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2006-10-19 - 2:57 p.m. all photos � 2006 by elaine radford
We stepped up to the bus stop and, boom, the bus was there. It was a bright blue day for wandering just outside the old city wall by the sea or within the colorful streets of old San Juan. The old city is, to put it mildly, clearly considerable larger than New Orleans -- well, of course, but I mean the historical part of the city. When I looked at the old castle in Heidelberg, I was unavoidably reminded of the people being evacuated into the Superdome. But old San Juan actually looks like something that could hold entire towns and battalions within its walls.
![]() the people are so courteous, when this worker saw me trying to snap a photo of this centuries old building being restored, he stopped and posedBananaquits and pigeons (regular, Zenaida, White-Winged) were everywhere. The best bird was the male Magnificent Frigatebird, with his red throat ballooned out to display to another. A thrilling sight to see over the scenic old fortified walls and turquoise water. The guide book warned darkly against the dangers of heat exhaustion, recommending frequent stops in scenic little taverns or restaurants. The first was Maria's -- a classic old place with ceiling fans, to go cups for frozen adult beverages, a Nanday to guard the hall to the facilities, and photos of the owner with various celebrities from O.J. Simpson to Benicio del Toro. I had a Coconut Frost with "Don Q" Rum. The second was Sofia's, one of the stylin' shiny places where I had a Mango Mojito that the bartender mashed the fresh mint leaves for in a mortar and pestle right in front of me while offering his opinion of various prizefighters. At the end of an old street with a 1700s-era chapel built right on the city wall, we found the Pigeon Park. It was indeed crammed with pigeons, and a vendor was there to sell pigeon food. The legend apparently states that if a pigeon craps on you, you'll have good luck, and there are so many pigeons that if you can persuade them to swarm you by offering food, you're pretty much guaranteed to get a hit. I may as well admit that D. and I weren't about to try it, and we didn't see anyone touristy-looking trying it, so I guess it's a fairly authentic legend. It just doesn't have the whiff of something made up to attract the tourists, that's for sure.
![]() it's the little things, puerto ricans have their own version of spanish, i'd always seen the "alto" stop signs
New San Juan birds added today:
later Dinner at Aijili Mojili -- not sure if I've spelled that right. I almost can't see it because of all the dots in front of my eyes. Nice views of the lights coming on in buildings overlooking the water if you peeped through the wooden blinds. (We were seated in a window booth, so it was easy enough for us to do.) "High end comido criolla" says the guidebook, and that's exactly it -- my cornish hen stuffed with mofongo (mashed plantains) and smothered with guavas and guava sauce was like something I'd make for Thanksgiving. Only better.
![]() an early 1700s era chapel adjacent to the park of the pigeons, some pigeon overflow in that area, for sure, you might get the crap of good luck whether you want it or not
All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2002-2017 by Elaine Radford
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