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A good place to start my tour of Puerto Rico was in Old San Juan, so I met up with several Deaf natives of the island. I had the chance to meet Dr. Yolanda Rodriguez-Fraticelli, who was the first Deaf Puerto Rican ever to receive a PH.D. She had brought with her some local Deaf friends – Elizabeth, Gloria, Virgilio and Noemi. Jorge was the only hearing guy in the group, but he was cool with it. It was best for us to park downtown and ride on the trolley for free from downtown Old San Juan to the San Juan National Historic Site, which includes forts San Cristóbal, San Felipe del Morro, and San Juan de la Cruz, also called El Cañuelo, plus other bastions, powder houses, and three fourths of the city wall.

All these defensive fortifications surround the old, colonial portion of San Juan, Puerto Rico. El Cañuelo Fort is located on Isla de Cabras at the western end of the entrance to the San Juan Bay. These magnificent historic forts were built by Spanish troops during the colonial age, beginning in 1539 with a tower at El Morro and La Fortaleza, and, altogether, took more than 250 years. Most of the walls we see today were added later in a period of tremendous construction during the late 1700s.

I saw so many kites flying over our heads. We actually needed to dodge our heads! It was a beautiful sight, watching them flying. It was the right time for kite-flying due to the island’s windy season, which started recently and will last until April. I could feel goosebumps on my arms when I entered the fort. There are many guerites (watchtowers) around the fort, and each guerite can fit one soldier. If you ever go there someday, just look out this small open window and feel the sea wind on your face. It was a refreshing feeling! It was amazing to me how the Spaniards protected the fort very well against the French, Dutch, English and the other countries, until the Americans won the Spanish-American War and claimed Puerto Rico.

We left the fort and noticed new bricks in the cobblestone road going downhill to the Old San Juan town. The traffic was jammed. We were better off walking, going through countless shops. There were a lot of small plazas along our route. One plaza was filled with many pigeons, and the local kids were enjoying feeding them. It reminded me of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. We continued walking and spotted the world’s narrowest house. We grabbed the chance to go inside of the house. It could fit a twin bed in one room along with a very tight stairway. I definitely wouldn’t want to live in that house, but at least they got themselves in the Guinness World Record book!

Yolanda said that we must try some authentic Puerto Rico cuisine. I was not going to turn it down, obviously! We had to wait for an hour because the restaurant was very packed and well known in Puerto Rico. The wait was worth it, though. We had some mofongo, which is a mix of plantains mashed with garlic, olive oil, steak and cilantro. It melted into my mouth! I had not planned on having dessert, but then I saw Yolanda and Elizabeth eating flan de Puerto Rico, and decided to order it at the last minute. It was so delicious! I strongly recommend that you try some Puerto Rican cuisine, and just forget about those chain restaurants nearby you!

It was so fun chatting with these Deaf friends. We had plenty of jokes to share! Along with the memories I made, I also got a little sunburn today. Let’s save my precious skin for the next six days because I will visit Vieques Island tomorrow. It has the most beautiful beach in the world. I definitely will be expecting something cool from that island!

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