On Thursday night we did a night tour of Old San Juan. We saw a few parts of the city we had not seen before and we received quite a bit of historical information. A fun tour.
Friday morning we rented bikes and went on a beautiful 7 mile ride along the ocean and through a mangrove forest.
At night we had a wonderful dinner with the daughter of a friend of ours from San Miguel. A excellent meal, wine and wonderful conversation.
Saturday we took a drive to the town of Hatillo for the famous mask parade. This is done every year an old Catholic tradition.
"Las Tradicionales" Hatillo Mask Festival ("Día de las Máscaras") - The Mask Festival began in 1823, and was imported by the immigrants from the Canary Islands, where the traditional festival originated. The early tradition of the festival required that the male population dress as women and they would visit each residence where the owners would offer them food and drinks. Currently the festival is celebrated every year on December 28. The Masks are fashioned and based on the biblical story of King Herod. The costumes used are very elaborate and the Masks represent the soldiers which were sent by the King to kill all the innocent children of Israel. The festival, however is presented in humor and said soldiers only joke around and ride on chariots.
Monday night we headed back into Old San Juan to listen to some wonderful music. But first we stopped at La taberna lúpulo a pub with 42 craft beers on tap and the best fish tacos we have had in a long time. Then off to listen to Puerto Rico's Estudiantinos músic group. This was a wonderful cultural event with many locals. A fun time was had by all.
On New Year's Eve our plans our to walk the streets of our Condado neighborhood to enjoy the sites and sounds of celebration and maybe head into a casino. Tomorrow we are off to the mountains for three days and then other parts of the island.
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