i wrote a whole post with photos and everything, and deleted it by mistake.  really?  f#$@!

let’s try this again.

one thing that i haven’t done on this trip is a tour,  and you know how i love a good tour.  i realized that one reason i like tours so much is that since i travel solo, tours offer me the opportunity to spend a short amount of time with a group of people.  granted,  sometimes the tours aren’t that short (Peru and Argentina) and the people can being annoying, but you get my drift.

i tried to book a tour to Old San Juan (OSJ) but there weren’t enough people interested, so no tour.  i either had to hire a guide/driver or rent a car.  the rental car would have been the less expensive option, but how can you sight-see and drive at the same time? i’m glad i had a guide, as he gave me some local history along the way to OSJ and a brief description of what was what in the town itself.

then i was on my own for the next 5 hours.  i saw the two forts that were built to protect Puerto Rico from invaders, Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the Cementerio Maria Magdelena de Pazzis, the capital building, San Jose Church, San Juan Cathedral and lots of colorful buildings.  there was also no shortage of arts and crafts/gift shops.it was a fun day, but i wish i had some company along the way.

a friend would have reminded me to put sunscreen on my shoulders. doh.  thankfully the guide was willing to stop at the drugstore on the way home so i could get some aloe.

                                                  Castillo San Felipe del Morro