Farewell Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

We spent our last day of vacation in San Juan because who wouldn’t want another day in this beautiful city? 

Our first stop was to the oldest cathedral in the United States, St. John’s Basilica.

From here we walked to the wall of the fort and found the site of the church built on the site of a miracle. The story states a rider on his horse was thrown off the edge of the wall after an abrupt stop. The rider survived the fall; the chapel was built to commemorate God’s miracle. 

San Juan in pictures. Every turn brings a new color, new architecture, a food stand, and to Keagan’s delight, another cat. The locals love their cats.

Keagan is super excited to be headed home, to sleep in his own bed, and have unlimited Fifa time. After gelato and dreams of home, Keagan began some deep thinking. Typically, his deep thoughts include something related to history because he’s fascinated with American history, but you’d think after a week in Puerto Rico, he would be thinking of the Spanish conquistadors in the Americas, or fort building, or the destruction of the Taino Indians’ culture. Today’s ponderings, though, were related to slavery. 

“If I could go back in time, I’d want to be saved by Harriett Tubman. I want to know what that was like escaping in the Underground Railroad.” And that was our discussion for the block it took us to get back to the car and make our way to the airport. 

Farewell, Puerto Rico. We had a wonderful week that could have only been better if I was coming home without the 876 bug bites that cover my body. Your people are welcoming, your weather is perfect, your food is wonderful, and your colors are brilliant. What a great week!

Puerto Rico Day #6 - Pinones

After many early mornings, we all slept in today and got a late start to the day. We drove to Pinones for el chinchorrio dining experience. Food is grilled or fried on the streets and then displayed in glass cases for you to select. Patrons are to walk up and down the boardwalk buying an item at a time sampling many different foods. It is very popular with the locals, and a truly authentic Puerto Rican experience. 

A few years ago I would have found this method for food preparation very sketchy, but I have become much more adventurous in my old age. 

Our first stop was for empanadas stuffed with beef, lobster, or crab. They were piping hot and terrific! We walked along the coastline for beautiful views until we made it to the next stand. 

Our second stop was for pina coladas, fried fritters stuffed with yucca, and a pastelle stuffed with octopus. I was a fan of the fritter and Evan was a fan of the drink, but…

Keagan was not sure about the octopus. 

We ate a lot of fried food, so we took the board walk into the mangrove forest to walk it off. This part of the island was hit hard by last year’s hurricane and much of it has not been repaired. 

However, the beach was beautiful and the mangrove forest was teaming with life. Keagan spotted a crab. 

Puerto Rican pride only rivals that of Texans. 

The tip of the boardwalk overlooked the water for more fantastic views.

The boys ended the day taking naps. Wes and I ended the day with one more trip to the beach. 

Puerto Rico Day #5 - Culebra

We were up early like everyone else because Santa brought us catamaran tickets to Culebra. He also got us snorkel gear because you can’t go to the Caribbean and not see fish.

Our first stop took us to caye off of Culebra, a snorkeling spot where we spotted a hawksbill turtle, nurse shark, parrot fish, and puffer fish. We are spoiled, we all admit that, but snorkeling here has nothing on Turks or Roatan. 

From here we headed to Turtle Beach, where turtles feed in the sea grass and nest in the sandy beaches. 

We snorkeled some more, swam in the prettiest clear blue waters, and sat in the finest sand I’ve ever seen. Our tour guide likened it to talcum powder. Nothing could be more true. I can now say I see the reason so many people refer to this as the most beautiful island. 

I had fried yautias and a glass of coquito for dinner. In my next life I want to be a red headed Puerto Rican that’s immune to sand fleas and mosquitoes.

Warmest holiday wishes from our family to yours!

Puerto Rico Day #4 - Caraboli

This is probably Keagan’s favorite day trip of the week. Some people vacation for rest and relaxation, and we do that, too, but there has to be something new, something exciting, something fun. What teen boy doesn’t like the combination of mud, water, and ATVs? Keagan loved today’s adventure! Evan didn’t really wake up until an hour into the ride, as seen in this photo,

We took ATVs down muddy trails through the rain forest and stopped several times to soak in the views and swim in the river. 

The rain forest is breathtaking! I wish I could enjoy the smell of the flowers and nature. 

One stop included fresh passion fruit juice and chicken on a stick. This was great because it had been 90 minutes since Keagan’s last meal and it was time for him to refuel. 

I wish we would have had this pic taken with no masks, but masks, unfortunately, are mandated here in Puerto Rico. 

We had tacos for lunch, picked up pastries at the panderia for dessert, and returned home for a siesta, reading, and FIFA. 

A night cap of coquito, a distant fireworks show, and all is well. 

Merry Christmas Eve!

Puerto Rico Day #3 - San Juan

Today’s travels took us to the city of San Juan. I loved it here because of the combination of the Taino Indian influence, the Old World European Charm, and the modern buildings and outdoor eateries. The brightly colored buildings were Caribbean-esque, and Puerto Rican pride was evident on every street.

The boys took a couple of shots on the Carmelo Anthony Court that overlooked the water.

We toured both of the castles, El Morro and San Cristobal, and climbed to the top for gorgeous panoramic views. We took so many beautiful pictures; it was hard to choose just a few.

We grabbed lunch at a food truck, and took my friend’s suggestion to eat fried cod. (That hair. Wes kindly told me today I needed a refund on my shampoo because the anti-frizz promise is not holding up in this humidity.)

Keagan loved the bacalaito and surullito so much he went back to buy another round for an afternoon snack. 

After we dropped Makinley off at the airport (she’s off to spend Christmas with her family), we headed to the beach to drink Jarritos and watch the sunset. 

We were pleasantly surprised after dinner by a parade of decorated golf carts and bikes that took to the streets of the neighborhood. People played music, dressed in costumes, and danced. So fun!