Me, I’d prefer to sit in its shade with a cool drink, a good book, and some soothing music playing in the background.

Note: I was a guest at El Convento at a discount media rate in January 2010.

El Convento

Anyone who says that to have a luxury hotel experience, you must sacrifice character, history, and culture hasn’t stayed at El Convento. This boutique luxury hotel, located on Calle Cristo in the heart of Old San Juan, is one of the city’s oldest structures.  Founded in 1651, it served as a convent for 250 years.  The convent’s closing in 1903 ushered in several decades of a colorful, but sad, history:  After laying abandoned for years, it was rented out as a retail store, a dance hall, a flophouse, and a parking garage for garbage trucks.  Today, it has been restored to its historic glory.  You can easily picture what the convent might have been like in its heyday, with the open hallways, interior courtyard and Spanish arches everywhere.  It has, over the past decade, earned a reputation as being the creme-de-la-creme of San Juan hotels. For the solo traveler on a large budget, it is my recommendation as the place to stay in San Juan.

El Convento Foyer

Beware: If you stay here, you might be tempted never to leave the hotel.  But that would be a shame, because it is ideally located in Old San Juan, across the street from the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista and within walking distance of the lovely Paseo de Princessa along the water and historic sites such as Forts El Morro and San Cristobal.  Spend the day wandering the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, admiring the Spanish colonial architecture and soaking up the history and culture of this port city. When you return to the hotel, you will feel as though you are living in the past–but with all the luxuries and amenities of the present. Continue reading →

Another week, another installment of my favorite reads this week:

Let’s kick things off with two interesting articles about tourism: Eric Weiner’s “Why Tourism is Not a Four-Letter Word“ at World Hum and Sarah Menkedick’s “Tourism and the ‘Preservation’ of Culture: A Rebuttal” at Matador Abroad.  They both raise some great points, and I can’t disagree with either of them.  From an intellectual standpoint, I probably align closer with Sarah (because I’m a worrier, and so I worry about things like cultural imperialism), but from an emotional standpoint, I support Eric’s premise that tourism is not as negative a thing as many travelers make it out to be.  I, too, grow quite weary of the travel snobbery that exists out there, and the people who act as though the only “right” way to travel is by shunning luggage with wheels, tour groups, and popular attractions like the Eiffel Tower.  I don’t buy into this theory that tourists and travelers are radically different things, and that one is right and one is wrong. Tomayto, tomahto, people; live and let live.  Sometimes, the only way a person is going to have the courage to travel and see the world is with a tour group  that “edits” their experience.  I’d rather see them do that than not travel at all.  And sometimes, the only way a region can eke out a living is with tourism.  I know, because I live in a state that depends on tourism a LOT.  Does everyone in Vermont ski, milk cows and tap maple trees?  No, but if that’s what brings people here to spend money in our state, God bless.

Here’s a follow-up piece to the article I noted in last week’s Recommended Reads (How Vacations Affect Your Happiness from the New York Times).  Here, Christine Garvin elaborates on The Truth About Happiness and Travel at Brave New Traveler.

And thanks to Jared Romey at Matador Trips for this fantastic article, Budget Guide to South Beach.  I love-love-love South Beach (especially in the winter time), but it can be quite pricey.  I’m always looking for ways to save money there.  Jared offers some great tips in this regard.

I really enjoyed this entry by Christine Ka’aloa at GRRRLTraveler, GRRRL Goes Whimpery in Her New Korean Location.  What do you do when you commit yourself to working in Korea for a year, arrive there all excited, only to discover your initial impression is disappointing to the extreme?  Okay, first you freak out.  Then what?  Read Christine’s post and find out.

And for your weekly funny. . . Poor Jodi at LegalNomads describes a frustrating, maddening and yet hilarious (sorry, Jodi) problem she’s been having on her travels in The Official Birdcrap Counter: Documenting the Crap.  I can honestly say this has never happened to me, and I hope it never does.

Photo credit: foxypar4 at Creative Commons.

Camera hood made from Ziploc bag

Travelers love Ziploc bags.  Oh yes, we do. They have so many wonderful uses.  We have to pack those 3 oz bottles of liquids in them, and they’re good for containing anything that might leak in your luggage.  You can use them as a doggie bag for meal leftovers, as an organizational tool, and if you want to separate your dirty underwear from your clean, the Ziploc does the trick.  Something else they are also useful for is to serve as a makeshift DSLR camera hood. Continue reading →

One of the things you will read about Puerto Rico before going there is that the pace is much slower than what many of us are used to, particularly here in New England.  We tend to be very time-bound, rushingrushingrushing from place to place, activity to activity, trying to squeeze as much in during the course of a day as possible.  We expect fast service in restaurants and stores, because we have such busy lives to get back to.  Slowing down the pace on your vacation is not a bad thing, as long as you know ahead of time what to expect to minimize frustration.  Case in point:  My first breakfast in San Juan was a leisurely affair, but I knew going into it that it probably would be.

On my first morning in the city, I walked from my hotel, El Convento, down to Calle San Francisco in search of La Bombanera, a very well-known diner that serves mallorcas.  Mallorcas are sweet and savory pastries, dusted with powdered sugar much like a beignet, only stuffed with ham and cheese (or whatever you choose).  It sounded a little disgusting and not in the least bit healthy,  but I still wanted to try it so I could say I did.  Somehow, while I was distracted by a labor union demonstration on the street, I missed La Bombanera and found myself in front of Cafeteria Mallorca instead.  I was hungry, and it didn’t matter to me where I had breakfast, so I went ahead in.

It was a typical diner, bustling, loud, and crowded, the hubbub of dozens of conversations and the clatter of silverware and plates serving as background music.  I claimed an empty stool at the end of the counter which allowed me a clear sight line behind the counter and around most of the restaurant, with the exception of the cash register by the door, which was behind me.  I sat elbow-to-elbow with the people on either side of me, which left no room for notebook and pen or camera.  I was lucky there was room for me.

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Want to read something great and not too long about travel?  Try travel poetry.  Two Go Round-The-World has launched a new column called “Looking Back,” where they include a journal entry from their past travels. Daniel kicked the series off this week with Looking Back: Langkawi (Malaysia) which includes a photo and one of the most lyrical descriptions of a place and time I’ve read in awhile.  Lauren Quinn occasionally shares some of her travel poetry on her site, Lonely Girl Travels (for instance, see the poem at the bottom of her post “It Itches! Feeling the Burn of Wanderlust”.  And J.B. Conway writes daily haikus about Disney World at his site, MouseofZen.com.  It’s been a good 20 years since I wrote poetry, but I can see the appeal of applying it to the travel genre.  Do you know anyone else who writes travel poetry?  I’m kind of getting into this.

I hate to sound like a complete fangirl of Daniel and Kathryn at Two Go Round-The-World, but they also produced a second one of my imagination-capturing posts this week, their entry to the I Backpack Canada /Gap Adventures competition to create  your own adventure. What can I say? They were on a literary roll this week, and as a former English major, I was very receptive to this.  Their entry was “Channel Your Inner Hemingway”, which really sent me daydreaming about following in Hemingway’s footsteps around Spain, though I don’t think I’d want to run with the bulls in Pamplona, since being gored isn’t on my bucket list.

A terrific photo essay titled 10 Reasons to Love Brazil by Robin Esrock and Ana Alheiro at MatadorTrips set my mind to daydreaming about Brazil, beautiful, exotic Brazil.  Lovely photos, and excellent reasons for traveling there.

I was jazzed to read an article in the New York Times this week called  How Vacations Affect Your Happiness.  Apparently, some researchers from the Netherlands did a study on the happiness levels of people in relation to their vacation travels.  It proves my long-held theory that I get as much enjoyment (perhaps more, depending on the trip) out of the process of planning my travels as I do out of the actual travel itself.  It also explains why I am always planning my next trip.

On a more sobering note, Staying Safe While Traveling (by Stephanie at My Melange) offers up a sad story to serve as a reminder that bad things can happen to us, even on vacation.  So please be safe out there.

Photo credit: alicejamieson

Old San Juan is filled with cats.  Not to the point where you’re tripping over them or anything, but enough that it’s noticeable.  I’m sure some are pets, but many are feral cats.  Some residents think they’re a nuisance, while others think they’re part of San Juan culture and welcome them.  There’s even an organization of volunteers called Save a Gato that monitors and feeds the colony of cats, implementing a “trap-neuter-release” program and trying to get kittens who can still be socialized adopted.

One of the things I love most about solo travel is being able to indulge in my love for photography.  And among my favorite subjects for photography are  animals (cats, dogs, squirrels, iguanas, farm animals, you name it).  Once I see an animal I want to photograph, I tend to stalk it, snapping dozens of pictures. But the cats I ran into in Old San Juan were generally out prowling after dark, when I didn’t have my camera, or they would dart under parked cars when I started to draw close.

I took the above picture from the Paseo de la Princessa, a lovely waterfront walking path beneath the city walls where I have heard the cats tend to hang out (though I only saw this one that day).  I snuck up behind this little guy when he wasn’t looking, which is, I’m sure, the only reason I was able to get it without him running off.

It’s not the best animal photo I took in San Juan by a long shot, but there is something I really like about it: That solitary cat just sitting there, looking kind of sleepy and staring off toward the water, captures my imagination.  Is he a beach bum kitty, getting some sand between his toes on a lazy afternoon, maybe thinking about going fishing?  Did he just wake up after a long night of carousing?  Is he a solo traveler, like me, pondering what corner of the city he wants to explore next?

Trolley Stop #18, San Cristobal

I take public transportation regularly at home and try to do so when I travel as well. It’s an inexpensive way to get around and get the lay of the land when you’re tired of walking. As a solo traveler, I also welcome the opportunity to interact with others, and that’s easier when using public transportation than when renting a car.

I took three forms of public transportation during my trip to San Juan:  The  free trolley in Old San Juan, the ferry to Catano, and the public bus.  The first two were the easiest.  The free trolley makes the rounds of tourist sites in Old San Juan. Each site is numbered, so you can follow along on your tourist map and know where to get on and off.  A trolley stop looks like the photo above.

Seating on the ferry

Even if you’re not interested in the Bacardi Rum Factory tour, as I was, it’s still well worth the ferry ride from Old San Juan to Catano and back for the lovely views of Old San Juan from the water.  It only takes about 5 minutes each way and costs $1 round trip.  This is definitely not a budget-buster.

View of Old San Juan from the ferry

The ferry to Catano leaves from Pier 2, which is across the street from Senor Frog’s and the Sheraton.  Once you get to Catano, start walking toward the street, and you’ll see someone there asking if you want a taxi ride to the Bacardi Factory.  There’s a little garage, a short distance away where they park and wait for passengers.  It’s $3 per person to go to Bacardi.

Pier 2 is across the street from Senor Frogs

The public bus was a bit more complicated.

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I just finished a guest blog post over at Women on the Road, Leyla Giray’s excellent resource for solo women travelers (especially backpackers).  If you haven’t been to her site before, do check it out.  She has tons of information and advice from her many years of backpacking solo around the world.  My guest post can be found here:

The Universe Provides to the Solo Traveler

Thanks, Leyla, for the opportunity to be a guest on your site.  You’re welcome over here any time!

Have you all been watching the Olympics this week?  I confess, I was not–until I read my first recommended article of this week, written by JoAnna Haugen of Kaleidoscopic Wandering. The 2010 Olympics from a Traveler’s Perspective was a wake-up call to me that I have been focusing so much on the trees, I forgot the forest.  I thought I was too busy to watch the Olympics.  JoAnna reminded me that the Olympics is more than just a sporting event, it’s a celebration of the very reasons we travel.

Christine Garvin, at the Matador Networks’ Brave New Traveler, writes In Defense of the Introverted Traveler.  Sometimes it may seem as though all other travelers are extroverts, but that’s just not so.  And not everyone wants to meet other people on the road.  Do be sure to also read the article that sparked Christine’s essay, a March 2009 article by Sophia Dembling titled Confessions of an Introverted Traveler at WorldHum.com.

Lauren Quinn of Lonely Girl Travels is one of the freshest young voices in travel writing that I have discovered in the past few months.  She has a very real and earthy writing style. In I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow: Port Costa and the Past, she shows that you don’t have to travel very far to have a travel adventure.  Her description of the trains is truly lovely.

Those of you who have been following my blog for more than a year probably remember that I spent Christmas week 2008 in New Orleans and fell head over heels for that city.  In New Orleans: It’s About to Get Weirder at WorldHum.com, Adam Karlin notes that New Orleans seems to have finally turned a corner in this, its fifth year after Katrina; its recent election of a new mayor and the Saints’ triumphant win at the Super Bowl are symbolic of this turn.  It’s a well-written piece which captures the joie de vivre of the city beautifully.

Finally, another wonderful post by Sarah Menkedick, this time at her blog, Posa Tigres:  One Brief Illustration of Authenticity explores authenticity and awareness in Sarah’s interaction with two boys–part children, part businessmen–on a sand pile.  It’s a simple story that leads to some complex thoughts about the intersection between tourists and locals. Wow.

Photo credit: Midge cat and computer by Doug Woods.