I woke up early on Saturday. The air was cool and felt
great. I didn’t hear anyone stirring, so I attempted to write some more in the
Blog. I got frustrated and gave it up. I switched to reading, instead.
When I heard people talking, I threw on a shirt and shorts
and came outside. Evy, Iris and Mundy were up. Yanessa was still crashed on the
sofa couch (she had slept with Evy) and Vicky and Myla were in the guest room,
sleeping as well.
Mundy gave me a cup of coffee and asked me if I wanted
breakfast. I told her, “Thanks, but no.” Then she asked me (again) if I wanted sugar
in my coffee. I declined.
Sidebar: I asked Vicky later why everyone always wanted me
to put sugar in my coffee. She said that’s how they drink in here, so they are
just surprised that I don’t use it.
The coffee is excellent, BTW. I forgot to ask if this is the
homegrown stuff, though.
Then I went and shaved and showered, so I wouldn’t be in
anyone else’s way.
Vicky and Myla eventually got up (Yanessa slept on) and Mundy
fixed them breakfast. It looked like scrambled egg sandwiches on the French
bread.
Mayra returned to lead us to the city of Ponce. Vicky wanted
to show me the cathedral. Mayra asked Iris if she would like to come and she
said yes.
So, she loaded up the wheel chair in her car and Iris got
in. We got in the SUV and we all headed out.
Mayra took a different way down the mountain. This road was
even smaller with more curves! Mayra later admitted to me that she took that
way because she knew it would scare Evy (and it did). Sisters, LOL!!!
It was about a 30 minute drive to Ponce. We did the usual
driving around in circles to (finally) find a parking spot.
The cathedral was beautiful and I took a picture. But we
found out you can’t just go in. It opens at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. only and then
just for mass – no tours. Bummer!
So, we checked out the old fire house. It was black and red
(the Ponce colors) with all kinds of painted lions, each with its own meaning.
Why lions? Because Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer
and conquistador. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of
the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he
named. He is associated with the legend of the Fountain of Youth, reputed to be
in Florida. And, Leon means “Lion” in Spanish.
We did more souvenir shopping and then went to eat in yet another
souvenir/sandwich shop. Mayra, Iris and
I stayed in the sandwich area and, after taking everyone’s order, got some food
and drinks. The sandwiches were again huge. I got a turkey one “todo” which
meant with everything (lettuce, tomato, etc.)
Vicky ordered a ham sandwich and they somehow messed up the
order and made two. They didn’t charge us for it, but they just gave it to us.
So, we wrapped it up and, when we left, we gave it to a homeless woman outside.
Speaking of homeless, in San Juan, there were feral cats
everywhere. Out here, there are feral dogs. I’m not sure what either of them
eat to survive, but you see one or two (or four at the beach) here and there.
Since the cathedral was a bust, we opted for a trolley tour
of the city. There weren’t enough seats in a row for all of us, so I sat up
front by myself. A little while into the trip Mayra came and told me to switch
seats with her, so Vicky could interpret what the tour guide was saying for me.
We saw the music institute, an old high school where many
famous Puerto Ricans graduated from, government buildings with statues of Ponce
de Leon and a bridge with two huge lion statues on top the columns (these were
each different but both magnificent) and a deep, dry river with concrete sides that
they said becomes a raging torrent in the wet season.
We also saw an old, old tree that was famous (maybe for
being so old). It had been damaged in a hurricane and was starting to topple
over, so they built a metal support for the one remaining branch. I tried to
take a picture of it, but the screen on the window got in the way of a clear
shot. I wished I’d gotten one of those lions!
We also toured an area Evy had told me about. They were some
of the original houses, all painted red and black. She said you can buy, but
not change anything about them, even the color. I told her about the old
section of Charleston, SC.
After the trolley ride was finished (about 40 minutes long),
we all went to the local beach. By the time we were leaving, it was getting
dark.
Sidebar: I don’t remember if I told you, but in the tropics,
there is no real twilight, like we have here in Michigan. It’s light and then it’s
dark, bam!
We headed back home and the special dinner that Mundy had
been making all day.
But, we had one more stop, first. Evy wanted to see her
brother. His name is Heminio, but everybody calls him Negro.
Sidebar: Before I get any comments about being a racist, let
me explain. He is very dark and that was his childhood nickname. It does NOT
refer to his ethnicity, it’s just the Spanish word for black.
So, we drove up what looked like an alley to his house at
the top of a hill. His house was small, too, but gorgeous! We went through the
gates.
Sidebar: Every home had a gate and, if it has a porch, there
are bars on it at well. I asked Mayra and Vicky what they were afraid of and they
said it was a Spanish custom.
I met Uncle Negro, his wife Viviana and his six year old
daughter Nydia Paula. Negro recently retired (in Michigan, of course) and moved
back down here.
As I said, the house was beautiful, with custom cabinets in
the kitchen, etc. He is an avid gardener so he showed me around out back.
Unlike Mundy, he does have ten acres, but most of it is still jungle. He’s
clearing it out, bit by bit. He, too, has a wide variety of fruit and vegetable
plants. He has the chicken and turkeys, but also has a small calf. He said there was a pig, but they slaughtered
it last week.
Back inside, he started talking with Evy, Mayra and Iris.
Viviana offered to take Vicky and the girls on a tour outside, so I tagged
along. Some of the things Negro forgot to show me was the outside washing
machine building, with places to hang the laundry to dry, a summer kitchen
building to cook when it’s hot in the house and the basement (not under the
house per se, but lower and next to the house). They had a collection of
antique sewing machines, old radios, etc. in the basement.
Back in the house, we had some flan and some fried little
bananas.
Sidebar: Mundy has them growing at her place, too. Mayra
picked one and literally shoved it in my mouth to try. They are not baby
bananas, but full grown and they are only about four inches long. They are very
sweet and when you fry them like Viviana did, they taste like candy.
Then another long ride up the mountain in the dark. The
headlights on the SUV were not that bright, so Vicky used the high beams
whenever she could.
We got in and settled and Mundy started serving her dinner.
It was a beef stew kind of dish that she served with plain white rice and a
ball that was mashed potatoes around a ground beef mixture. She was very proud
of supper and insisted I take two of the balls on a separate plate.
Sidebar: Mayra noticed my discomfort (I was full) and snuck
one of the balls back to the pan for me.
It was late and we had to get up at 3:00 a.m. (more about
this on Sunday’s post) to make our early morning flight. So, I said goodnight.
Mayra hugged me goodbye and I thanked her for showing me that there really were
nice Puerto Rican women. She laughed and told me not to hold it against Vicky, she
can’t help being part Ecuadorian.
Back in my room, I took a quick shower and shaved. I packed
my suitcase for the trip home, just leaving out some clothes to dress in and my
morning pills. I was tired, but I couldn’t fall asleep until almost midnight.
“Sidebar: Before I get any comments about being a racist”
ReplyDeleteYou’re not racist. You categorize people differently than I do. No description, as far as I’m concerned, about you would do anything to define GPF, and he’s your Brother. You’re also not anything like, what you would call, any of the “white” people in my Family (two of my Brothers, etc.) or most of the “white” people I’ve lived around for nearly 40 years. That’s all.
um, thanks, I think...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a nice end to the trip. The lions really were cool.
ReplyDelete