We entered the port at Old San Juan at about 3 pm and had until 10.30 pm to explore. We did not book a tour. We just wanted to wander around and see how the people lived. It was an extremely hot day (normal for here) so we wandered slowly!

[nggallery id=83]

We went up through the usual shopping area associated with every cruise port.. At the tourist desk we asked where the locals socialise and were given some directions. We must have misunderstood as we ended up walking to the other side on the island to where the old port and ruins were.

[nggallery id=84]

As we made our way back, Paul asked a local who could only speak Russian, but the word vodka fixed the language barrier and he gave us directions to his local bar.

As this is the home of Pina Colada, Paul ordered two. They were served in plastic cups commemorating a sporting event in 2011. Not quite what I imagined, but we were in a locals bar, not a tourist bar. The bar was made of wood and resembled a school desk with an ink/pencil try and was covered in scratched graffiti. There were only a few other people having a drink and we spoke to a young couple who were having an 8 day holiday at the Sheraton in Old San Juan. There is also New San Juan, but we did not venture over there. In the limited time frame and given the heat, we didn’t want to try to do absolutely everything.

[nggallery id=85]

Next we moved to another bar that was covered in graffiti and signatures from floor to ceiling – we have no idea how patrons got to write their names on the ceiling. It seems to be a tradition in these local bars. This time we spoke to two young American women who had just arrived to work in Old San Juan for a week, checking out the quality of the tours provided by the Ritz hotel. They gave us some great advice about our next port, St Thomas, as they had cruised here before on holidays.

[nggallery id=86]

As we wandered back we entered the shopping district again and bought some after shave and perfume as really good prices. Then we saw a bar that had seating in a shady street areas, that also had a great breeze. We sat with a large group of people, this time all drinking beer. Then an old man set up to busk playing an accordion. He played mournful music but it added to the atmosphere.

[nggallery id=87]

When Paul went inside the bar to get a second beer they told him the till had been closed and he could not buy another one. Well we wanted to see how the locals live! They had closed for siesta!!!

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg4KiLTxiA&feature=youtu.be[/tube]

So we wandered on and found the restaurant the ship had recommended and luckily got a table in the air-conditioned area. We ordered paella, the house specialty but it wasn’t that special, even though the waiter kept telling us how great it was. We also tried their sangria, but it was also not the greatest. We must be really spoilt in Australia as our Spanish restaurants in Sydney are much better. After dinner we wandered back to the ship – we were happy to be walking back down the hill as it was much harder walking up in the heat a few hours previously.

The ship left a bit after 11pm and headed for St Thomas.

[nggallery id=88]