Windward Journey

This post contains an assortment of photos taken primarily in Old San Juan this week. There is no particular focus or topic – just a splash of pics that depict various things around the Old City. This one is a favorite of mine; I love the colors and textures of various buildings throughout the islands.

This shot could be from almost anywhere, but it’s from the facade of a bank building in Old San Juan. There is an interesting mix of architectural styles, ranging from classical to modern. Every corner is filled with history, providing plenty of eye candy and brain food for the adventurer.

San Cristobal at sunset. Lots of great light in this one.

Along the top of the city walls in Old San Juan. I wonder what this looked like 200 years ago…

A streetlight in front of La Princesa, which was once the most feared prison in all of the Caribbean. These days it houses the Puerto Rico Tourism office.

Here is a daytime shot of the fountain at La Princesa. Those of you who have been follownig this journal from the beginning will recall this fountain from my collection of night shots in Old San Juan.

Here’s another aspect of the fountain at La Princesa. The fountain itself is a wonderful representaiton of the history of Puerto Rico from an artistic point of view.

Some flowers near the fountain caught my eye. As usual, I have no idea what plant this is. If you DO know, please post a comment!

I must have taken about 30 shots of the water looking west from the fountain. I tried everything I could think of to capture the beautiful sparkling waters and dynamic sky, but I sorta failed. This was the best shot I could make, and it really doesn’t capture the scene, sadly.

A passing frigate bird, in the middle of a molt, came close enough to get a quick shot. These birds have a large wingspan – I’m guessing 5 feet or more.

The southwestern end of El Morro is featured in this shot. There is a walkway under the turret which follows the outside wall all the way around the fort. It’s a great walk, with lots of sea and spray – not to mention the dozens of feral cats which roam the rocks and control the rat population.

I caught Brenna in a moment of zen as she looked out over the bay and San Juan Harbor. Moments later I was growled at when she realized I was taking photos which included her.

The next few shots, including this one, were taken by Brenna using my D300. She has a great eye and an interest in photography…

A great frame by Brenna. There is just enough of a soft focus to make this photo something other than the usual flower shot.

Of course, she can also shoot crisp and clear images as well. This tree is rather well known – you can find it along the Ave. La Princesa.

Here’s one from the pubic gardens outside of the fortress walls.

Brenna did a bit of street photography while we wandered around. Good stuff!

We decided to take a horse drawn carriage around the outside of the Old City. Our young groom was a wealth of dates and happenings as we passed the various landmarks along cobblestone streets.

Our view from the back seat.

The last photo in this mashup – the French Navy was in port, which drew a number of comments from passers-by. We didn’t spot any french sailors – itlooked as though the ship was getting ready to make way, judging by the activity on the dock.

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We recently received some really bad news in San Juan regarding American Airlines and American Eagle: AMR Corporation announced a huge reduction in flying in San Juan which will result in the loss of hundreds of jobs. When I started this journal, I intended to catalog my first year in the islands. That ambition may end early, as I have some dire decisions to make: AA891, my ride to work, has been canceled as of September 3rd. So now I have no way to get to work.

Here’s what the press is saying:

(Bloomberg) — American Airlines parent AMR Corp. will record costs of $1.27 billion to reduce the value of parked aircraft and pay severance to workers who lose their jobs as it cuts flights in response to record fuel costs.

AMR expects to eliminate about 8 percent of its total workforce, or 6,840 jobs, when it reduces capacity in the fourth quarter, the company told workers at American and American Eagle in a message today. The job cuts would be the most among those announced this year by U.S. carriers.

American, the world’s largest airline, and other U.S. carriers are cutting flights and jobs as a near doubling of fuel prices over the past year erodes profits. Before today, the biggest airlines had said they would cut 11,850 jobs and park 431 aircraft later this year.

“Everybody is going to be taking these charges to adjust the accounting,” Ray Neidl, an analyst with Calyon Securities in New York, said in an interview. “It’s going to be big.”

AMR will have a non-cash charge of about $1.2 billion in the second quarter to reduce the value of Boeing Co. MD-80s and Embraer 135 regional jets, the company said in a U.S. regulatory filing today. Employee-related costs will be $70 million.

Paring Flights

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline plans to ground as many as 120 aircraft, end service to eight airports and reduce flights from its hubs to blunt the impact of fuel costs, which the Air Transport Association said may push U.S. carriers to record losses of $13 billion this year.

“Once you decide to ground planes, you either need to sell them or park them,” Daniel Kasper, managing director of airline consulting firm LECG Corp., said in an interview. “If you sell them, you’ll know for certain how little they’re worth. Demand for these planes isn’t robust.”

The non-cash expense related to the aircraft doesn’t affect liquidity “or our ability to pay our bills,” Chief Executive Officer Gerard Arpey told employees in an e-mail.

“The fact that some of our company’s key assets have declined significantly in value underscores, in stark terms, the seriousness of the challenge we — along the with rest of the airline industry — face as we navigate our way through an environment of skyrocketing fuel costs and a slowing economy,” Arpey said.

Capacity Reductions

U.S. capacity reductions will be 12 percent at American and 11 percent at Eagle, and will amount to about 8 percent of AMR’s global total, which includes international service. Eagle operates smaller aircraft to ferry passengers to American’s hub airports. The company will be “reducing our workforce by an amount consistent with our capacity reduction,” Arpey said.

American will eliminate as many as 900 flight attendant jobs, or about 4.7 percent, effective Aug. 31, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said today. American previously said management and support staff would be cut by 8 percent, without providing a number.

The airline also said today it reached agreements with the attendants union and the Transport Workers Union for early retirement offers. Members of the unions must be 50 or older, have worked for American at least 15 years and not be on furlough to qualify. The airline also is offering leaves of absence and part-time work to help reduce involuntary layoffs.

Job cuts at the Transport Workers, which represents mechanics and six other work groups, haven’t been quantified.

Most airline labor agreements contain furlough provisions that guarantee employees a chance to return to jobs before new workers are hired. The recall rights last for five years. Furloughed workers can file for unemployment and are eligible for employee rates on medical insurance premiums.

The pilots union at American Eagle last week reached an agreement with AMR that may save at least 100 jobs. The plan includes leaves of absence, part-time work and the transfer of 10 aircraft back to Eagle from Trans States Airlines.

AMR fell 23 cents, or 4.7 percent, today to $4.62 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has fallen 67 percent this year.

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Tonight finds me back on Nevis, my favorite Caribbean island, and I decided to explore a different part of the island at sunset. In the 5 months that I have been flying to Nevis, I’ve only seen the top of Nevis Peak once. Today she was hiding as usual behind her cloudtop guardians, which made for fantastic photos as the twilight deepened.

My old friends the Green Monkeys. They were about 100 yards off and being quite shy, so I wasn’t able to score a nice close-up. I can’t say for sure, but I think that this may have been the same family group that I photographed on my previous visit, since they were in the same location. I stayed for about 20 minutes hoping for another close up in the trees, and they did oblige me by coming quite close, but the thicket we were in was too dense to shoot through. Soon enough, we parted ways and I continued my walk.

The foothills of Nevis Peak are quite steep in places. Someday, maybe on a personal visit, I hope to climb the mountain. To my friend Marty: whatever it is that we have to do to get you here, let’s do it! You’ll love this place!

I made a roughly 3 mile circuit, and on the road back to the hotel I saw a couple of mongooses! I wasn’t quick enough with the camera to get a clear photo, but it was awesome seeing them. Mongooses were introduced to the island in 1870 to ‘help combat the rodent population’. This was my first sighting of wild mongoose, so I was stoked.

Here is the entrance to our hotel, the Mount Nevis Estate, which I covered in a recent post. I love this place and I highly recommend the resort. For more information, see the hotel website.

Once inside the gate I walked the grounds, enjoying the beautiful view of St. Kitts across the channel. I bumped into the food and beverage manager and enjoyed a lovely talk, leaving the dining room library with a basket of freshly made pumpkin and banana breads for the morning. Honestly, if you value serenity and the natural world you’ll love Nevis. I don’t know of a more beautiful spot on earth!

The Map:

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