My journey began on Friday, July 22, 2022. I went into work for half of the day and then I took the Amtrak train from Pennsylvania to New York City. My train was delayed. When it finally arrived, it was full, and I had to sit next to someone. Fortunately, after a few stops, I was able to move myself and my luggage to an empty spot. It was me, myself, and my one large suitcase, one smaller suitcase, backpack, and crossbody fanny pack purse against the world. I arrived at Penn Station excited. My cousin, Isabella (pictured below), picked me up at the station after about fifteen minutes of us trying to locate one another, we were in different buildings. Once we found each other, we took an Uber back to her uncle's apartment. I attempted to haul my luggage up the three flights of stairs and quickly gave up after just one flight, leaving my belongings in the hallway of the building. I was assured that my belongings would be safe stowed there and I did not argue because you would have to be very determined to carry the excessive luggage anywhere (plus I travel with locked suitcases). While catching our breath in the apartment, our flight (JetBlue Airways) received its first delay. We were thankful that we were in the apartment and not the airport when we received this news. This delay allowed for us to eat dinner in the apartment and relax for a few moments longer before our travels. Time went quickly and before we knew it, Isabella and I hauled our luggage out to the sidewalk and waited for our Uber to pick us up and bring us to JFK Airport.
We made it through the airport in a reasonable amount of time and began looking for a bar to grab a preflight drink. Unfortunately, all of the bars in the airport were closing (it wasn't even 10 PM yet). We took the L and found seats by our gate. We met up with our two friends that we were going to be traveling with and settled in together because at this point we received another (of many) delays. We were supposed to arrive in Puerto Rico at 2:30 AM on Saturday, July 23, 2022, but with the delays we did not arrive until 7:00 AM. The only sleep I received between Friday morning and Sunday early morning is pictured below on our short direct flight from NYC to Puerto Rico. I am a traveler, born and raise, it is in my veins. I refuse to miss a beat of action and I will somehow power through even if I am dozing off at the club (which I did on Saturday evening). So, to get us back on track, we arrived in Puerto Rico with the sun shining and rain pouring. Isabella and I collected our luggage and took an Uber to our Airbnb in Condado.
You would think that our struggles ended here, but you would be incorrect. We could not get our lock box opened at the Airbnb which contained the keys to get in. I eventually used a pen to get it opened and then once we made it up the flight of stairs and into the apartment, we noticed a strong mildew smell. We dealt with it because there was not much else that we could do about it. Our Airbnb had some leaks and a clogged sink which the owner took care of right away for us. The fixes were not perfect or permanent, but we made do. Once we settled into our humble home, we got ready to go to the beach which was only a few blocks away. Our friends met up with us and we headed there together. The beach was stunning, one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever been to. We enjoyed listening to music (Bad Bunny of course), drinking, and each other's company on the soft gorgeous sand. There were locals selling coconuts, food, and jewelry on the beach (see the coconut photos below). We stayed for a few hours then went back to our separate homes to get ready for the night. Isabella and I showered and put on our heels and dresses. We were ready for a fun night out!
We met up with some of our friend's friends who were locals, and they took us to the most breathtaking spots. Our first stop was high up in the mountains at a small shack like building where I had an empanada that I will truly never forget. It was massive and delicious; filled with cheese, chicken, and potatoes. This was the first meal that Isabella and I had since we left NYC (insane, I know). After we finished eating, we went to another local spot in the mountains which was a small bar with views that brought me close to tears. Puerto Rico is so beautiful, and I am so thankful that I was able to visit again and be connected with my Hispanic roots. Isabella and I (Sarah) Rodriguez, had so much fun dancing the night away at this local bar. We continued our never-ending day by going to a few more bars with bigger but local crowds. I had a lot of fun being with my cousin and our friends from the States and our new local friends. Unfortunately, our night ended with our friends from home having a falling out. Due to the circumstances, they both decided to leave the beautiful island of Puerto Rico and go their own ways. This definitely upset Isabella and I, but we knew that we had a whole lot to look forward to and we were determined to stay and enjoy ourselves. We were thankful to have our new local friends by our sides as our original group just went from four to two people in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, us Rodriguez's are survivors, and I cannot wait to share the rest of our adventures, stay tuned!
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