Climb Aboard!
Tue. Nov. 20
San Juan, Puerto Rico [Horseback Riding]
So I decided to skip the 19th because it was a day at sea and not too much happened. So on to the next day!
Ahh, my favorite port thus far, San Juan is truly beautiful. When the ship first came around the shore and I set eyes on the Castillo San Cristóbal my breath was taken away. I fell in love with the architecture right there. I scrambled to grab my phone so I could take a picture of the buildings as we sailed by, the rising sun in the background just added on to my awe. My mom had informed me that a storm hit San Juan and so the residents had set on rebuilding parts of it.
Our excursion today, as you probably know from reading the title, is horseback riding! Once we docked and came on shore we quickly huddled into a station where a guide took us on an hour-long bus ride up a beautifully lush, green mountain. It dropped us off at a stable with a small restaurant and we, along with the other groups that came, were explained how to mount the horses, ride them, and steer them to get where we want to be. Each of us got paired up with a horse that fit the shape of our body and our experience with horseback riding and we set off for the mountains.
Sadly, we were asked to not take out our phones while on the horse in case the horse thinks we don't have control and decides to sprint away. After about an hour or so we neared a river where we and our horses rested at. There, one of our guides had found a rattlesnake! Carefully picked it up, he showed it around to our group and those who wanted to were able to hold it. It was only a baby but still quite long, maybe about 4 1/2 feet fully stretched. He then let it go in the nearby forest and we watched the river as our horses cooled off.
Two of the guides that came with us showed us a rock that had been marked with colors. The colorful markings were made from minerals and the black was made from volcanic rock, I'm not sure they knew what kind of minerals though, only referring to it as 'rich minerals.' They offered to paint our faces just for fun and a few others were given a turtle marking on their arm if they didn't want it on their face. You didn't have to have any if you didn't want to. After our horses had cooled off we headed back towards the ranch and saw a tree full of Puerto Rican parrots, also known as the Iguaca. They informed us it was a rare sighting because they're slowly becoming endangered. The estimated amount of wild Puerto Rican parrots are 34-40 parrots, so it's amazing that we saw them.
Once the excursion had finished we thanked them all and got a bus ride back to the ship. We then met with our friends who had found a place to eat lunch and as we headed there I just marveled at the city. The colors of the buildings were so bright and lively, it was captivating to look at. I would have to say that San Juan is my favorite port and it was absolutely beautiful. It's not often you see such colorful architecture here in America so it was something new to me.
The Castillo San Cristóbal
Education time! The Castillo San Cristóbal is a fortification that was completed in 1785 to protect El Morro and the city from any land attacks. It is the largest European fort in America and was designed by the Irish-born Chief Engineer Thomas O’Daly. It's about a 15-minute walk from the cruise terminal and an easy walk, for the most part. The biggest worry would have to be the heat from the sun.
After the storm that hit the staff of San Juan National Historic Site did their best to keep the fortress looking like new but it was a terribly difficult task. I'd say they did the best job they could, and it still looks beautiful, even with its old age!
We entered through a massive gate and after paying to enter the fort we gave ourselves a self-guided tour. The Castillo San Cristóbal has 3 floors in all, the first being the plaza, the second is the main firing battery, and the third was the outlook. I'd have to say that the third level is my favorite but only because of the view that it presented us. It was absolutely gorgeous, especially with a nice breeze and a nice cloudy sky. You were also able to see the ocean splashing against the rock wall below and the lush grass surrounded by a wall that had probably been built long before me. And on the other side, you were looking down on the city and were able to see the different buildings. It was a tiring, but great day for me and I hope that I'll be able to revisit in the future.
Disclaimer: Pictures were taken by me on my iPhone or my AKASO V50 Pro Native (an off-brand GoPro) unless otherwise stated.
