NotABlog

Today we went to El Morro, a sixteenth century spanish fort. It’s pretty amazing to think that something like that could be built without modern technology. I know I wouldn’t have liked to be one of the builders! It’s a giant oven of huge walls that block out the cool breezes of the ocean. The sun beats down relentlessly, and the rocks gave the heat right back.

The stone walls are so thick, that if I walked into one of the buildings, I’d lose cel coverage. Still, even under all that stone, it wasn’t cool like you’d expect a cave to be. It hasn’t been very upgraded, in terms of being a tourist attraction. No restrooms, limited lighting, and a minimal gift shop, and very little staff. People commonly seemed to marker or carve their names and slogans into the stone. One archway informed me that two people were “making love” there in 2006. Good to know!!

It was interesting, but I’m afraid my enjoyment was dulled by the fear of sunstroke. After we’d trekked every corner and level and room, we went back outside to the largested green field we’ve seen here. There were all sorts of school kids flying kites you could buy at the roadside. It overlooked what I believe is the famous cemetary (where drug deals are common at night). We walked down and looked down on the old, some of them broken, tombs.

Then we hiked back up the hill, caught a cab, and survived the trip back to the hotel.

Pictured borrowed from Wikipedia, since we forgot to take our camera.. and the sunblock… and without making sure we had enough money for the return trip!