Day 1 3/29/24

 This will work also as a test post so we'll see if this works out.  It'll start off as time stamps and will get less formal as we go.

5:30 AM - We wake up at the hotel

6:00 AM - We take the shuttle to the airport

6:13 AM- We reach the airport

This was my first time at an airport so I was honestly shocked by the size of it all, and how much less confusing it was than I thought it'd be. We went through the pre-check, boarded the shuttle to area D and can I mention how insanely cool it is that the shuttle entrance is just level with the building so you can just walk on in, why don't we have more things like that? It felt like we were in some futuristic society even though it was such a small convenience. Once we got to area D it felt like a mall, restaurants and convenience stores everywhere. Including Margaritaville which Clover and I were thrilled about because a YouTuber we both like made a video on it and we'd never seen one, it was a legendary find.

Also I wish the halls at Cosby were as wide as the halls in the airport, maybe it'd ease up the traffic but the airport probably has to handle a lot more people at once than Cosby, I'm sure they need the space. Dad pointed out it was a good thing we weren't leaving on Saturday since it would be a madhouse with Easter on Sunday and everything. We made it to our terminal with plenty of time to spare, we got there around 6:50 and boarding started at 7:55, we got Dunkin Donuts and gum(Mom insisted) then sat and waited.

8:00 AM - Boarded the plane

We were able to get in early because they were checking carry ons for free since it was a full flight and they thought the overhead wouldn't have enough space. Luckily we all got window seats, so even if we had to sit next to other people it wasn't insufferable because I got a good view. Honestly didn't think it'd be as tight as it was, always saw these planes as these giant things but with all the machinery, overhead, and how many chairs you have to fit in to accommodate people, there really isn't that much space left over, at least in Economy Class.

I didn't exactly take down the time we took off but it was around 9:30, they had some delay on the runway but I can't tell you how much I wanted to press my face up against the glass like a kid on the bus. Probably would've too if it was easier, but I had to crane my neck to see out the window well, so I didn't. Still grinned like an idiot though, good thing the girl beside me couldn't see my face (she seemed like the judgy type, yes I'm a hypocrite). Seriously, how cool is it to be in such a giant thing with so much power that's been pressed into this form over years. Even if Boeing as a corporation has done some shady crap and their planes haven't always held up as they should've, it's impressive. Takeoff was no doubt the most amazing part, all I could think of was this "A metal bird hurtling itself into the sky with all it's got", seriously! I get why people are scared because of the shaking but the force and speed is just exhilarating. 

And really, you know I'm a landlubber when I gawk at the ground and think 'gee that's a lot of parked cars', then I realize 'Oh sh*t, those are houses'. I MEAN ITS SO WEIRD FROM ABOVE, they're so well organized they look like parked cars but of course you can see the curves that the neighborhoods have and all that. 

A four hour flight, I thought I could take it, and things were great for about the first two hours. I listened to music and slept mostly, I was excited as anything to be on a plane but I knew I needed it, had hardly gotten any sleep at the hotel for some reason (hope I can get some tonight). The girl next to me didn't speak to me so I feel neutral about her, but, the people behind me...I would find out later it was two kids. Whoever thought it'd be a good idea to attach tablets to the backs of plane seats, we need to share words...HOW HARD DO YOU NEED TO TAP A TABLET? And it got so bad they were even shaking my seat, I was so ready to give them a piece of my mind. But I decided to put up with it, ended up listening to Jekyll and Hyde which I had downloaded and I actually didn't fall asleep listening to it. But I was dying of boredom the last hour...

Anyhow, the landing was just as crazy as the takeoff if not crazier. We were flying at a relaxing speed over Puerto Rico one moment, the next we were hurtling towards the ground. Once again my daredevil smile emerged as we flew at unimaginable speeds just above the runway. I can't do the experience justice, so much shaking and it felt like a car coming to a stop too fast. It felt like my heart pounded out of my chest quite literally with the momentum. But then it was over, and we were in Puerto Rico!

We got our baggage and rented a car before proceeding to wander around for almost an hour searching for lunch. Everywhere cheap that wasn't a chain seemed to be closed so we ended up at a ceviché place (not cheap). 

And now comes to Anika's special food ratings!

Ceviché Kitchen 7.8/10, good food, not worth the prices, they get extra points for the char on my chicken.

After that we checked into our Air BnB then immediately went in search of greener pastures! And by that I mean sandier beaches. Also gave us a chance to explore a bit more, there are so many beaches that just have roadside parking, no crazy resorts on the coast or anything. Some other places I won't name could take some notes...

Oh also, advice on driving in Puerto Rico, watch out for bikers, they're crazy. Saw a guy standing up on his bike, doing an acrobatic pose, AND DOING A WHEELIE...then he ran a red light. Also traffic patterns are just weird sometimes, drivers too. But it's fine for driving overall, just takes some getting used to. We ended up at a beach with a giant stone shelf right there! There were a bunch of anemones, little grabs, algae, even a sea urchin!!! But my phone ran out of batteries by this point so I had to rely on Dad for photos... Yeah, there are hardly any pictures of the wildlife.

This is a pretty great photo of Clover though.

So we enjoyed the beach! Also here's my joke of the day.

How many Tejneckys does it take to milk a coconut.

Probably one, but it took 3 of us. Also that coconut tasted insanely good, very satisfying.

After our adventures at the beach we went in search of drinks! Which took us 30 minutes(with some slow downs because of a mysterious protest on the highway)...an unfortunate trend was emerging. Finally we stopped at a gas station and got drinks.

We needed water to keep at the house so we thought maybe Walmart, we were curious of what a Puerto Rican Walmart would look like, but it was closed!? I don't think I've ever seen a Walmart closed. The power of Good Friday in San Juan was strong. Earlier that day most of a town we passed through was coned off for a festival and the town we're staying in had started to do the same. Most of the stores were closed and Clover was hungry, but there's always the old reliable food source.

WcDonalds

Anika's Special Rating: 10/10

I only got fries and even those were kind of bad but honestly the cup made up for it. I'm a huge anime nerd and WcDonalds was a fairly common thing to avoid copyright and I'd seen what McDonalds was putting out about WcDonalds but I didn't think they were actually HAVING AN EVENT WHERE THEY REBRANDED STUFF. It got me way too excited, they should keep this change (or I should get one of these once I get back to the U.S. and keep it on display). 

After our WcDonalds visit we found Walgreens which is apparently the after-dark shopping spot on Good Friday. No matter the line, at least we got the water! And some Easter Candies for later in the weekend (we even found the rare Dark Chocolate Kit Kats).

That was essentially our day! Thank you to the reader out there and hopefully I'll be able to be better at making these as the week goes on. Good night!