Today we got up early and headed to Orlando Airport. We returned our car and then boarded our flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was all on time which was great, and we even enjoyed some nice views of the Bahamas and finally of San Juan when we were descending.
When we landed, it was raining. But true to our form on the trip so far, it cleared up as we got our Uber to our guesthouse! Oscar, the assistant at the guesthouse, was so lovely and welcoming. Even though English wasn't his first language, he tried so hard and took us all around the guesthouse showing us how to use the showers, various kitchen appliances and even the washing machine. We felt very welcome and at home immediately. It also has fantastic wifi which is an added bonus. We have a shared bathroom, but other than that the place is fantastic. The hotels in old San Juan were literally 4x the price we have paid and we are smack in the middle of old town.
Once we had settled in, we headed out for a walk and decided to explore the Castillo San Cristóbal (a fortress). Here we enjoyed reading some information about the history of San Juan, as we know very little about Puerto Rico. It's confusing - Puerto Rico is technically a territory of the USA, however, in other ways it seems like it's own separate country here too. It's definitely got its own separate culture that's for sure. Immediately we felt the people here were much warmer than in Orlando, and that they didn't want to rip us off. Everyone greeted us with a friendly smile, stopped to let us cross the road etc.
Just to show you how confusing it is whether or not Puerto Rico is "part" of the USA, here are some facts:
- Puerto Rico has their own Olympic team
- Puerto Ricans cannot vote in the US election
- Travel guides about Puerto Rico are usually found the in 'international travel' section of bookshops in the USA
BUT!
- Puerto Rico has the US dollar as its currency
- Puerto Rico shares the US postal service
- Puerto Rico flies the US flag everywhere
....ambiguous!!
Anyway, once at the fort we started learning about its history too. Spanish settlement first began in the early 1500s here. The construction of the fort began in 1634 due to a Dutch invasion in 1625. Everybody wanted a piece here - the Spanish, French, English and Dutch all could get here easily due to the Northeast trade winds, but the Spanish arrived first (hence why everyone here speaks Spanish). It was a very strategic position between Europe and the Americas and it was the eastern entrance to the Caribbean. The fort wasn't completed until 1783 (it took 150 years to construct!). Once it was finished, it was the largest fortification constructed by the Spanish in the Americas. We started off walking through a tunnel, and particularly enjoyed some old graffiti. The drawings were ships, and it is suspected that a Spanish captain drew them while awaiting trial for mutiny. They were still quite clearly visible which was great.
Then we headed upstairs to the series of rooms containing the small military museum. Before the fort was completed, when another country would try to invade, it would show vast gaps in Spain's defense. However, once complete, the fort was such a stronghold that the British surrendered after a two week siege in 1797.
In the 1800s, the people of San Juan started to feel more like they were in a prison rather than a town. Spain largely ignored Puerto Rico in the 1800s due to focusing on a civil war back home, and a rebellion in Cuba. The town was contained within this fort, the Castillo del Morro (which we will visit tomorrow) and the city walls linking them both together, which meant it was very densely populated. In 1803 there were just 8000 people living within its walls, but by the 1890s this had spiked to 27000 people. The people living here started to ask whether part of the city walls could be torn down now that the threat was not imminent as it once was. Eventually, in 1897, parts of the wall were demolished which then allowed the city to spread out more.
However, the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898. Puerto Rico agreed to help the US in return for their liberation if they won the war. The US won, but Puerto Rico became a territory of the US and were not liberated. Puerto Ricans were then in limbo up until 1917, as until that time they were not allowed passports or any US rights. Interestingly, this information was not in the museum in the fort, I found it doing my own research tonight. Apparently the US was interested in this territory as they wanted to start sugar plantations, which largely disrupted the existing coffee plantations here.
Once the US were in charge, they later added features to the fort during World War II such as bunkers, towers and lookouts for German submarines. There were many enforced blackouts here so that silhouetting cargo ships against the city lights would not occur. In 1942, the Germans managed to sink 20% of the shipping bound for Puerto Rico. In 1943, 55000 US service personnel were deployed around the island. The creation of the Panama Canal meant lots more traffic through the region, and hence more threats. In 1961, the control of the fort was handed to the National Park Service.
After reading up on the history, we continued through the fort. We saw the three flags flying - the first the Burgundy Cross that was the Spanish military flag during the Spanish colonial period, the second the Puerto Rican, and the third the US flag.
We saw dining areas, wells, kitchens and even an oceanside bath. Every floor and roof here was designed to catch water and store it in the cisterns below the fort. They were even lined with limestone to try and prevent pollution. The Spanish were clever! Then we explored the top section and enjoyed some beautiful views of the grounds, the ocean and the town itself.
After exploring the fort, we walked leisurely towards the Parliament building. Here we heard some typical live Caribbean music playing with lots of instruments and lots of voices. We still can't figure out what it was for, we suspect a rehearsal for something as there was no audience! Anyway, we enjoyed it. Then we looked out at the ocean for a while before walking back to the main old town area where we enjoyed a cold drink - me a sangria and Rob a beer. I figured I haven't had a drink the whole trip and I still got sick anyway, so what harm can one do!! While we enjoyed our drink I gave Nan a call. It was good to speak to her and hear that Pa is feeling a bit better in hospital.
After our drink, we roamed around the streets for a bit before enjoying dinner at a Puerto Rican restaurant. We paid $30 Aussie each for a drink, a main and a HUGE side of vegetables including tax and a tip. Such better value than most things we have had so far, and really yummy. I had a Puerto Rican dish called Mofongo which is deep-fried green plantains (apparently a small plant) mashed together and served with a meat (I had chicken). It was nice!
Looking forward to another great day here tomorrow. I am already feeling a little better just with the sun on my skin and feeling the warm sea breeze.
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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