We had certainly been kept busy in Chicago, and I'm glad we didn't have a moment to stop because being lazy is so very addictive. The unexpected highlight for me was the roller disco, I opted for roller blades as I hadn't tried them before and they are very good. It felt a lot like ice skating but the roller blades were more forgiving and it was nice to know the ground wasn't quite so hard. It was a shame I didn't get the hang of stopping though, I had to let friction take care of that in its own good time.
The worst part of the week had to be that stupid sky deck. Being on the 103rd floor was pleasant enough, you could see the city even if the never ending grid pattern was a bit unnerving. There was a gift shop with some nice minuments (Hel has added to her collection) and everything was very civilized but obviously someone wasn't happy with all of that and had had a few windows taken out to be replaced with an extra room sticking out from the building made entirely from glass. I know that industrial strength glass is extremely strong and not at all prone to shattering, a fact made abundantly clear as people jumped and down on it, but that didn't stop me from cringing every time they did. I managed to step out briefly, but standing on glass and looking 103 floors straight down with nothing to hold on to is just nasty.
After Chicago we flew to San Juan in Puerto Rico, and we finally got to kick back and relax with some good weather and some down time. Unfortunately there were a few problems. San Juan is a cruise port and tourist trap and we found it difficult to find any authentic local cuisine, most restaurants were just typical USA chains. When we did find local fare it was still at USA prices and seemed rather lacking in nutrition. Plantains feature quite a lot and are a starchy and tough form of banana that I really could not stomach. We did eventually find some nice soups but I'm still sad to say that the best place to eat was Subway as you could get some fresh vegetables and it was the only place you could feed two people for under $10.
I think that we really missed out by staying in San Juan, it probably would have been worth hiring a car and getting out of the city but unfortunately we both got a bit ill and I was in no state to drive with quite a horrible fever and suffering from dehydration. By the time I recovered it was time to leave anyway and we were both looking forward to Nicaragua as by all accounts it was more our sort of place.
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