Solo Car Camping in the Beautiful Puerto Rico Mountains

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The pandemic has done strange things to all of us. For me, it's made me lethargic at times, a little more guarded and inward. It's a weird feeling, all of my life I've been able to travel to remote places on the planet, interact openly, meet and hug people, feel like we were all connected. Suddenly, as a traveler, I wasn't able to travel everywhere, and some of the places that were open to travel had dismal COVID transmission numbers. Honestly, it made me hole up for awhile, but a wanderer can only be kept down for so long. In the fall of 2021, I thought, where is a place that has good vaccination numbers, where the consciousness and culture of taking the pandemic seriously is important? I've also been commuting back and forth to Miami all during COVID, doing my best to see my father, who has advanced cancer. So, I thought about places I could go within reach of Miami that were culturally interesting and places I hadn't been.

One night, playing around on my computer, I randomly focused on Puerto Rico, saw that the flights from Miami were less than 2 hours and prices were fairly reasonable. I had grown up in Miami around Puerto Rican people, certainly was aware of the devastating hurricane that hit there a few years ago, had heard about some cool historic architecture in the capitol of San Juan. Beyond that, I realized that I knew very little about it but that it might be a good location to tack on to a Miami visit. I zeroed in, started to gather info and research. I tend to avoid tourists and big cities, have always found more authenticity in my travels if I get off the beaten path. I was shocked and almost embarrassed to discover that Puerto Rico had mountains, lots of them, essentially the middle ridge of the island was all mountains. Photos looked lush, interesting, very little tourist info in those areas. Now, PR had my attention!

That was enough for me, I was itching to travel, pushed the button to book a flight to go to Puerto Rico one week later, really with no fixed plans. I would stop in Miami on the way back and see my father, felt a little guilty that I was taking time for myself while he was sick but realized that my needs were important too, I am a traveler at heart and needed to feed my soul. I told my Dad about it and he sounded excited for me. Over the years, he and I had traveled together in Ecuador, Indonesia, Madagascar, it is a joy and connection we share with each other.

Two days before my trip, I came up with a slightly crazy plan, reserved a 4 wheel drive truck rental that had room to sleep in back, had heard that the mountains got heavy rains at times and that traction tires could be helpful. So, I filled out all the special COVID related forms and landed in hot humid San Juan airport, navigated the entry line and made my way over to the rental car desk at the airport. I was greeted by super friendly people, it was about 2PM in the afternoon. They asked where I was going, I just said "to the mountains". They asked "Have you been there? Hardly any tourists go there, where are you staying?" I told them I didn't have reservations or a plan, they just smiled and shook their heads. City people always imagine rural areas to be dangerous and unpredictable, in my travels around the world, I have found the exact opposite to be true.

I hopped in the truck, opened the windows and blasted some fun Puerto Rican dance music and hit the freeway. The international airport is east of San Juan, I drove through the city about 3PM, traffic increasing but not too heavy yet this time of day. I took Hwy 22 west out of the city, quickly was cruising along well, glimpses of the Caribbean in the distance as I hugged the north part of the country. I had a goal to get to the mountains this first night, turned south at the city of Manati, very interesting limestone outcroppings started showing in the landscape, similar to what I had seen in Mozambique. I was feeling very excited, stopped at a small roadside stall for the first of the surprisingly tasty Puerto Rican food I would have on this trip. The owner of the stand asked me where I was going, my Spanish language abilities aren't that bad and kicked into gear, the guy spoke no English, as i would experience most of my trip in the mountains. I told him my plans, he smiled huge and said the food was on him, gave me great little fried treats and coconut milk, wouldn't let me pay a dime.

If I had been a bit less excited, i would have stopped to buy a blow up mattress to sleep on in the back of the truck. As I curled up into the hills near Ciales, I completely forgot, rather mesmerized as i saw mountains, woods, little villages, rivers. Remember that I hadn't really traveled much in 2 years, everything was exciting like for a little kid, I stopped often to snap photos and talk with people. The roads got smaller and winding, I had passed most of civilization and moved into an area of clean air, rivers and dense bamboo forest, now on Rte 149. At one point, I actually got worried that I had taken the wrong road as it became quite narrow and remote, my GPS suggested I was headed the correct way, though, so i carried on. I passed the turnoff to Jayuya, which I would see later in the trip. I was focused on getting to a little campground I had found on my research, called Finca Puerco Suelto. I rolled into the little settlement nearby at it was getting dusk, like 6PM. I asked around, found a little sign that pointed up a very steep, bumpy dirt road. I drove on another 1/2 mile or so to see a well known jungle waterfall, Cascada Dona Juana. Although not as impressive as I’m sure it is in rainy season, it was very pretty and Puerto Rican tourists were milling about. I grabbed another little bit to eat (roast pork) and learned a bit of info about resources in this little village and where the roads went out of here. Although small, it seemed to be somewhat of a crossroads in the mountains. It turned out to be a fabulous place to begin my journey. I went to a little roadside cafe/stall that was about to close, got some takeaway sandwiches and a couple cold beers, found out they would be open for breakfast the next morning. Feeling absolutely thrilled, I drove back to the campground sign, was greeted by three colorful peacocks as I turned up the hill. Damn good I had a 4WD, the hill was loose gravel, steep, muddy in parts, curvy as hell. I passed a couple farms and then came to a lovely open plateau, saw a few other campers milling about, setting up tents.

I parked, grabbed a nibble of my sandwich, cracked open a cold beer, breathed the fresh air and smiled big. My little crazy dream had brought me to this beautiful place, sun setting over the hills in the distance, rural scenes, farm animals and horses milling about. Down below, there were rivers cutting through the valleys, I estimated that I was up at 2,000 feet elevation, seemed to be getting a bit cooler as the sun went down. My hope was that would make for better sleeping weather and fewer mosquitoes. I began to take stock of my surroundings, said a big internal "oops" when I realized I had forgotten to get a blow up mattress, though I did have a little silk travel sheet. I figured that I could just fold the front seat down, sleep on it and get a mattress the next day, really not a big deal. Although there were a number of campsites, it seemed to be one big group of people, they all made their way over to a covered pavilion and started to laugh and drink together and prepare dinner. They looked over at me, two of them walked over and greeted me, talked to me with very little physical space that characterizes most interactions in the USA. They smiled big when they heard of my journey and how I had got here, they live near Manati and come here a few times a year to camp and enjoy the mountains. They told me they had never in all their years here met a Westerner and were a little shocked when i told them I drove right here after arriving the same day.

They laughed out loud, insisted that I join their party that was starting, a group of 20 or so friends of all ages, kids too. Of course i said yes, went over there and was welcomed as family. They were blasting loud, fun music, dancing, beers and rum came out, as well as loads of food they were cooking, they made it clear quickly that I would be having a second and proper dinner. Forgot to tell you, this campsite cost $10, they told me "the guy will come tomorrow, just pay then, he's very laid back”. They showed me where the outhouses, outdoor shower stalls were, as well as the most level places to park my truck. They told me about their lives, a few of the people had lived in the continental USA, some in NYC, some Orlando, one had ever played baseball in Kansas. Baseball is a big thing in PR, most of the guys in this group had played seriously. As the evening, and the beers, went on, there was laughter, celebration and sad reflection on the devastating hurricane Maria that had swept through and punished the island. Utuado, which i would see later in my trip, was cut off from the outside world with huge flooding and mudslides, survived for awhile with food and water drops from helicopters. These guys, my new friends, organized massive food and supply drives and were some of the first people to arrive there when the roads became somewhat passable. They spoke of this time with sadness, connection, anger that the Trump administration didn't help more. They were proud of the work that they did.

Three hours and many beers and much food and laughter later, I headed to bed, their party still going strong. One of them had found me an extra pillow and few blankets that I could use, a good thing as it got rather chilly in the night. I folded down the back seat and made a bed, settled in with a smile, windows closed as there were a few mosquitos about, though not bad at all. What a great day and start to my little adventure it had been, I closed my eyes and fell asleep happily with the sound of pulsing music in the distance. I knew in my heart that I would enjoy this place. I woke the next morning to cheery welcoming campmates, fully accepting me as part of their group. They had cooked up a big meal of fried eggs and sausage, very tasty coffee, insisted i join them. I did, learned they were heading back to Manati and the coast later this morning. I picked their brain, they gave me some really cool ideas for later in my trip, places off the beaten path that I knew nothing about in my research. They told me that there were 300 coffee farms in the mountains of PR, many of them a little farther west. Having seen coffee growing regions in Sumatra, Colombia, Flores Island, Ethiopia and Mozambique, I was excited!

I spent a couple of hours just strolling around the tiny village, meeting locals, walking through the lush countryside, heading back to the waterfall, got some fried empanadas at the little takeout window on the other side of the river. The young man who ran the campground came around, didn't even seem interested in money, i reminded him that I hadn't paid and gave him the $10. Very tranquil, very beautiful spot, I was tempted to stay another night but ripped myself away around 10AM and hit the road, I was excited to explore other parts of this island.

Just like that, I said goodbye, jostled down the bumpy hill, turned left past the waterfall and headed down winding mountain roads toward the south coast. It was rather bizarre, 45 minutes after leaving my peaceful campground, I was skirting through the suburbs of Ponce, a sprawling city of nearly 200,000 people. A shock to the system, I stayed calm and made my way to a superstore, took a deep breath. went in and found an inflatable mattress to buy that I could use for the rest of the trip.

Success, got back in my car and hopped on the southern coast freeway, heading west past Yauco and toward Mayaguez. I could see distant mountains to the right, I knew we would meet again soon. The freeway was busy, I cranked some music and just got into the PR flow, this area seemed to be lots of lowland agriculture, not particularly beautiful. I hit the west coast finally and turned due south, had heard about windswept and beautiful Cabo Rojo and wanted to see it. It was hot and humid, I was hungry and in a slightly ornery mood as the sprawl and traffic from Maraguez seemed to continue for miles. Still, the cape beckoned, sometimes you find something on a map and just know you have to see it. One of my buddies from the campsite the night before said that it was definitely worth a look. I drove past Boqueron, stopped at a little sandwich place, had some tasty nibbles and a coffee and felt better. I passed Playa Combate and traffic started to thin, headed out the little rutted dirt roads into the Cabo Rojo National Refuge, essentially a large coastal protected national park. I drove by an area where salt is harvested, pinkish water that people come to see. This road went on, very bumpy, for miles, finally got to the end, parked and walked out to the actual cape.

It was overcast, that was absolutely fine with me as I wasn't in the mood for direct sun exposure. Playa (Beach) Sucia was a mellow crescent shape, people milling about and having picnics under the shrubby tree cover, there were mangrove trees about too. It was windy, I saw red cliffs out by the sea on either side of the long beach. There were hiking paths, it was very windy when I headed out the one toward the iconic lighthouse, Faro Los Morrillos. Cool shrubby landscape, sea as far as the eye could see. Looking south, I realized there was no land until one reaches the north coast of Venezuela. The vegetation was minimal, in a place with high winds. There were some cacti around. Really cool to be there alone without any people around. I walked along the cliffs, saw and felt the power of the wind and waves. I walked back to the car, refreshed after my hike, ready to roll on.

I hit the road, drove back up to Maraguez. Originally I had planned to keep heading north to the surf beach of Rincon, find a place to stay there. After my last few hours of heat and congestion, I changed course, caught small roads from Maraguez past Leguisamo, beautiful mountain roads, peaceful and bucolic again right away. It was Sunday afternoon, people were at roadside eateries, dining and drinking. I passed a little crossroads, saw lots of people parked, almost like an outside festival down below. I was hungry, parked and walked in. This cafe was next to a sweet little river, banyan trees around to find shade under. I ordered a plate of roast pork (lechon) that PR is known for, got a cold beer, sat down next to all the gathered people, they waved welcomingly, beckoned me over to visit. A number of people were salsa dancing, the mood was very chill and good. I stayed for an hour or so, relaxed, got my small town vibes back.

I headed on, the roads got even more curvy. After 45 minutes or so, I rolled into bustling San Sebastian, asked directions to a prominent waterfall I had heard of. Only a few miles outside of town down more small roads, I parked in a small lot, walked out a path, saw signs to Cascada Gozalandia. Put my swimsuit on and took my backpack along as I didn't know if it was safe to leave in the car. Turns out it was a really mellow place and it probably would have been fine. The trail was steep but was well maintained with wooden stairs. I got to the bottom of the trail and there was the waterfall, really pretty. I swam across the gorgeous pool, climbed part way up under the waterfall, there is a rock under the falls that people jump off. Locals told me where was safe to jump. I leaped in, had so much fun I did it again. COLD, but felt good on this hot day. Dried off and headed back up to the car, hit the road again headed toward Lares, higher in the mountains. I had seen a little mark on my GPS called Finca Loma de Che. While I still had cel reception, I got online and researched it quickly. A reviewer said that it was really pretty, a coffee farm on top of a mountain with a great place to camp.

It was 6PM and getting dark . My GPS got me lost a couple times, though said I was getting closer. The GPS once said I was there, but I clearly wasn't. I stopped at a small finca, called inside, ready to use my Spanish to hopefully get directions. This guy came out, greeted with me with a southern drawl, was from Texas and had retired here only one year ago. I could see why, it was beautiful, houses affordable, cooler up here in the mountains. He directed me just down the road, I got to house with farm machinery around it, was getting quite dark at about 7:30PM now. I knocked, was greeted by an older woman and a couple kids at the door, she asked me to wait a second and her 35 (ish) year old daughter came to the door and greeted me with a huge smile. Between my Spanish and her pretty good English, we had a great chat. She welcomed me, said she was surprised to have someone come so late and without reservation. I told her that was how I rolled, about my interesting day and how I ended up here. She told me I would love the camping spot, that there was a level patch with great views, an outhouse and shower, she took me. I drove my truck up a steep crest and saw the location, just stunning, in the middle of a coffee plantation, forever views over the valley and surrounding mountains.

She stayed until I was settled. Told me I could drive into a town about 10 miles away to find a cafe, apologized that she didn't know I was coming so didn't have any food prepared. I thanked her, told her I was pretty exhausted and probably would just stay put and eat my energy bars and dried fruit for dinner. She turned up her nose at that idea, asked if I were open to eating food that she had made for her family. It always cracks me up when people on my travels ask that question, of course I want to try local, homemade food. Ten minutes later she came back with a steaming plate of beef in sauce, fried bananas, beans, rice and bread, some dragon fruit too. She left me to give me privacy, there was an old junk VW bug up there that became my dinner table. I looked out over the surrounding hills, ate my delicious dinner and felt positively wonderful. What an amazing place I had ended up. She had told me that she would come get me in the morning in her jeep for tour of the farm. I made my bed in the back, no mosquitoes up here at altitude. I sensed it would be colder than the night before so I wore my clothes to bed, curled up under my sheet and went soundly to sleep, sounds of the countryside in the background. Great day!

Up the next day to a mesmerizing sunrise, coffee bushes all over the place. There were some farm workers quite close to my camp, they smiled at me but were hard at work. Grabbed a nice shower, the farm owner woman came by right as I was done, bouncing up in an old jeep, her young cousin in the back. She smiled big and said "let's go". I hopped in, buckled up, we cut down a steep road through the farm, toured the place for about an hour, I think she said they have 100 acres. She was having fun driving, gunned it over a bumpy river bed, did a doughnut out in an open field. She asked me if I wanted to take a hike with she and her cousin, I thanked her but said that had to get rolling. I packed up, felt great, drove down little mountain roads closer to Utuado, stopped at a roadside stall for more strong coffee and something called a "canoa", basically "canoe". It was a large banana split open and baked with ground beef, cheese and some spices on it. I asked around, had read about a really cool indigenous site and was determined to find it.

Following directions, I turned down a dirt road in a small village, big rubber trees all over the place, really pleasant. A small sign read "Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Center". It was weekday, pretty early about 9AM, already getting hot. I parked, walked up to the entrance building, paid like $2 to get in to the grounds. Besides a couple staff, I was the only one around. There was a small underwhelming museum about the Taino indigenous people who predated Spanish arrival. The staff directed me outside to a long path. In the distance I could see a huge open area, as I got closer I could make out numerous stones flanking the field with characters marking them, pagan symbols of birds and other things. The fields, there were few of them, are the original and largest batey fields of Puerto Rico, where the indigenous tribes from all over the island would gather, discuss important matters, play this batey game. It is theorized that they worked out their differences (and probably feasted, negotiated and visited) through this sporting event, staying for days at a time.

It was impressive just how large this open area was, I'm going to say the equivalent of about 4 football fields. The setting was just gorgeous, surrounded by mountains that were apparently quite sacred to the Taino, in fact the most prominent one was where there gods were believed to live. Walking around in awe, archaeologists believe these batey fields are from the year 900-1000. It was amazing as I had no idea that there was a significant indigenous site in PR, found out this is considered one of the most important in the whole Caribbean. For just having been in PR for 2 days, I was so happy what I had stumbled upon so far, really exceptional. As I was ready to leave, another visitor was walking in, incredible that I had been there alone.

Feeling great and a little in awe, I hopped in my truck and drove the 10 miles or so into the town of Utuado, the very worst hit during the hurricane, the place where my first night camping friends had been a part of relief efforts. Topographically, as I rolled into town, i could see why this area was so hard hit. Flanked by mountains, in an exposed valley, the hurricane just sat here, drenched the area. The rivers raged, burst over their banks and covered the town in water. People died, many were able to go to higher areas in the town. I could see damage still when I was there, I took a couple hours to walk all over town and reflect of this tragedy. Terrible too was how the town got cut off from food and fresh water, life now had mostly returned to normal. Quite a bit of the historic architecture had survived, strong construction clearly. The people were friendly, lots of creative murals on buildings, life rebuilding and getting back to normal. People asked who I was visiting here, why I was here. I just told them I was here to witness with reverence, spend a little time in the town. They seemed happy that I had come. I had delicious fruit juice smoothie in a little hole in the wall I found, much needed in the afternoon heat. Strolled solemnly back to my car, hopped in and headed off on the road headed south over more mountain roads.

This part of Puerto Rico was clearly fertile, saw more coffee farms in the distance, as well as many other crops. I had no plans for the night, it was getting later in the day. I pointed my truck toward Adjuntas, a town I had read about that had historic charm and apparently a pleasant setting. After curvy roads and going over a little mountain pass, I curled into charming Adjuntas, population 17,000. Beautiful church and main square, notable was the "gauge" that proudly communicated that their COVID vaccination rate had crossed 95%. Talked with some friendly locals, ordered an above average small pizza and ate the whole thing, had a cold beer that tasted nice. I had heard there were some beautiful rivers near town, a local guy suggested I head north from town to find them. Not a mile out of town, I found a crystal clear river and drove out that way. After exploring a bit, I pulled over next to a pretty spot that looked like it might have swimming hole possibilities. I was sweaty from the long day, thought I could hop in for a little rinse off "shower". Ran into a couple, originally from Puerto Rico but living in NYC, they had come back to see relatives and were exploring the idea of buying a little farm here. Rather than be upset that I had found their little swimming hole, they completely welcomed me and pulled out a cold beer.

They seemed curious how a gringo had ended up in this remote location, i told them about my journey so far and they just laughed out loud that I had found all these treasures on the island in just three days. They had to leave soon, I really liked this location, asked them if they thought it was safe for me to car camp here for the night. They said that it was a great spot, that they had camped here with friends a number of times before with no problems. I had already eaten, taken a river bath, opened up the back of the truck, inflated my mattress and cozied up with my journal and book, the sound of the bubbling stream in the background. A big smile came to my face, how lucky was I to be in this exact place in this moment. A couple hours later, exhausted, I turned out the light and went to sleep, crashing for four hours hard until I awoke with heavy rain outside. I was a bit worried about my parking spot by the river and the potential for flooding with the rain coming, I just drove up about 50 meters to higher ground by the road and went back to sleep soundly. Great night's sleep, I woke with the sunlight peeking through the trees about 5:30AM. What would today bring, I headed back in to beautiful Adjuntas, found delicious coffee and a proper breakfast.

Explored more around the pretty town, nice people but not a whole lot to see. The air felt fresh here. Jumped back in the truck and headed on the road toward Jayuya, then took a junction to get down to Canon Blanco, a canyon area i heard was very very beautiful. The roads were winding, turned dirt after awhile. I found a little parking lot, weekday so no one around. walked a trail down to the nearby river, taking my backpack as i didn't know if it was safe to leave in the car. I had worries a few times during the trip about the possibility of thieves, having things stolen, ended up feeling 100 percent safe the whole trip. After reaching the river, I turned left, followed it upstream, could see the gorgeous carved white cliffs that make the canyon known. Surreal, stayed about an hour and explored, no one around. Lots of photos, lush jungle feeling landscape surrounding. There were supposed to be indigenous symbols around, i didn't see them, decided I wanted to get my day going so headed back to the car, mind blown by all these beautiful spots I was seeing.

Headed back up the steep roads and made my way into Jayuya town, larger than i thought it would be and more bustling. It was hot outside and overcast, I had heard about a very cool indigenous spot by a river outside of town and decided to try to find it. I parked near where i thought the trail was, my Spanish helping as i asked some park workers, they directed me down a steep walkway and told me to look for swimming hole and large boulder. I found it, hopped in for a refreshing swim, got some great pics of the well-preserved Taino symbols on the rock in the river, learned that this had been a regular gathering place for them in pre-Columbian times, understandable as it was quite beautiful. I couldn't believe that I had been virtually alone in a number of these spots, Puerto Rico tourism mostly centers on the beach, amazing as i was finding beautiful locations. I drove down to Jayuya, walked around the hilly town with mountain views in all directions. Found good food, fresh fruit, more nice people, another pretty central square. Hopped back in the car and headed east, stopped at a museum (underwhelming) dedicated to Taino history. The outdoor site at Utuado had been much more impressive.

I carried on east of town, passed the waterfall campground in Orocovis that i had been at three days earlier, seemed like two weeks had passed, had done so much since i arrived. I curled up curvy roads past Bosque de Toro Negro, very pretty tropical national park still closed for COVID exposure reasons. Explored Lago de Matrullas, drove little roads back to the main cross island mountain highway. Rejoined the main road close to the Orocovis Mirador, stopped at a little sign advertising popsicles, super nice retired couple selling them, frozen passion fruit popsicles from their garden. Stunning drive on the mountain ridge for another 50 miles, drove past Aibonito, another mountain village, looked at one possible place to stay for the night but didn't like how remote it was. Had really good cel connection so pulled over and searched possibilities, found a great looking campsite place outside of Comerio, supposedly a very pretty historic village that had also suffered in the hurricane. Finally, after a curvy drive,pulled into Comerio, headed up a steep road outside of town and found my delightful $10 campsite, exceptional views over town and the surrounding valleys. Great little shower, perfectly good toilet and level place to park my truck. Settled in, said hi to the owner, who was an architect who lived down the road.

I headed down to Comerio town for dinner, walked around awhile, broken record I know but a lovely central plaza, ended up having "pulpo", octopus and chips, and a cold beer. The restaurant I was in doubled as a disco later at night, I was sitting in that part and I just laughed out loud, life and travel are surreal at times. Had a visit with the owner, who came over to my table with a cold beer he bought for me. We talked about my trip, Comerio and the hurricane, politics in the US and Puerto Rico in general. I had chosen Comerio as it looked pleasant and was fairly close to San Juan, I had a flight back early the next afternoon. With a smile on my face from another great day, headed back to my campsite, showered up, enjoyed the view and relaxed. There were just a couple mosquitoes around, hadn't really been an issue this trip. So now three nights in a row, there had been no one camping where I was, would have been nice to have a little company but I was enjoying the solitude, perhaps partially a function of COVID and people's desire to stay in their own spaces. I was seeing the beautiful world though, that much was clear.

I slept so well again, fireflies flitting around outside, woke to misty morning sunrise that was stunning, looked like rivers of mist below. I was up on top of all of it on my little mountaintop above Comerio. Dreamy, another place hard to say goodbye to, drove down the hill and headed back west, goal to skirt the north side of San Juan and make it back to Manati and see Mar Chiquita, something a number of people had insisted that i see before i leave. As I headed out of Comerio, I came to a junction, found a little roadside stall with more tasty empanadas and fresh country farm cream too. Nice break, drove on thoroughly Bayamon, then headed down to catch the coastal highway west of San Juan that I had taken my very first day in Puerto Rico. zipped out the freeway, just before Manati I turned down toward the coast, more dirt roads,made it all the way down to the sea. This seemed to be an area not leave my things in the car, i was able to park right down near the stunning Mar Chiquita (little sea), called that because the sea crashes through some rocks and forms a surreal bay, gorgeous azure colored water. With care, as the waves can be strong, you can swim there, certainly great spots for photos. Keeping the car in sight, i explored out the rocks, possible as it seemed to be low tide. Not much to eat here, I got some little snacks, hopped in the car and hit the freeway, driving back through San Juan, traffic still not bad as it was late morning. I thought I would do a bit more exploring and then had fantasies of spending my last couple hours near the sea with a tasty seafood meal and a couple of cold beers.

Wanting to see a little more but running out of time, I turned my car back east, zipped through San Juan and along the coast road to Loiza, strong area of Afro-Puerto Rican culture. Spent an hour exploring little alleys, eating street food and just chatting with nice people. Headed back west one more time along the north coast, found a great collection of little food places near Playa de Pinones. Settled in at a little table, got a massive whole fish cooked for me, along with rice and a couple cold beers. Dipped my toes in the sand and feet in the sea one more time, met a few more friendly locals on the beach. Just like that, it was time to head to the airport in San Juan. Easy rental car return, a big smile crossed my face as I walked up to check in for my flight, what a superb adventure and trip it had been, reminding me once again (seems to be the theme this year for me) that one really can have a great trip in a week. Gracias, Puerto Rico!

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