Always a Trip ~ Fajardo

It isn't unusual to run into friends on the ferry; after all, it's a small island and eventually you know a lot of people, if not by name then by sight. So running into friends, sitting right across from me, was nice but not surprising. Running into friends who have exactly the same errands with the same agencies, that's a little more unusual. Running into friends with the same missions who also have a car to use complete with the offer to come along? That pretty much tops it out. I decided not to pay attention to the fact that it was April Fool's Day.

Looking ahead

and astern

Light show

 For no apparent reason, this rainbow bit appeared. Just a bit. 

and then it started growing

The rainbow and daydream dozing kept me occupied until we got ashore. With coffee on the menu (not realizing the ferry left at 6 and not 6:30...I was being my usual early self meaning I made the ferry but with no time for coffee, really meaning I wasn't really awake).

To get our caffeine fix, we headed to Dulce Aroma. I'd peeked my head in here once but it was packed and I didn't feel like waiting, so it was a nice surprise to see a few empty spots available. First things first; lattes

 lat·te

ˈlätā/

noun

a type of coffee made with espresso and hot steamed milk

(ok, I ordered cafe' con leche, but friend fixed that for me, thanks!) for three, some croissants with egg and cheese and we were good to go. Except that the coffee was taking a pretty long time. And then I understood why.

Yin and yang coffee

Buddha coffee

Carnival coffee

I made those names up, otherwise I probably couldn't have ordered at all. Served in real mugs, it was coffee artwork. Maybe I've been living in a strange world - maybe - but I think this was only the second time my coffee has been decorated. Most important, it was really good coffee. Really Good. Check out Dulce Aroma if you haven't already. Real mugs, cardboard food containers, it's a little sustainable outpost flung into Fajardo.

After some fairly fruitless missions agency wise (except to find out what paper needed to come with us next time; if you live here you know what I mean, if you don't - well, you don't), we headed to a small side road cafe off the plaza for lunch. There is so much good food tucked into unexpected places all over Puerto Rico. This was one of them and I don't remember the name. I doubt  you'd find them with their own web page anyway...just be willing to take a chance, you'll probably be happy with the results.

Below is NOT the cafeteria. We asked but couldn't find out what it once was, but it has probably some of the nicest architecture remaining in Fajardo. Sadly, many others were replaced with the boxiness associated with fast and cheap and a huge chapter of cultural history was lost. This building is for sale now. I hope it finds a really loving buyer - it could change the neighborhood.

Lots of details unseen but I didn't have the panoramic thing going on

Since no one, including myself, is interested in photos of Econo, Kmart or Sears and on the passenger ferry home outside is verboten, I'm skipping that and going right to the finish. With no photos of that either. Home, a quick stir fry with fish and chicken and rice, some visual mindless entertainment and sleep. A good day. Thanks, chicas, for letting me come along for the ride.

Because two of us didn't have enough official paper and because things like fax machines haven't been invented yet in certain segments of our governmental facilities, we need to go back and do this again very soon. Making the trip fun is the name of the game. We've got this.

Have a technophobically free Thursday. Do something therapeutic.