Theory of the Wind Rocker: Puerto Rico trip (day 1)

Friday, July 29th was our day to fly out...or should I say "night" to fly out. We had a 10:30pm red eye to Charlotte, and then from there to San Juan.

Getting to the airport with 2 deceiver golf bags (see image to left) a additional kite, suitcases, and carry-ons was quite the Tetris experiment. We could barely get the 3 of us, luggage, and a driver into Sean's Scion...but we did manage.

In our deceiver bags Becky and I both brought 1 board, 2 kites, 1 harness, and 1 impact vest. Both bags weighed about 43-46 lbs. I brought a 10m and 13, and Becky brought a 8m and 11m...so yeah, we have a decent spread to work with while we are there.

Also, US Airways charges $25 for the 1st bag and $35 for the 2nd. Becky and I shared a suitcase so overall luggage fees where $170 for the round trip. This leads me to thinking next time I will look into a 1st class upgrade where luggage would be free...and of course so would the drinks.

At the airport we started off our vacation with a few tall beers and some grub. Go figure.

packed in like sardines!

Seattle to Charlotte was a uneventful flight, although with all 3 of us riding in a middle seat, I think none of us got the shuteye we were hoping for. In Charlotte we have a 3 hour layover, so we decide to find some food....low and behold we run into George, a kiting buddy of ours. Last year on vacation we ran into him in Caberete. At first I am shocked to see him and my mind races thinking he may be heading to Puerto Rico too.....but he was actually catching a flight to D.C. to visit family. Regardless it was great to see him and we all went for breakfast and bloody mary's before catching our connecting flights.

So, we board for San Juan, but the flight gets delayed as the gateway motor won't turn on so that the gateway can be pulled from the airplane. It takes about 45 minutes or so to solve this and then another small delay as we wait in line to take off.

So because of the delays we land in San Juan around 3:30pm on Saturday and get to our condo rental around 4:20pm. As we fly in, I can see whitecaps on the water and flags, on a bridge near the airport, really moving in the wind. However, by the time we get to the condo the wind is backing off....so no grabbing my gear and scoring a session. Besides, I still need to unpack and get some fins and pads on my board.

We are also hungry, so regardless of wanting to score a sesh, I have a feeling my wife's hunger would have won out and we would have gone out to eat anyways. So, on with plan B...finding food it is.

We opt for a quick walk down Isla Verde Ave, until a Mexican restaurant caught our eye. Lupi's. The food was tasty..although like much of the food you find on an island, it is somewhat sub par compared to what we get in Seattle. Still, it did hit the spot with an ice cold Presidente to wash it down.

When we were done eating, it was getting dark. Beings that three of us are all from Seattle which gets dark at 10pm in the summer, it was a little strange to be walking back to the condo in the setting sun at 7pm. Never-the-less we were feeling good walking home in the 80 degree evening.

And what better than a good swim in the ocean when we got back. Here are some pics of us horsing around during the final stages of dusk.