The journey to Puerto Rico took more than 12 hours. Glen and I left the condo with Bec and Alastair at 9:45am on 28 December, intending to catch the train/bus to the airport. The train couldn’t go all the way through to Kipling, so we got off at Dundas West and caught a taxi. $50 later we arrived at a Terminal 3 and completed our check-in.

Bec and Al were concerned about how long customs takes at Terminal 3 (you go through US customs in Canada before entering the US), saying it always takes forever. I said I’d had the opposite experience and was usually through in a short space of time. Turns out we both got the same treatment this time.

Glen and I got through border control in a couple of minutes, with barely any questions asked. We then went through security, and I was allowed to keep my jacket and my shoes on. I then beeped because my phone was in my jacket, but this was no hassle. We were done in a matter of minutes.

We then had to wait for Bec and Al who’d been detained at passport control. We waited and waited and eventually they came through about 20-25 minutes later. There was a problem with Bec’s ESTA that needed to get sorted out, then they had to take their shoes off in security, and then get padded down, and their bags searched. The holiday was looking off to a rocky start.

Our flight to Atlanta left at 12:30pm. I napped a little on the way, and then worked on the blurb of my book (need to send it to the publisher asap). We landed at around 3pm, wandered through the terminal for a bit. Glen and I stopped and had some expensive food, then joined Bec and Al while they bought Mexican food. We played a few rounds of Sushi Go (Glen won three of four games), which helped while away the hours until our departure to San Juan at 7:30pm.

The plane was full. It also left a little late. Julian arrived about an hour before us (he left earlier and went through Philadelphia). I downloaded a guide book and had a read through it to get a better understanding of where we’re going. On one hand the book says Puerto Rico is safe; while on the other it says don’t go walking down beaches at night or you’ll get mugged.

We landed at midnight and walked an exceptionally long way from the gate to the luggage carousel. It seems the later you arrive, the farther from the exit your plane parks. We eventually arrived at the carousel, and Julian found us straight away. He’d arrived an hour earlier via Philadelphia and his luggage had only just then come through. We were a little concerned that Bec and Alastair’s luggage would also be subjected to a similar delay, but it came through promptly and we headed out to the taxi rank.

The humidity wasn’t as oppressive as I had feared. I was comfortable wearing my jeans, T-shirt and jacket, even though it probably felt about 28 degrees. I must say it was nice not to have a chill in the air.

The taxi system from the airport is really well organised. One guy comes up to you, asks where you want to go, how many people and how many bags, and then fills out a sheet which you give to the driver. The sheet is your receipt and tells you how much you’re going to pay (minus tip). So for us, a ride for five people with four pieces of luggage to the Condado area was $22.

Having not seen Julian since the day before we caught up on what little news there was (mainly about Bec and Alastair’s delays at YYZ airport). We arrived at the hotel, Casa del Caribe, fifteen minutes later only to find the place locked up. Instructions on the wall outside directed us to another hotel nearby so we walked the short distance down the street to the sister hotel.

The streets were busy with people walking to and from whatever party or nightclub they were checking out. Dance music thumped into the night air and a couple of us expressed how relieved we were that we’d packed ear plugs.

The concierge at the other hotel looked up our booking then walked with us back to the hotel and we checked into our rooms. The place isn’t super fancy but neither is it uncomfortable or unbearable. The air conditioning works, the bed is comfortable, shower functional and the location is really good. Glen and I have both stayed in worse and this doesn’t even come close to that.

After dumping our luggage, everyone except Alastair went to have a look around and find a spot of food. The main street was busy with people returning from a jazz festival, or else just having a good time street drinking outside a few bars. We dodged some vomit, turned around at a little plaza, and then went into a Chinese/Japanese restaurant for some late night food.

We are definitely staying in a tourist area as the prices are a lot higher that is warranted. Still, for a restaurant that’s open past 1am, what would you consider a fair price? We ordered some Western Chinese food, the fried rice being the nicest, and then, our hunger sufficiently satisfied, we returned to the hotel at about 2am and went to bed.