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Puerto Rico Not-a-Vacation
Oct. 6th, 2009 01:07 pmI have a bit more than an hour before my presentation, so I thought I'd do some blogging to relax.
We got into San Juan around 3 on Sunday, and drove to Fajardo. The hotel I'm staying at is a resort, which the only reason that it is remotely affordable is because I have a roommate, and NASA (through my adviser) is footing the bill*. I still have the interesting problem of finding cheap food -- while, technically, I will be reimbursed assuming I don't go crazy, I'm trying to keep my incidentals down to under $30 a day. So far that means lots of sandwiches and pizza, the occasional hike off-site, and being sure to help myself to the free pastries at coffee breaks.
Anyway, this place is both beautiful and immense -- seriously, there's a funicular down the hill to the coast, and a boat to a private island. There are also about a dozen restaurants and stores on-site, including a Starbucks. Also the wireless doesn't work in the rooms, which is disappointing, considering my half payments are about the price of a single at a reasonable chain motel.
I'm gonna head out sometime and get pictures. I took a few, but not that many.
The weather throws me a bit, because my Midwestern thunderstorm sense is thrown by seeing regular thunderstorms in the evening, that may or may not hit, and usually pass within an hour. Plus, the humidity makes me think that something is coming as soon as I see the clouds off the hill. It's also 90°F and humid no matter what time of day it is. I wore a skirt today, and it's the first time I don't feel coated in sweat. On the other hand, the rooms are all over-air-conditioned, so I get cold if I'm in a skirt and open-toed shoes.
It's now 15 minutes until session start, so I'll post this and give an update on the science later. Maybe I'll have a seat after the session end and chat then.
Until then...
* Your tax dollars at work.
We got into San Juan around 3 on Sunday, and drove to Fajardo. The hotel I'm staying at is a resort, which the only reason that it is remotely affordable is because I have a roommate, and NASA (through my adviser) is footing the bill*. I still have the interesting problem of finding cheap food -- while, technically, I will be reimbursed assuming I don't go crazy, I'm trying to keep my incidentals down to under $30 a day. So far that means lots of sandwiches and pizza, the occasional hike off-site, and being sure to help myself to the free pastries at coffee breaks.
Anyway, this place is both beautiful and immense -- seriously, there's a funicular down the hill to the coast, and a boat to a private island. There are also about a dozen restaurants and stores on-site, including a Starbucks. Also the wireless doesn't work in the rooms, which is disappointing, considering my half payments are about the price of a single at a reasonable chain motel.
I'm gonna head out sometime and get pictures. I took a few, but not that many.
The weather throws me a bit, because my Midwestern thunderstorm sense is thrown by seeing regular thunderstorms in the evening, that may or may not hit, and usually pass within an hour. Plus, the humidity makes me think that something is coming as soon as I see the clouds off the hill. It's also 90°F and humid no matter what time of day it is. I wore a skirt today, and it's the first time I don't feel coated in sweat. On the other hand, the rooms are all over-air-conditioned, so I get cold if I'm in a skirt and open-toed shoes.
It's now 15 minutes until session start, so I'll post this and give an update on the science later. Maybe I'll have a seat after the session end and chat then.
Until then...
* Your tax dollars at work.
