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Published: January 14th 2008
San Cristobal
One of our favorite pics from the tripTurquoise oceans, white sand, balmy weather , lush green rainforests, charming 16th century architecture, tucked away islands, fun-loving people , exquisite cuisine , cultural cocktail, salsa and jazz - incredible as it sounds , Puerto Rico is a heady mix of all this and more.
Hard as it is to conjure in the sub-freezing climes of Boston, the thought of our week-long annual holiday, to be spent in the Caribbean, toasted us during the Christmas and New Year Holidays. The year turned a corner, and we headed off to Puerto Rico on the 6th.
Its status as a commonwealth of the U.S. means we don’t need a visa to visit Puerto Rico unlike the other Caribbean nations. A 4 hr direct flight from Boston deposited us at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport at San Juan (pronounced as San Huan) which is the capital of PR. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, it was difficult to suppress our excitement , imagine going from - 2 C to 27 C, from perpetually overcast skies to bright sunshine, from long thick overcoats to micro-shorts ….
Puerto
Flamenco Beach
It doesn't get much better than this Rico meaning “rich port” was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, although of course it had been occupied by Taino Indian tribes since the 1st century A.D. Columbus claimed the island for Spain and named it San Juan Bautista. It was the island’s first governor Juan Ponce de Leon who named it Puerto Rico. Inspite of a spate of invasions by the English and Dutch, Spain managed to hold on to PR till 1898, at which point it lost PR to the U.S. The Spanish influence , naturally, holds sway over the island and manifests itself in the people, the culture, the language and the cuisine. It also has some African and native Indian (Taino tribes) influences and the people are largely of a mixed race.
The official language is Spanish and English, although few people are able to converse in steady English. I did know a few basic phrases in Spanish and I guess my skin tone not being all that different from the natives, was often mistaken for one and Spanish just started flowing the moment I greeted them with “Hola”
One of the best things we did was carry along a book on PR (Insight
U.S. Marine tank
abandoned on flamenco beach guides by Discovery Channel) which gave us tremendous local knowledge and some hidden gems to visit. We absolutely recommend it.
A short drive from the airport and we reached our hotel in Ocean Park ( which just happens to be one of the posh areas in San Juan , and very close to the
uber hip Ashford Avenue).
Oceana Hostal Playero was our choice as we wanted to stay in a place with local flavors and not one of the standard cardboard cutout hotel chains so common in any part of the U.S. And we made a good choice - if the room was a little basic, we didn’t notice it ‘cause the staff’s friendliness and hospitality could make up for anything. The patio and restaurant is charming and the location perfect with just a few short steps to the Ocean Park Beach. Toss in the much-coveted free parking and you have a gob smacking deal.
Day 1 - Music, Dance and Friendliness
The first day we just indulged our almost child-like joy at being in the Caribbean - we walked up Ashford Ave, dipped our feet in the ocean and stuffed ourselves silly.
In
Picturesque cememtery
At El Morro.I risked life and limb for some of these shots the evening we headed for Old San Juan, part of the metro San Juan area. Somehow we found ourselves in a rickety taxi, driven by a tone-deaf old guy (May God bless the dear fellow and excuse me for describing him thus) who understood not a word of English.
So we reach the start of Old San Juan and the traffic is being diverted by the cops to a certain street. But our man refuses to take no for an answer - and stubbornly wants to carry on in his chosen path. Amazingly the cop relents and we enter the restricted road - only to find that he cannot go any further! This forces out a string of loud, what can be only guessed as chosen Spanish expletives…So we hobble along in our old Jalopy and retrace nearly the entire way …I’m now almost shouting and wildly gesticulating in a vain effort to make him stop …but no sir! remember he doesn’t take no for an answer…after a hilarious 30 min. ride we somehow reached Plaza Colon - our destination.
Old San Juan is one of the oldest American cities (if you would like to describe it as
San Cristobal
Another big favorite ! Arty shot a city) and its narrow cobblestoned streets are rich with history. The pastel Spanish colonial homes, the squares, the cathedrals, the art galleries, the exquisite restaurants all make up for a seductive package.
Indeed, Old San Juan is one of the top reasons why Puerto Rico is such a cultural and historical jewel and not just a beautiful beach destination. Such is its lure that we were pulled back to it again and again.
We were strolling down near the waterfront on La Princesa street when we came across a couple of people readying to play some music. It was just simple everyday folks - not a band or anything, and we were mesmerized. They started playing and soon others just joined the group. An old lady beckoned me and offered us some chairs to sit. That was followed by an elderly gentleman insisting on offering us a large bottle of coke and glasses. We were floored….such genuine hospitality to complete strangers who can’t say much more than Hola and Mucho Gracias (Thank you very much) defines the fabric of the Puerto Rican people. The group started belting out song after song - and soon women and children
were dancing with abandon…it was a lovely peep into the culture of this warm, fun-loving people and we were so grateful for having witnessed it.
Day 2 - From mountain-tops to beaches- life in a tropical island
We began the day by renting a car and armed with oodles of sunscreen, soda and sunshine - sallied forth to the east of the island.
We promptly missed the entry to the highway. Driving is left-hand like in the U.S but it’s a bit confusing because all distances are posted in Kilometers but the speed limits are in miles to accommodate the speedometers of the American cars. PR ranks sixth-highest in the world in car ownership and there’s a car for roughly every two inhabitants.
So anyways missing the highway was a happy accident because it led us to an interior road which stretched for miles and miles right next to the ocean and was a spectacular drive. (Not having a GPS meant we were navigating through maps and that was delightful) Although by no means tiny, it is a rather small island, 100 miles long and only 32 miles from north to south.
Our first destination
El Morro
window to the world was El Yunque - the only tropical rainforest in the USDA National Forest system. It is a unique ecosystem with hundreds of different animal and plant species. The mountain tops of El Yunque are perpetually shrouded in clouds and it receives upwards of 240 inches of rain annually!!!
We drove 13 km up into the forested mountains, stopping at La Coca waterfalls and some towers which offered fantabulous views.
One special thing about PR is the coqui - a melodious tree frog which keeps emitting the bird-like sound of Ko-kee , it is found abundantly not only in the El Yunque rainforest but even in places like Ashford Ave. Another notable animal is the Iguana and various types of large lizards - we met them alongside roads, in the forest and to my great discomfort - regularly in our patio/ restaurant at the hotel. In fact some restaurants even have signs put up “Do not feed the Iguanas”.
From El Yunque we headed to the town of Luquillo, known mainly for its great beach. At the start of the beach are food kiosks - numbered 1 to 60 - and the Puerto Rican food served must be
sampled. I was a bit alarmed at seeing a full pig being roasted; it is an island favorite called lechon asado or roast suckling pig. I stuck to the more conservative tuna fish with rice and beans, Sanjit of course being far ahead of me in food experimentation - indeed his holidays are largely defined by the quality of new cuisines he tries, sampled and liked the lechon asado
After eating heartily, we rolled onto the beach. PR beaches have a great concept of people renting out beach chairs and umbrellas, for the sun is blazing although the price fluctuates wildly from beach to beach. Luckily our hotel had given us beach chairs to carry along so we just rented the umbrella and soaked in the sun. (One difference from mainland U.S beaches is the complete absence of life-guards on the beach)
The Caribbean waters are a shimmering combination of blue and green, Atlantic Ocean in its full glory. We had a sinfully lazy afternoon - although being in the water was tiring because of the surf and battling the current.
Day 3 - Of sweeping ocean views and glorious sunsets
This was decidedly the most
hectic day of the entire week. Since we had resolved to see as much of the island as possible we headed out early - this time towards the west.
After putting on some miles on the expressway 22, we diverted off to the little known route 681 which is one of the best ocean drives in PR. We crossed the towns of Vega Baja, Barceloneta and were compelled to stop again and again by the lovely ocean views.
Slowly we made our way to the town of Arecibo and headed to the famous lighthouse and historical park. The entrance fee is rather steep but the breathtaking views are priceless. The waves breaking on the rocks can transfix you for hours although the blistering sun makes it impossible to stay too long.
Arecibo also has an observatory which we wanted to visit but the route to it is so complicated that in a bizarre twist which we couldn’t quite explain, we drove through a few miles and then found ourselves at the spot at which we had started (and no its not circular) so we gave up trying to reach the observatory and continued heading west.
At
one point, the road went steeply downhill almost plunging into the ocean before turning sharply left. The ocean view at this point was so breathtaking that it counts among my top-ten most amazing sights ever.
We had lunch in the charming little town of Aguadilla and then headed towards Aguada. Our stop was the isolated, beautiful Playa Espinar (Playa means beach in Spanish) we plonked down our beach chairs, swathed ourselves in sunscreen lotion and plunged in the aquamarine waters.
The afternoon almost over, we headed to Rincon (Domes beach) the west-most point in PR. The western beaches of PR have higher surf and attract a lot of surfers. So we caught some good surfing action and watched the sunset. We managed to find a quaint café cum boutique serving great food and drinks to hungry travelers. It is hard to convey the ethereal quality of that moment, quietly watching the sun sink sublimely in the ocean.
Day 4 - A tinier island and the greatest beach
We got up in the pre-dawn hours and drove for over an hour to Fajardo, an eastern town, to catch the morning ferry to Culebra. Culebra is a very
tiny island, an hour away from PR by ferry.
It has only 2000 inhabitants and the day is pretty-much defined by the ferries offloading tourists from the main land. Shuttles from the wharf take you to the prime attraction - Flamenco beach.
Culebra has an arid climate and receives very little rainfall - which of course means that sunshine on your beach day is assured.
So we reached Flamenco beach and sampled some Pina Colada (PR claims to have invented Pina Colada, if a drink can said to be invented!) Now I could write reams about Flamenco Beach - so let me suffice that it is the best beach both of us have ever visited.
It’s a white sand beach with particles so fine that your feet sink into the sand the moment you touch it. Moreover the colours of the water are the most exquisite turquoise, green and blue and the water so clean it’s like a mirror. (I have included a short video of the Flamenco beach in the blog. Look for the video link). We spent the whole day at Flamenco - sipping endless Pina Coladas and frolicking in the ocean.
Culebra
has a military past as the U.S. Navy used it for years for bombing practice. Flamenco beach at that time was inaccessible to public. A U.S. Marine tank rusts away in one corner of the beach as a reminder of its past. You are dependent on the shuttles for bringing you back to the wharf at Dewey - and the shuttles are bound by the ferry timings. Still we managed to negotiate our way back to Dewey earlier than others and had lunch in a Chinese restaurant (the only Chinese restaurant we came across in our one-week stay!)
We caught the evening ferry back to Fajardo - the ocean by now slightly rougher which meant a great deal of rocking motion. Thankfully neither of us suffer from sea sickness so it was all fine.
Day 5 - Military forts , Meandering roads and Mouth-watering food
After zipping across the island for 3 days, we pressed the hibernate button on Day 5. The vacation took on a whole new meaning as we gave up our rented car and made very slow, only essential, very deliberate bodily movements.
Took a bus from Calle (street in Spanish) Loiza
Flowers
El Yunque rainforest near our hotel to Old San Juan. This is a rather infrequent service running every 40 mins. On the way we passed Santurce and Miramar which are commercial and posh areas of San Juan.
We walked along the length of Calle La Fortaleza , one of the main streets in Old San Juan, with beautiful colonial houses and artsy stores and restaurants. After a mile long walk, passing cathedrals and museums we reached the tip of Old San Juan , at Castille San Felipe Del Morro ( the fort or castle of Morro, known simply as EL Morro) Adjacent to the fort is a picturesque cemetery and alongwith the ocean, makes a dazzling view.
El Morro was completed in 1589 and played an important role in the protection of San Juan from invaders. It commands great views of the bay with cannons placed at various levels. It is now run under the auspices of the US Park service and the park rangers in their green shorts guiding visitors - make for a funny and incongruous sight.
From the fort we saw a massive cruise ship leaving the bay. Explorer of the Seas - one of the biggest
cruise ships world-wide, appeared like a city floating away. The sentry boxes at vantage points on the edges of the fort afford great views of the waves crashing on the rocks below.
From El Morro we walked back to Calle La Fortaleza and stopped at Café Del Punto for lunch. This place came highly recommended and richly deserves all praise it can get. You may miss it altogether because the small entrance is that of a very tastefully done boutique and art gallery. Proceed along the corridor and you reach the restaurant.
It is a fine example of Puerto Rican dining. Puerto Rican cuisine, much like its culture and people, is an amalgamation of Spanish, Taino and African traditions. The most consistent food on the Puerto Rican table would be meats (mainly Pork and beef), plantain fritters, rice and beans. One popular dish is the Churrascos or skirt steak (Sanjit took to it with great gusto). The island is also rich in fruits like mango, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple and banana. The one downside to eating in Puerto Rico is that other than Puerto Rican food, everything else is quite expensive.
Puerto Rico also prides itself on
More flowers
At El Yunque being the home of Bacardi. Naturally, then, Bacardi is abundantly available.
Day 6 - Being a beach bum is my life ambition
Another blissfully lazy day where we simply headed to the beach in our backyard and spent the day in the water. Flamenco is a very tough act to follow and most other beaches will pale in comparison. Still, a beach that is 2 mins away is attractive.
A great positive about PR is the liberal dressing sense, and I mean, really liberal and hip. In India - we are forever encumbered by the necessity to dress modestly and conservatively, in U.S. the pressure is always to look good and have a perfect figure. Not so in PR. Ever so often, people stroll down streets in just swimwear and nobody gives them a second glance. As a woman, it also made me feel secure about the place because women, safety uppermost in mind, usually dress in a way which is a barometer to how secure and free they feel in an environment.
In the afternoon we followed our routine of catching the bus to Old San Juan, this time headed for the smaller of the
two forts, San Cristobal. A military fort, it was built much later than El Morro and is connected to it by colossal walls.
We ambled along the cobbled streets and headed for dinner to a hip restaurant called Marmalade. It was plush and very tastefully done, the food was delicious, and the wine list comprehensive but the portions were the tiniest we have ever come across. And of course it burnt a hole in our pockets. I would not really recommend it to anybody.
Day 7 - Facing harsh realities - Caribbean holidays come to an end.
Much as we refused to accept the fact, it was time to leave. In a week, we grew so fond of Puerto Rico, its people, its fun-filled life, the by now familiar streets it was tough to say goodbye.
In the morning, I went to get one last fill of the ocean, quietly reading a book and watching the waves. We had a long and leisurely lunch at our hotel. The goodbyes with the hotel staff were heartfelt (they even gifted us a t-shirt and a bag) and then it really was time to leave.
Puerto Rico left
a great impression on us - The food, the people, the beaches, the history, the climate - it’s a wonderful package. The range of activities available is incredible given the small size of the island. Even though it has been influenced by America in its shiny cars and large malls (Plaza Las Americas is the biggest mall in the Caribbean), it retains its cultural individuality and distinct, unhurried pace of life. Ultimately, a travel experience is defined so much by the people you meet and Puerto Rico comes up aces.
The joie de vivre of Puerto Ricans is infectious. A smile and a greeting can unlock so much warmth and welcome. If you have to visit a place in the Caribbean, we strongly urge you to try Puerto Rico. Chances are, you won’t come back disappointed.
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Baba
non-member comment
Fun at Puerto Rico
The pix were great. Saved some of them. Your comments were very lucid and added to the flavor. It was so heart warming to see that both of you had loads of fun. Lolling on the Flamenco beach with Pina Colada in hand. Great.