The Johnson Jumble: Puerto Rico

Day 1: San Juan

Kyle met me at the airport, and after some close calls with my luggage, we were finally out and getting buckled into the car. My checked bag fell off the belt, or something of the sort, and never came out with my flight-friends luggage. Then airport staff found my bag and stuck it on the belt for the incoming flight from Miami at a different carousel. My first lesson about how casual the island is, hehe. Kyle drove us to old San Juan, where some of the forts and cemeteries from the Spanish American War still stand.

After some touring and eats, I dropped Kyle off at the field and drove to meet the girls back in San Juan! Driving in Puerto Rico requires a special level of patience and focus, there are few traffic signs, no laws and little devotion to posted speed limits.

The girls and I pattered around old San Juan before heading to the field to watch the guys play. Kyle is rocking number 37, not his first choice, but as a late arrival import he had few options to pick from. After the game, we headed back to the condo in Mayaguez. About a two hour drive away, but I was so excited to finally get some sleep after my long day of traveling.

Day 2: The Texans

We were in no rush to get up and ready for the day. I only traveled for 20 hours straight the day before. But no worries, no one in Puerto Rico is in a rush to do anything, so we weren't alone. Whew. When we finally rolled out for some food, we found most of the places were closed for Christmas Eve. We finally found an open restaurant and saw our Texan friends on the patio! Perfection.

After we ate, a two hour affair, we headed over to their condo to hit the beach for the first time. The water was amazing. After some tough beach lounging we headed over to a local favorite by our condo, Pelicans. With sun crisped faces and full bellies we were off to bed.

Day 3: The Christmas Party

In the morning our Texan friends accompanied us to Playa Sucia for some snorkeling fun! Sucia means dirty, somewhat of an oxymoron as this beach is one of the most beautiful in Puerto Rico. Merry Christmas family and friends!

Each year the teams owner throws a Christmas party at his winter home in the mountains of Cayey. Everyone gets gussied up and meets at the field to take a shuttle to this mountainous haven, while the owner and his family take their helicopter back and forth from the field and their mountain home. Where do I get me a helicopter?! When we arrived to the party, we saw two pigs being roasted over a charcoal put, and we were called over to help turn them!

We walked about the property, chatted with new friends, and enjoyed tons of food. Lisa, the owners wife, taught us how to shake our booty's, Latin style! This party was an absolute blast!

Day 4: Surfing Ladies

The boys had to report to the field bright and early, so us ladies piled in the van to head to Jobos Beach to ride the waves. Leo, a Hawaiian native, taught the rest of us the tricks of the trade. She's good, I was up on my very first try! We made it back in time to catch the last six innings of the guys' game.

Day 5: Cagua

Us ladies piled in the car for a two hour road trip to P.F. Changs, one of the only on the island, and to catch the boys in action!

Day 6: Waterfall Hike

Our friend Randy treated us to a really special adventure today. We paired up with Randy and his girlfriend, Sarah, to hit up a popular spot for the locals buried deep in the tropical forest. There were several huge waterfalls with fresh water pools to swim in. We're standing in both of the waterfall pictures below. So fun, thank you Randy and Sarah!

Day 7: Mets Reunite

The boys were back at the field today, so us ladies enjoyed some pool side lounging. My friend, Melanie, who's boyfriend played with Kyle in Binghamton last season, was in town while her boyfriends team played Kyle's in Mayaguez. I picked her up from the field and she joined in on our lounge session.

I love this picture! Sarah, on the left, is dating Randy who played with Kyle in Binghamton last season. Melanie, in the middle, is dating Adam, who also played with Kyle and Randy. It was like a Florida-Baltimore-Coeur d'Alene-Binghamton reunion in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. If you don't think professional baseball is crazy beautiful yet, I don't know what more I could say to sway you! After the game was another Christmas party, and there were no complaints from me, I could get used to this delicious free food!

Day 8: Return to Jobos

Jobos was my favorite beach, so I only felt right being the one to introduce Kyle to it on the off day. We snorkeled like crazy, and even though Jobo's is a hot surf spot, we saw tons of tropically colored fish, sea urchins and shells. On our way home we stopped to eat at a local surf type shop, and the food was to die for! It was our favorite meal the entire time I was on the island!

Day 9: La Parguera, Lajas, Puerto Rico

We made special trip to Lajas for snorkeling today, a natural preserve where a local marine biology school is located. We had to catch a motor boat taxi out to one of the small islands near the reef. We had the entire island to ourselves so we made sure to do lots of exploring before jumping into the water. We saw more tropical fish, lots of coral and a pink starfish. On our motor boat taxi back to the main island, our driver made a quick stop by the dock of the marine biology campus where huge iguanas like to gather. I almost ran one over a few days ago and Kyle has watched guys at the field try to wrestle them off the fences, so it was nice to see one it's...peaceful habitat. We rang in the new year with style, with friends, card games, Dunkin Doughnuts and sparkling cider!

Day 10: Dinner

We linked up with Sarah and Randy again to head out to our favorite spot, Jobos Beach. More snorkeling and fun eats were on the menu. We stopped for one of the island's famous pizza cones...literally pizza packed into a cone made of crust. Delectable, seriously. Another tough day to find a bite with the holiday last night. Island natives party hard. We stopped in at the Island and split a bonafide fresh Puerto Rican lobster for our last meal together in Puerto Rico!