waiting for take-off	taking the bus to the Budget Car Rental building
dinner at Restaurant El Ausubo in Dorado	can't wait for some Puerto Rican food!!!!!
Shrimp Mofongo! Awesome!!!!	deep fried shrimp taco
at the rain forest El Yunque (Visitors' Center)	at the rain forest El Yunque (Visitors' Center)
on the hiking trail to the overlook tower	a sneak peek of the view while on the trail
at the viewing tower	view from the top of the tower
We can't possibly be turning 40 this year!!!
at a roadside viewing area on the drive back down the mountain	at a roadside viewing area on the drive back down the mountain
Armand's BBQ (a typical small roadside Puerto Rican lunch spot) We enjoyed a well deserved lunch after working up a sweat hiking in the rain forest!!!
Notice the guy in the red striped shirt at the counter in the background. He was leering at us the whole time we ate. It was great!!! LOL.	Strolling the streets of Old San Juan
Old San Juan	Old San Juan
Lynda's favorite spot in Old San Juan for an awesome snack of Mallorcas.	see the Mallorcas in the window.
At La Bombonera eating mallorcas.	Kim's mallorca. A mallorca is a bread-type pastry (not really sweet) that they slice in half, butter, and grill. When it's done they sprinkle the top with powdered sugar which gives it just the right amount of sweetness mixed with a buttery flavor. It's the only way to eat them. They aren't very good if you just bring them home and eat them dry.
leaving La Bombonera	Pigeon Park, Old San Juan (it's disgusting)
a Piragua stand in Old San Juan (see next picture)	Kim & Ann each enjoying a Piragua, a typical shaved ice Puerto Rican snack. And what a bargain on a hot day at only $1.
Ann & Lynda were shopping for the kids at Del Sol in Old San Juan
in the car after a long day of hiking in the rain forest and visiting Old San Juan	who needs dinner when you can go get ice cream instead!!!! The Cold Stone Creamery is amazing!!!! www.coldstonecreamery.com
Kim & Danielle savoring their ice cream.
Cristina at the computer in the condo.	Lynda & Danielle
using Lynda's computer and wireless to keep in touch	the guest room at Lynda's place
Papo's Guacaros Place in Dorado. Another typical roadside Puerto Rican BBQ. Can you tell we don't have a clue what we are doing? It was like a free-for-all on a busy Saturday with everyone knowing just what to do and just what they came for...except us. Oh, did I mention that they did not speak a word of English. We managed.	standing in line
That will be a big NO on the cracklin' for us.	We had chicken, rice & beans as usual. Of course, each roadside place has their own signature flavor so it tastes different depending on which one you visit. On the small plate are some fried yam type things that were VERY tasty. On the larger plate are tostones (mashed & fried plantains) and some unidentified thing that Kim had to try. It seemed to be some sort of rolled and fried lamb. Lynda liked it more than Kim, but it was good.
savoring our lunch	Kim & Ann enjoying their lunch at Papo's. See the thing between the two bottles of soda...it's a different type of mofongo from what we tried the first night.
At the beach near Lynda's place.
	Now this is the life!!!

Thursday, July 19th...Ann & Kim head to Puerto Rico
Tim took us to Framingham bright and early to catch the 7am Logan Express to the airport in Boston. Everything was uneventful, which is always a nice thing with air travel these days. We arrived in San Juan about 1:15pm and went to the rental car counter. Of course it was closed and so we had to get our luggage and take the shuttle bus to the Budget office down the road. The man behind the counter tried his best to convince us to take the upgrade, but we didn't fall for that old trap. When he met with resistance there, he'd thought he would get the two of us with a story of how our car wouldn't be ready for a half-hour because we were late. Kim took the time to set him straight and we were given a free upgrade immediately. We believe that he thought he was dealing with two naîve ladies and so he certainly had a bit of a surprise when he was challenged. Meanwhile the skies opened up with a monsoon like downpour just as we had to get the car from the lot. Kim borrowed an umbrella and took off her shoes for a dash through the water when a young man who worked there volunteered to run out for the car. She didn't hesitate to take him up on the offer!

Traffic is not pleasant approaching rush hour around San Juan, so it took Kim & Ann about an hour to reach Lynda's place in Dorado. Lynda and the kids were waiting with baited breath and it was hugs all around. After getting settled we all took Ann for a tour around Dorado before heading to dinner at a Puerto Rican restaurant called El Ausubo. It was mighty tasty. We tried a couple different kinds of mofongo as well as shrimp tacos. Mmmmmm. For dessert we went to a new Cold Stone Creamery that they had built on the main drag in Dorado...not typically Puerto Rican since it's an American chain, but DARNED good!!!! http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/ After dinner we walked to the public beach by Lynda's place as well as the Embassy Suites beach where we sat on lawn chairs for a while and chatted until dark. It was a fun night.

Friday, July 20th
After waking up bright and early, Ann, Lynda and Kim were on their way to the El Yunque rain forest for some hiking. Unfortunately, the plan included sitting in rush hour traffic for a good hour because of an accident. Puerto Rico is a very busy place when you get anywhere near San Juan and because there is a lack of reliable and accessible public transportation, everyone has to have a vehicle.

After two hours we arrived in El Yunque, the rain forest. We made a quick stop at the visitor's center for directions to the hiking trails and then proceeded to drive an additional 6 very slow miles up a tricky, winding road. But it was definitely worth it. We spent about an hour hiking through the rain forest and were rewarded with a great view from a tower built at the top of the trail. There was an even higher spot, but our time was limited and to hike to that one would have been over two hours in each direction. We actually had a much easier time climbing up than down because we are in such good shape. Going down would have been easy if it were not for the mossy rocks that forced you to tread slowly for fear of falling.

While we drove to El Yunque, we scoped out possible lunch places and after all that driving and hiking, we were more than ready for lunch. Armand's roadside BBQ was calling our name! We stopped and had chicken, rice, beans and plantains. It was amazingly good!!!

After lunch we drove to Old San Juan to walk the streets for a bit. Of course we stopped for Piraguas (a typical Puerto Rican snack of shaved and flavored ice for only $1) to beat the heat as we walked around. And then just before it was time to head back, we went in to La Bombonera (oldest restaurant in San Juan) and snacked on grilled and buttered Mallorcas. They were sooooooo good. Ann and Lynda also had some home made lemonade that definitely hit the spot!

We got home around 6pm and were way too full to eat any dinner. Plus, we were saving room for another trip to the Cold Stone Creamery. Now that was good!

Saturday, July 21st
On Saturday morning Ann and Kim decided that they had better start the day with some exercise to make up for what seemed like non-stop eating. They power-walked for an hour along the public beach in Dorado, just a five minute walk from Lynda's place. It was hot even early in the morning, but the ocean breeze made it feel much cooler. What a great way to exercise. The ocean and beach were beautiful.

And believe it or not, the beach was already hopping at 9am. All the local families had set up shop for the day. They had their grills with them and would stay and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there with their extended families. It is a weekend tradition.

For lunch we went to a place that Lynda has been dying to try, another road side stand only five minutes from her condo...Papo's Guacaros Place. Wow, was it busy!!! And no one spoke English. It was a bit of a challenge navigating it all...figuring out where to stand in what appeared to be a free-for-all and then actually ordering. But we ended up with a fabulous treat for our patience. Chicken, rice, beans, tostones, mofongo, and two other items we tried, but don't know what they are.

After rolling ourselves back home, we squeaked into our bathing suits and headed to the beach. It was hot, but the wind on the beach was so strong, that we didn't even feel the heat. What a nice, relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

For dinner Lynda made churrasco (a typical skirt steak that they eat in Puerto Rico) and it was really good!!! And of course what evening would be complete without a trip to the Cold Stone Creamery.

Sunday, July 22nd
Ann & Kim headed out at 7am, returned the rental car and had a safe flight home. Thank you Lynda & Russ!