Puerto Rico Day 1 - Smooth Sailing

I’m finding that with each trip, I am more and more relaxed, maybe even too much so. Usually I approach vacations with anxiety and stress, which is really ridiculous when you think about it. Why wouldn’t you look forward to fun in the sun, but I often think that’s the world we live in, where you’re made to feel guilty to go away to enjoy your life. Anyway, I find it silly, even though it’s ingrained in me.

This time around, I felt pretty relaxed, maybe because many of our obligations (hockey) are over. It really helped that the trip went very smoothly from the get-go. We caught the early bus to the airport, which got us there with a couple of hours to spare. The alternative would have been to catch the later bus and have half an hour before our flight, but we opted to get there earlier, which I’m all for. I packed sandwiches and snacks, and we were on our way.

Getting through security was a breeze since we had time and didn’t need to rush. We also got to watch hockey and lacrosse highlights on TV while we were waiting because there are TVs everywhere, wherever we go. Our initial flight was to N. Carolina, then a connection to San Juan. We experienced something that is extremely rare when traveling, and that’s a flight that wasn’t packed like a cattle car. I can’t remember a time when they didn’t squeeze as many people onto the plane as possible.

The first leg of our trip was full but not packed, which was pleasant except for the guy next to me kept picking his nose and wiping it on his cocktail napkin. The second leg to PR was really empty. There were entire rows of empty seats, so we all got our own row. When was the last time that happened? The kids sat together because they wanted to watch a movie, but R and I both got our own rows. The idea was to lay down to take a nap, but I found that to be extremely uncomfortable. It’s just nice to have all that space. Such a rarity.

I’ve also noticed that airlines have really pared down the amenities. We got drinks, but no peanuts, not even pretzels. Luckily, we had snacks. Planning goes a long way when you’re on the road. We landed in San Juan around 9:30PM, so we caught a quick cab to the hotel and then went to bed. It was really smooth sailing up to that point, and I’m grateful for that because traveling is a challenge even under the best of circumstances.

Our hotel in San Juan was nice, a Hampton’s Inn, but in my opinion, nicer than other ones we’ve stayed in. Even the generic breakfast seemed a little more pleasant, though I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe because we were island mode and everything seemed more cheerful. The weather is warm, with a bit of rain, but that’s a tropical climate for you.

Until the next time, thanks for reading and thanks to Evo55 for the pic.