Old San Juan is a beautiful city. Steeped in history, it stands proud having borne witness to invasions, military strikes, colonialism. Today it is a sleepy city, characterised by sun-lit plazas with pigeons and small children, long and winding cobbled streets that lead anywhere and everywhere, tiny cafes that serve up fresh fruit juices and other local specialities, small art and craft stores, hole-in-the-wall shops that sell bikinis, sarongs and T-shirts, hand carts that sell piragua (shaved ice) and so on.
History peeks at you from every tiny corner in the city and as you explore further, you realise that this place was the centre of all action, as they say.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking…
gaia_child says:
Great pics 🙂
I’ve added you to my contacts on Flickr account 🙂
May 31, 2006 — 8:40 pm
Lakshmi says:
Thanks…:-)
May 31, 2006 — 8:42 pm
Anonymous says:
Hey – it looks a lot like Panaji. Have fun!
Bharat
May 31, 2006 — 10:06 pm
Lakshmi says:
We had fun… thanks!
June 1, 2006 — 3:01 am
iswari says:
Gorgeous!!! =)
May 31, 2006 — 11:15 pm
Lakshmi says:
Thanks… more pics to follow.
June 1, 2006 — 3:02 am
goofy_duck2004 says:
Lovely. I like the picture where the people are dancing – carefree and enjoying their time.
Overall, it has a Goan feel to the place.
June 1, 2006 — 2:26 am
Lakshmi says:
Yes, that is one of my favourite pics too. They were people well into their middle age and some were older than that. Yet the careless abandon accompanying their step, the joy in their smile, the happiness bubbling up within – it was a wonderful sight to behold.
June 1, 2006 — 3:04 am
shri says:
Love the pics, especially the dancing couple. 🙂
June 1, 2006 — 5:13 am
Lakshmi says:
Yeah, they were dancing so beautifully, all of them. Took more pics but they didn’t really come out well…:-(
June 1, 2006 — 2:08 pm
appughar says:
Nice pics!!!
June 1, 2006 — 5:19 am
Lakshmi says:
Thanks, Appu.
June 1, 2006 — 2:08 pm
deelight says:
Hey nice place. It reminds me of Goa like someone else pointed out.
June 1, 2006 — 5:34 am
Lakshmi says:
Yes, it is a lovely place.
June 1, 2006 — 2:08 pm
sumthn2say says:
Nice! There is a feeling of laziness and relaxation in the pics. Post more:)
June 1, 2006 — 9:43 am
Lakshmi says:
Yeah, more pics coming up…:-)
June 1, 2006 — 2:08 pm
hemya says:
which airport do you fly into?
June 1, 2006 — 1:44 pm
Lakshmi says:
Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU).
June 1, 2006 — 2:09 pm
hemya says:
thank you much…..OT…after i read about your moleskine….I am very inclined to get it for a certain someone:)
June 1, 2006 — 2:25 pm
Lakshmi says:
Good luck with the Moleskine! I got it intending to write but that was not a very successful venture…:-)
June 1, 2006 — 5:24 pm
hemya says:
I checked and it seems to available at borders and B&N…did you get it from there or order it online?
June 1, 2006 — 5:48 pm
Lakshmi says:
I got it from B&N.
June 1, 2006 — 5:52 pm
hemya says:
wokay…i’ll probably go and check there…thanks
June 1, 2006 — 6:10 pm
fugney says:
Beautiful city indeed:)
June 1, 2006 — 2:20 pm
Lakshmi says:
Yeah, there is a certain old-fashioned charm about it.
June 1, 2006 — 5:24 pm
dunefield says:
I happen to know atleast 5 people who were at San Juan this last long weekend. What was this, some desi travel deal that I totally missed ?
Your pics look as if it wasn’t as crowded, I like vacation destinations which are not crowded, even on long weekends. Very nice and clear photographs.
June 1, 2006 — 5:00 pm
Lakshmi says:
Thanks! Actually, there were not many Indians around. We ran into a few of them at our hotel and some at the airport, that’s all.
It was not crowded at all inspite of there being so many people…is a lovely place to visit.
June 1, 2006 — 5:26 pm