Tourist for a Day

“Hi, I’m Anne Marie from Florida and it’s my first time here.” I said as I greeted the young man at the entrance of the Bacardi Distillery tour in Cataño.

Entrance to the Bacardi Distillery Tour

I was a tourist for a day, looking at my country through a visitor’s eyes. Since I was supposed to be something different from what I really am, my fiancée and I decided to have a little fun and play a part. In our little role play I was Anne Marie, Joel’s long distance girlfriend visiting from Ocala, Florida. We only spoke English between us, but he communicated with strangers in Spanish if they didn't understand me whenever I spoke. We decided to to this, because I've been in situations where I'm in a country where English nor Spanish are spoken. It can get quite frustrating for all parties involved. I don't like being in socially awkward situations, especially with strangers.  

We did our little experiment on the 28^th of February, which happened to be my birthday. We decided to take the Bacardi Distillery tour because it’s something that neither of us had done before; and even though I don’t normally drink, my birthday is the only day of the year when I let loose and drink in moderation.

In front of the Bacardi barrels

When we got to the Bacardi plant, I noticed that the surrounding courtyards were very well manicured and clean. Cleanliness is something I have always noticed whenever I travel. We made a short line and the staff spoke to us in Spanish. I looked at Joel and quietly told the employee that I was visiting the island and that I didn't speak any Spanish. He apologized and asked me in perfect English where I was visiting from. Since I know Ocala pretty well I told him I was from there. He was very friendly, but he switched to Spanish a couple of times when he spoke to Joel and whenever he did so I felt a little left out. Did I just experience "othering"? Although I don't think he did it on purpose, it's kind of rude to basically exclude someone just because they don't speak the language.    

We took the tour in English with two other couples. One from New York and the other from Ohio. I actually heard them commenting on how clean the place was and how well mannered and informed the tour guide was. I honestly felt very proud when I heard that.

Since there were only six of us on the tour it was very quiet and we could understand and hear everything the tour guide said. When the tour ended we went back to the pavilion where the tour started. Almost everyone there waiting for another tour to start was Puerto Rican. It was interesting to see the difference between the tourists, which kept mainly to themselves, and Puerto Ricans, most of whom were walking around and talking loudly and excitedly, Because it was so full it was obviously very noisy. I could hardly hear what Joel was telling me. I guess that the stereotype about Puerto Ricans being loud is true! 

The beautiful Bacardi Coin.
I really wanted to keep one

  Everyone gets a Bacardi coin, with which you can get a free drink. I chose Rum Punch and it tasted amazing. They also served Cuba Libres, but the cans of Coke were already open and it tasted a little flat.

After the tour we were going to walk around Old San Juan but finding a parking spot was such a hassle we almost left. A police officer told us about the Cuartel de Ballaja parking, the one under the totem. Since I was the one asking, he tried to speak English, but could hardly form a sentence. It was really frustrating, and I honestly almost started speaking Spanish. But he managed to mention a smart phone app called Vive San Juan with maps and information on how to get around and the different attractions nearby. For a person who's never been to San Juan, that app would be VERY helpful. I wish every country or at least major city had this.

Joel, my fiancee and partner in crime

Since it was raining quite a bit, we couldn’t walk around very much. My fiancée treated me to a birthday dinner in a Mexican restaurant called Aureola located on San Sebastian Street. The restaurant was pretty empty, it was only us two, and another couple when we got there. After about half an hour three young men came in and sat at the bar. It was a lovely place, and the staff were very friendly, but our waitress couldn’t speak a word of English. Which became a bit of a problem, but at least I had my trusty translator with me.

After dinner we came out of the restaurant and it had stopped raining, so we walked towards El Morro to check out the view. We sat and talked for a bit while we looked at families flying kites and having fun.

Candid picture of me looking at the kites

Our biggest problem was finding a public restroom; I had to ask a few people until I finally found a security guard who spoke English and told me about the restrooms in Cuartel de Ballaja. I have traveled to different places and I can honestly say I had never seen such a dirty restroom. I couldn't even use it. I told a nearby coffee shop employee and she wasn't even apologetic. She understood me, but when my fiancée spoke Spanish she basically told him “Oh well, that’s how things are here.” and laughed. This infuriated me. 

Dirtiest restroom I've ever seen

I'm all up for promoting tourism in Puerto Rico, but I just wish things were cleaner here. Some streets and squares were littered. Even though there were trash cans, there was trash in the actual cans and all around them. The underground parking lot we used smelled like urine and was basically a hotel for homeless people. I've been a tour guide for people visiting Puerto Rico and I've just accepted the fact that "That's the way things are here", but seeing it from an outsiders point of view really made me feel embarrassed about it. 

    Apart from the "restroom fiasco" I can say that I had an awesome day acting as a tourist. It might have been one of the best birthdays I've ever had.  

An amazing day with the love of my life