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Puerto Rico, 2/2023Puerto Rico, 2/2023
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Puerto Rico, 2/2023

February 2023
Gail and Bruce and Friends on the Caribbean Isle Read more
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  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 2

    Day 1 - Getting there is sort-of fun

    February 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    Up at 04:00 to get to our 09:00 flight out of Dulles. An uneventful (but very full) flight landed us in San Juan about 15:00. Getting our rental car (Routes Car Rental) was an exercise in patience since it took over an hour to deliver the car once we finished the paperwork. In the meantime, most of the rest of our group arrived and went to the hotel. PR is an hour ahead of the east coast, so it was already late afternoon.

    Our group consists of Andrea and John (Gail's sister and husband), Paul and Lori (friends of Andrea), Marie (another sister) and Rita (Marie's high school friend) and Gail and I. Andrea, John, Paul, Lori, and Rita flew in from Minnesota. Marie arrives in the evening. On the pic, that's Paul and Lori on the left, Rita and Marie in the foreground, John and Andrea and Gail in the back.

    We met up with the rest at the Condado Plaza Hilton and had a drink to catch up and plan out the rest of the day. We'll explore Old San Juan tomorrow. The Hilton is in the Condado neighborhood a bit west of the downtown and towards the old town. Nice place among several other hotels in the upscale area.

    We made a dinner date using a recommendation from the bartender. Gail and I headed to the airport to pick up Marie and found our way to the restaurant - after a minor detour from a missed turn. Thank goodness for the GPS in the car and on my phone. Traffic is a bit chaotic with cars crowding into lanes and not using turn signals. Had good dinner at a Spanish themed place called Condal not far from the hotel. Most of us chose the seafood paella, which was good.

    We headed back to the hotel and called it a day.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    1
    Day 2

    Day 2 - Walking Old San Juan

    February 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Breakfast at the hotel and a taxi (for 8) to Plaza Colon in Old San Juan. We followed the walking tour from the tour book, which worked out well. Waled by and/or visited the significant sites in the western part of the town: Immigrant Plaza, Chapel of Christ, and the Cathedrl of Saint John the Baptist (where Ponce de Leon is buried). Stopped at a place on San Jose Plaza for drinks and light refreshments.

    Then on to the big draw, the fort of El Morro. This 500+ year old fort was Spain's main defense of its new world possessions. It commands the entry of the deep port of San Juan. This was important because (in the 1500s) Puerto Rico was the first place with fresh water and a good harbor for sailing ships crossing the Atlantic from Europe. Thus, Spain built this massive fort (over the course of 250 years) to protect the harbor and the entry to the new world. It is now a (US) National Historic Sites. The actual fort lies at the western tip of the small islet just off the mainland. The picture of the sentry post jutting out from the main wall is the iconic Puerto Rico tourism picture. The eastern side is a sloping grassy plain, easy to defend from an advancing land attack. Green iguanas have made thier homes among the cracks in the stones. The fort itself has six levels, built over the course of the years, to place guns (cannons) and garrison the troops. From the top of the fort, one can see how it commanded the harbor entrance, particularly when coupled with a smaller fort on the other side of the harbor mouth. We explored the different levels of the fort, reading the information plaques and peeking into the nooks and crannies of the immense complex.

    By mid-afternoon we were ready for a break, so we wandered down to the harborside by the piers and had a drink and snack at the Casita de Ronnes (little house of rums) (we had wanted to go to the Bacardi Distillery but found it was closed for a private event). In place of that, we sampled a few rum drinks - Mojito, Pina Coladas, and another mixed drink. Also sampled the delightful culinary fare of fish tacos, fish bites, and ceviche. We caught a taxi back to the hotel and relaxed at the hotel's small beach while waiting for the sunset - which was a bust since the clouds rolled in. Nobody felt like dinner, so we relaxed in the hotel.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 3

    Day 3 - Travel to Rincon

    February 4, 2023 in Puerto Rico

    Breakfast together at 09:00 at the hotel and day planning. Checked out and on the road about 10:30. Drove (caravanning in two cars) to Dorado to try to find a small museum of indigenous culture but even the police didn't know where it was. followed a costal road back out to the main highway (Rte 22) and followed it west to Barceloneta where we turned off on another costal road to Arecibo. Very narrow road with no shoulders but only moderate traffic. topped at a small beach to stretch our legs on the dark sand. Turned out this was a nesting beach for turtles and signs everywhere advising to not disturb their nests. This wasn't the season so no nests. On into Arecibo to pick up the main road (now Rte 2) and started to look for somewhere to eat.

    We'd been told (by locals and the guidebook) to sample the food trucks that were set up along the highway. From Arecibo on the road was heavily trafficked with weekend drivers and built up with commercial establishments along its length. We hit a few spots of rain but nothing significant. We'd spot a possible food truck but were moving too fast to make a turn in. Finally pulled in to one place and had good tacos from a truck. The problem with the trucks is there is no bathroom! The local Walgreens, though, had restrooms and we did a bit of grocery (mostly liquor) shopping before continuing. At the turn to Isabela, we stopped to take in the indigenous face carved into the rock - not ancient but interesting. back on the road toward Rincon.

    The area has stores and malls all along it with familiar names that you'd recognize from any mainland town (all the fast food chains and big box stores like Subway, Wendys, McD's, Chik-Fil-A, Burger King, Home Depot, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc., etc.). Except for the chaotic traffic, it could be any strip mall in the mainland. Turned off the 2 into Rincon and wound our way to the house we're renting - arriving about 17:00.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 3

    Finishing Day 3

    February 4, 2023 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    With good directions from the owner, we found the place. It is a fine two-story right on the beach with four bedrooms, four baths, and two kitchens (upstairs and down). A hundred feet from the gate dumps us onto a small beach. Here we could see the destruction wrought by Hurricane Maria some five years ago with beach front places crumbling into the sea. Unpacked and explored a bit on foot then had a drink and some leftovers while sitting on the balcony watching the dark clouds obscure any possible sunset. Will see what tomorrow brings.Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 4

    Day 4 - Relaxing in Rincon

    February 5, 2023 in Puerto Rico

    A laid-back day in paradise. Using the supplies the host had provided, we breakfasted early. Gail and I drove the two miles into downtown Rincon to attend the mass at Santa Rosa de Lima on the town square. The service was (of course) in Spanish so we didn't catch a lot of detail but were able to follow it. The church is bright, airy, and beautiful with Latino - even mariachi music by two guitars bass, congas, and two singers. I chatted with the singers after the service about their music.

    Back to the condo to join the rest of our group on the nearby beach for a swim. Then we headed into twon for lunch at a restaurant along the beach. Good foor and sampled a bit of Puerto Rican cuisine - mafongo, a dish made from green plantains - along with good fish. Food was great but the service was (as has been most of our meals) on Carribean time - over two hours for the lunch.

    We did a major shopping trip at the local Econo supermarket, stocked with many products and brands from the mainland. Back at the condo we put things away and relaxed around the pool with a trip to the beach to test out my snorkeling gear. We had hoped to see a nice sunset but the rain clouds off the coast rolled in to quash that. The pic down the beach shows the extent of the destruction from H. Maria. The pool enclosure shown used to be 200 feet from the waterline but the hurricane eroded all that beach and the apartment owners have had to place riprap (large stones) around the enclosure to keep it from falling into the sea.

    Back at the condo we sat around chit-chatting. The Minnesota crowd (everybody except me) talking about people from home and who's related to whom. we brought out some of the cold cuts and crackers we'd bought (and the wine) and snacked as we talked. We discussed plans for the week and how to arrange snorkeling trips and visits to other towns along the west coast. It was soon (it seemed) time to call it a night.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    1
    Day 5

    Day 5 - Exploring the Beaches

    February 6, 2023 in Puerto Rico

    We spent the morning doing minor chores and going for walks. The tide was in at the nearby beach and had covered the entire sandy area. After discussing what to do, we headed out around noon to see a sample of the northwest beaches. Drove to Isabela and found Jobos Beach west of town. A nice beach with a wicked current and signs warning about it. Supposed to be a surfing spot but we didn’t see anyone trying it out. Being close to town, it has several bar/restaurants along it. At the one end, the surf crashes over a low point in the rocks to spume, explode, and rain onto the inner rocks. We walked and looked then returned to the car.

    After some searching further to the west, we found the Borinquen Beach down a switchback road below the US Army Reserve facility and opposite the airport. This is a small, somewhat sheltered beach. The winter surf made it too rough to swim but, in summer, it is supposed to be a great swimming spot. We picked our way along the coastal road around the NE corner of the island to find Crashboat Beach. It gets its name from the now-defunct launching site for rescue boats from when there was an airbase nearby. This is a very popular location and the wide, long beach was crowded with tourists and locals. We set up our chairs and umbrella and watched the sun getting lower. Did some swimming in the mild surf. The place has several food trucks and vendors, so we sampled some of the beverages on offer – “virgin” (and not-so-virgin) pina coladas and daquiris, smoothies. Since it was getting on toward evening, we packed up and headed south toward Rincon, looking for a place to eat. We learned that most places are closed on Mondays so we were in Rincon with no luck finding a place. Some searching online led us to The Shipwreck where we had a great meal. It was dark as we found our way back to the condo to shower and relax.

    I mentioned that traffic is chaotic. Although speeds are not high, the roads – even secondary ones – are crowded. The main highways are mostly up to US standards but the secondary roads are narrow with little or no shoulders. On some, the width isn’t sufficient to allow two cars to pass without crowding onto the grassy verge. Add to that the fact that people don’t use turn signals and tend to nose their way out into the road because visibility at corners is often obscured by high vegetation. Also, lanes tends to disappear without warning and drivers aren't good at staying in their lanes. In addition, the lines stripping has mostly worn off (or was never there in the first place). Drivers are pretty tolerant and courteous and often allow entering drivers to join the traffic stream. In town, drivers will yield to pedestrians almost anywhere and stop in the middle of traffic to do so. The road authority is conflicted in their markings. The speed limit is listed in miles per hour but the distance posts (mileposts) and distance to towns are in kilometers. It makes for a nerve-wracking drive.

    More exploring tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 6

    Day 6 - Around Rincon

    February 7, 2023 in Puerto Rico

    After breakfast, John and I went out to a bakery for treats. John got a bunch of doughnuts while I found “elephant ears” and a meat pastry. He and I went to one of the snorkeling tour companies to ask about tours but their boat was out of the water for maintenance. They also said it’s difficult to get out to Derecho Island (known for its good snorkeling and diving), which lies some 14 miles off the coast here. The seas are too rough in winter and even in summer they need near perfect weather. On the way back to the condo, I stopped to get money from an ATM – an easy process. We brought the sweets back to the condo to share while the group talked about what to do today. We tossed ideas around but never made a decision. We did develop some ideas for later in the week – planning to snorkel tomorrow and do a day trip to Ponce on Thursday.

    Several of the group walk extensively in the morning and through the day. Others are into sunning on the beach with a swim to cool off. I joined the swimmers to test out a new snorkel and mask. Back at the condo we made some sandwiches for lunch. Having enough of inactivity, I said I was going to the Rincon lighthouse and asked who wanted to go along. Only Paul declined so we loaded up the cars and drove into Rincon. We stopped to walk around the small downtown looking at shops. We continued the few miles to the lighthouse on the point a bit north on Rincon. The lighthouse is a lovely site on a cliff with a park around it. We walked around. Just below, dozens of surfers were catching small waves close to the cliff. At one end of the park is a bar where we sat to have a drink. We watched more surfers in a sheltered bay in front of the dome of a long decommissioned nuclear plant. It was a great view and we chatted as the afternoon wore on.

    Starting to think about dinner, we went back to the condo and picked up Paul. We piled into one car (the Durango that John’s renting) and went searching. We wound up back the place we ate at last night but investigated another place nearby. This place is right on the beach and we put in our name for a table then stood on the beach hoping the clouds out at sea would clear so we could see the sunset looking out toward Derecho Island. That didn’t happen and the patrons at the full restaurant were waiting for the same thing and not leaving. We gave up waiting and went back to the Shipwreck for another good meal. Back to the condo to finish the evening chit-chatting.

    People on the island are very friendly. It seems that anyone who works in tourism or the service fields speaks good English. (That leads to a back and forth when I try to chat because I try to speak Spanish and they answer in English.) The vendors are always willing to explain their wares and often offer suggestions about where to go or what to see. Very pleasant.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    1
    Day 7

    Day 7 - Snorkeling

    February 8, 2023 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    John and I dashed out for bananas after breakfast (10 bananas and a pineapple = $12 – this place is not cheap!). Then the group packed up the cars and headed over to the Tres Palmas Nature Preserve for some snorkeling around 11:00. We’d been told today would be our best bet this week for it because of the big swells on other days. Talking (again)to the dive charter people, they said there really aren’t any places around Rincon for good snorkeling but just off shore in the Reserve would be our best bet. We were just by the boat put-in and it was busy with beachgoers and small sailing and motorboats coming and going. There were several other groups of snorkelers nearby. It took us a while to find a spot to get in the water but we settled on a spot just in front of the restaurant we didn’t go to last night (La Copa Llena). Marie, Paul, John and I put on out gear and got into the water. John blew a flipper almost immediately and had to go back in. The three of us spent about an hour paddling about 100 feet off shore and looking at the coral and fish. Compared to the US Virgin Island and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (the two places where I have done extensive snorkeling), the coral here was prosaic with a small fish population. The water was a bit turbid (with the heavy swells) but it was good to be diving. Back on land, Gail had been sitting under a tree watching an iguana climb around above her. I walked up to Steps Beach with Marie and Rita, finding a swing fixed to a tree over the water and trying it out.

    We headed back to the condo about 15:00 where we showered off and munched lunch. Took a bit of a break until heading back out to La Copa Llena to get a table with a sunset view. Had a great dinner although the sunset was a disappointment as clouds just at the horizon obscured the final moments of the set. Looking around, it seemed that most of the patrons are statesiders and English is the only language you hear. The wait staff at the Copa (as well as at the Shipwreck) are all from the US. Rincon is a tourist mecca and there are a lot of stateside people visiting and working here. Most of the Copa staff turned out to be surfers down here for the winter season. Tomorrow is supposed to be a good surf day (20-foot waves) and the waiters are looking forward to a great day. Headed home about 19:30 to an early bed in prep for an early start tomorrow (Mayaguez and Cabo Roja and back to Rincon for the afternoon market).

    The weather, in general, is hard to beat. Temps range from low 70s in the early morning to highs in the mid-80s. There is a breeze blowing almost constantly. The skies are clear with some patchy clouds. An occasional, brief shower comes by but moves on shortly. It’s easy to see why this area is popular with tourists.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 8

    Day 8 - The Southwest corner

    February 9, 2023 in Puerto Rico

    Got started early (08:30) after making a picnic lunch to take along. We caravaned south to the Morrillos Peninsula at the southwest tip of the island. Parked and some of us walked the mile or so to the lighthouse of Cabo Rojo. You used to be able to drive much closer to the point but not too long ago a 24-year-old American was filming himself on one of the cliffs on TikTok and fell to his death. The area has been closed to cars since then. (Not sure how that is connected but that’s the story.) The lighthouse sits on a high limestone hill and gives breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea to the south and west. The surrounding area is a salt flat and nature preserve. There are guided walks from the HQ of the reserve through the flats (we didn’t take any). To the east of the lighthouse is a beautiful, secluded beach (“Dirty Beach”) hailed as the best beach on the island. I didn’t get down to it but it looked just about perfect with a wide, crescent, white beach inside a sheltered bay. I walked back along the coast path through the eroded limestone formations.

    We drove up to the town of Cabo Rojo to Combate Beach. This is a flat white-sand beach with shade trees along it. It was busy (even on a Thursday) and we set up a bit of a camp and had our lunch there. Some of us went swimming and walking along the beach. We drove up along the coast through Cabo Rojo and into Boqueron then continued to Mayaguez. The route hugged the shore, passing through small communities without much demarcation between them – just a continuous string of houses. There is no beach along this stretch – just water coming right up to the houses or businesses at the shore. The effects of H. Maria don’t seem to be as bad in this area but maybe I just didn’t see them.

    Back at the condo, we took a break then headed into town. The girls went to the local, weekly market to see what they could find while the guys (and Lori, who wasn’t interested in crafts) went to the Rincon lighthouse hoping to watch the surfers. As predicted, the surf was way up. The wind was blowing against the 20-foot waves whipping spume over them as they crashed and foamed. Whereas Tuesday we saw dozens of surfers trying the small (5 to 10-foot) waves, today we saw only a handful trying to ride the big ones. The surfers weren’t up near the lighthouse, except for a few brave souls; they were further south nearer Step Beach. Took some pics and a couple videos of the pounding surf and the riders. The girls reported that the market was small but they picked up a few souvenirs.

    We coordinated via phone with the other car and agreed to meet for dinner at Cowboys Restaurant – billed as the best BBQ in Rincon. This place is up in the hills to the east of downtown. This turned out to be a great eatery, somewhat less expensive than the places along the shore that we’d been to the past three days. We all had great meals. Back at the condo, we discussed what to do tomorrow. There seems to be only marginal interest in another car trip to Ponce. We’ll see.    Read more

  • TravelerPuerto Rico, 2/2023
    Day 9

    Day 9 - The Rose and San Sebastian

    February 10, 2023 in Puerto Rico ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    For breakfast, we went to the condo owner’s favorite place – The English Rose. This place was a bit outside Rincon, up and down a series of steep, steep hills. Rincon is located at the western edge of one of the central mountain ranges and has hilly (even mountainous) terrain. Last night getting to Cowboys and today getting to the Rose, we had to climb those hills. It’s hard to estimate but some of the inclines could be in the 20% grade category. In contrast, yesterday’s drive down south rolled through almost flat terrain. The English Rose’s motto is, “Keep Calm and Drive Up.”

    The Rose sits at the top of one hill looking out over the sea to the west – a fantastic view. It was (another) clear and sunny morning. It was busy there, but we got a table and ordered. Everybody was having morning cocktails and most of the group joined in. Again, the wait staff was largely statesiders with several Puerto Ricans. Our waitress was a long-term PR resident from Seattle (“grew up here,” she said). We had a great breakfast; I had a good ceviche.

    Back to the condo to relax a bit. About 12:30, Gail, Andrea and I took off to explore the interior while the rest stayed around to beach it. We headed to San Sebastian, a (according to the guidebook) sleepy town of no particular interest up in the mountains east of Rincon. The road we took, PR 109, was a narrow, winding, up and down along the river. We stopped to look at the banana fields along the sides and passed through the small town of Añasco. There wasn’t a lot of traffic but the road is very narrow in places so driving was tricky. In one stretch the road crew was resurfacing the pavement and we had to wait to pass. We climbed up the San Francisco mountains to San Sebastian and found a relatively large, clean, and vibrant city. Parked at the city central plaza, which is laid out in typical Iberian fashion with the church at one end, the city offices at the other and businesses along the sides. Visited the history museum for the local area in a wealthy businessman’s former home on the square. There, a docent explained (in English) that the museum had recreated the 19th century furnishings downstairs and had local history exhibits upstairs – including some (small) sections on the indigenous Taino population - that had been almost wiped out by the Spanish colonists and the diseases they introduced. I chatted with him in Spanish and he said we should visit the falls nearby (which was not in our guidebook). I got directions (and found it on my Google Maps app).

    When we finished looking around, we searched out the falls – Cascada Gozalandia – up another narrow, crooked road but only 10 minutes outside town. We found a very popular and developed tourist spot with concrete sidewalks leading down to the falls, along with a small bar/restaurant. We walked down to the falls (there are three small cascades) where people were frolicking in the pools below the drops and jumping through the water into the pool. Andrea and I walked up to the second and third cascades while Gail went back to the bar. She has been searching for empanadas since we got here and hadn’t found any. This bar had some so she got eight to take back. We joined her and headed back “home” taking a different (and much better) route. The outskirts of the city were built up with modern shopping areas and big box stores. The reality of this little jewel was very different from what the guidebook had led us to believe.

    Back at the condo, we prepared a “last” supper of the empanadas and much of the leftovers from our grocery shopping trip at the beginning of the week. We went over to the beach for a final group pic.

    Tomorrow will be an early start for the three-hour drive back to San Juan to catch our mid-afternoon flight.    Read more

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