Swimming with the Fishes

There is a this pristine and secluded beach about a 7 minute walk from my spot.  It is in front of Puerto Rico's Capitol building and not too many people know about it.  It is my favorite place to soak up the sun as there is usually nobody around to harass you.  I went last week and there was one older guy there.  I put my Copacabana beach blanket on the sand and chilled until I couldn't take the temptation of the water any longer.  I went in the shallow water and frolicked for a bit when I noticed that the older man had gotten up from his location and was walking past me on the sand.  He waved at me on his way by.  Perhaps he was just being friendly, or maybe the fact that he was wearing a thong (his was red with his bulging package screaming for attention...I know, gross...) and I was wearing a thong made him feel like we were already old friends.  Anyhow, he got in the water and I was thinking that it was weird of him to have walked all the way past me to get in the water when he could have gotten in directly in front of where he had been laying.  I was not really worried about any of it but suddenly the man threw something from in the water onto the shore.  Apparently, as he had been laying he saw a dead fish float by and he rushed to get it out of the water.  Now, let me make something abundantly clear people, I have always had nothing short of a stellar time at this beach, but if I had been chilling in the water taking in the scenery and the rays and felt a dead fish rub up against me I would have been traumatized for life.  It would have really been like swimming with the fishes for real except I'd be the one swimming while the fish would be floating.  Nasty thought no?  So the older guy was cool and very respectful.  He did tell me that when he goes to more public beaches he leaves his thong speedo at home, opting instead for an down-to-the-knee swimming trunk.  I took the video below before speaking to the guy and he was looking while I was filming so I couldn't get a close up on his a$$!   

 

Locked Up

So I found this place on my street that is awesome.  It is a place where a building used to be, and now it is just an open space between these two buildings that has alot of trees, plants, benches and even even a statue in it.  It's like this little enclave in the middle of everything and my dad and I found it while we were walking.  We sat on the benches and I took a mediocre picture of the statue.  I knew as soon as I stepped foot in that space that it would be my place to meditate.

Well, I was taking a walk and I saw all these men pruning trees in my little meditation corner.  I let them work and returned later to find that the place had been LOCKED UP!  I mean, if it isn't public then why the *bleep* have all those benches in it, and why in all that's holy would they have a STATUE?  I can only imagine that perhaps they do not want people sleeping there or engaging in illegal activities.  I am very disturbed by it all and even more perturbed at the fact that the I never got to chill there!  Check out the video of the place that could have been my sanctuary...

My Room

When I was searching for a place to live in OSJ I knew that finding a place with a balcony was essential.  The buildings here are narrow and built right next to each other, meaning no windows in between.  I knew that I needed an opening to the world--a place from which to watch life happen.  My place is on calle San Francisco and my balcony is my favorite place to people watch from.  I have two sets of doors that open up to the street, allowing me to watch from above and also to hear many of the everyday happenings.  My street is a main road that runs across the whole city and my block just happens to be a place where something is always going on.  In front of my building is the famous restaurant and pastry shop La Bombonera, which attracts locals and tourists alike.  Their pastries are displayed in the front window and many people cannot resist the temptation.  Luckily, I'm not one of those people!

My New Hood

Everyone knows I love the beach, and even though Puerto Rico has many beautiful shores, I knew exactly where I would live when I moved to the island.  Old San Juan (OSJ) is unique, as it is the city which lies inside the walls of El Morro, a famous fortress built by the Spaniards in the 16th century.  The fortress took about 250 years to build, guarding the San Juan harbor and protecting the city from intruders.  The structure boasts massive walls and many sentry boxes, which soldiers would stand in to keep a lookout for potential enemies.  The architecture in OSJ screams of Spanish influence, with its narrow cobblestone streets and colorful buildings, each with their own charming balconies.  My neighborhood is full of history and each time I sit in a plaza to write or just to observe life I always think about how cool my surroundings are.  People come here from all over the world to see what the Spaniards (with the manual labor of Tainos and Africans, of course) were able to construct 500 years ago.  It is quite impressive.  The first picture shows a sentry box and the others are of the fortress walls at El Morro.  

The Dead Bird

Plaza de Armas, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ok, so I am not technically sitting in the plaza right now, but the picture is of the fountain in the plaza.  I am actually at a Starbucks because the wi-fi I was promised at my room is non-existent, so any blogging will be done here.  Despite the lack of a constant connection, I am actually quite happy in my new neighborhood.  My room is centrally located and only minutes from pharmacies, restaurants and the supermarket (which, may I add, sells liquor until midnight everyday except Sundays when they close at 8!)  I basically just walk around aimlessly, finding different places where I can sit and observe people.  I already know many of the locals, a large part of them addicts who I always encounter asking for money.

Just today I was sitting on my balcony watching life happen and I witnessed a group of birds all fighting over a piece of bread in the middle of the street.  They were so engrossed in their battle over food that they waited until the last possible second to get out of the way of a car.  One of the birds didn't fly fast enough and was killed.  Yes, right in front of my eyes--THE HORROR!  I could not help but look at the carcass even though it totally repulsed me.  I figured I would have to see that dead bird until the sweepers came by but I was praying that I wouldn't just have to wait until it decomposed.  Anyhow, after a minute or so, this young guy who always sits across the street asking for money decides to get up and dispose of the dead bird himself.  Next time I see him, I am giving him a dollar.  BTW, I did give him a dollar the next day but I didn't tell him that was the reason why.  

*The picture of the dead bird is simply to provide a visual for my story and is not the actual bird that was killed on my street.*