I love it when passengers clap and cheer after the plane has landed successfully.
There is a sense of relief, of joy, of a job well done that permeates the cabin air. For those few seconds, we all glance around and smile, we are together in this venture. We are not the jerk who reclined his seat for the entire five hour flight, we aren't the fat lady who raised the arm rest, then spilled into our seat mate's space and onto her thigh. We are one, the collective passengers of a tin can being shot through the air. We are grateful to have made it here alive, and we will celebrate!
The muggy heat hit us like a wet furnace blast as we exit the baggage claim area. It is 10:30 at night. Never a good sign.
We have to get a taxi from the airport into Old San Juan, where we are staying in our rented apartment. As I climb into the taxi, I hear a little voice say, "Good morning! Good morning!" I peer into the front seat and I see a tiny little head with a curly pigtail sticking straight up. I say, "Good morning!" to the little girl and she smiles, then rearranges herself onto the front passenger floorboard. K gets in and says, "Who are you talking to?" I indicate the little girl, now in shadow and silent. All we can see is the occasional bob of her pigtail. I ask the driver about her and he says that she is his daughter, and she is three years old.
We arrived at 307 Tetuan Street, Apt B2 at around 11 pm. Wanda is there to meet us and with her mix of San Juan Spanish / New York accent, welcomes us to our new home for the next four nights. Wanda tells us we should go to Aruba. She lost 40 pounds in four months there - due to all the dancing (she confides that some of the dancing was done on tables). I think Wanda sounds pretty interesting.
The place is quaint and lovely (translation: there are a ton of narrow, precarious stairs). We lug the luggage up the quaintness and arrive to find there is air conditioning only upstairs. Way up stairs. We decide that this will be where we stay the most. There is a lovely little rooftop patio that looks out over Tetuan Street, and the neighborhood seems quiet. It is close to all the action, but not right next to it. Always a plus.
We settle in. Wanda has opened some of the windows to let the stuffy, humid air out, and the mosquitos in. Within minutes K is covered with bites, and I'm soon to follow. We resolve to buy some Off! and some anti-itch cream at the first available opportunity.
We take a quick stroll down to the pier. Since we are still on Pacific time, we aren't quite ready to go to bed yet. On the waterfront, there are food trucks, young people milling about, and music blaring. It is a hot sticky night and everyone is enjoying the rain free evening. It has rained here for the past week, so there is a sense of relief in the air.
Then it is time for bed. We will get to wake up tomorrow and see what this place really looks like. I can see the tropical colors under the cover of night, and I expect them to glow tomorrow.
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