Puerto Rico > Oahu!

I love Red-Eye’s, not the eye ailment, but the flights that are known so ubiquitously. No matter how much other travelers despise them, I have an affinity for them. They allow me to work a full-day and yet be at my destination the following morning (within reason/distance of course) ready to explore. Now, this may sound foreign to those readers in Europe and elsewhere in the world. But, for us in the American workforce we know what a luxury each day of paid-time-off is.

 
My most recent red-eye took me to the shores of the Caribbean. Puerto Rico to be exact, known in Spanish as Isla Del Encanto (which translates into "the island of enchantment”). Having slept through the majority of the first and half of the second flight (I had to connect at EWR) I was feeling as refreshed as you can be after an eleven hour sojourn cross-country. Any sleepiness that lingered was quickly extinguished while landing. We actually experienced what they call a ‘hard landing’. I knew something had gone awry when I heard the engines rev back-up upon touch-down. So, after a failed landing we took to the skies once again and circled Luiz Munoz International Airport. 

After a successful second landing, grabbing my luggage and renting my car for the duration of my stay I found my out of the airport and headed towards the Condado area. I checked into my studio apartment that I had rented for a steal, considering the location, from Airbnb. I proceeded to walk the well-manicured, ocean and lagoon straddling main-drag of the Condado area of San Juan. Within steps of my apartment were many eateries, bars and luxury hotels with casinos and more restaurants. Famished, I went in search of some local fare. First up was a Medalla (local beer) and some Ropa Viejo (shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base) Mofongo. Mofongo is a Puerto Rican staple made from mashed up fried green plantains. After satisfying my satiety, next up was a swim in the warm Caribbean waters that were lapping onto a small strip of beach adjacent to the Conrad Condado Hotel. It was by no means the best beach, but it sufficed and I was enjoying the tropical, salty breeze that almost had a lullaby affect. 

After sunset I headed back to the studio and rested, being that it was a Friday night I wanted to save some energy for the nightlife. 

Boriquans don't go out till late - with dinner also being a late affair. Even at 8 o'clock the restaurants were relatively quiet. I went to a Peruvian/Puerto Rican fusion restaurant (Puerto Peru) for dinner - my waiter a Dominican transplant and like many locals was friendly and even gave me a list of all the hot spots to check out. That night I tried mofongo again, this time the prawn variety, it went down well with the strong Mojitos that were being served at this very fine establishment. :) The streets slowly started to get busy, with many a local crowding the streets to what is the equivalent of the 'joy ride' or 'jerk ride' as it was explained to me by a very friendly taxi driver.

That night I ended up first in Old San Juan's Nuyorican Cafe, it's more dance club than a cafe. That night they had a live salsa band and many of the patrons were getting their salsa groove on. However, my highlight from the San Juan area that night was a hole-in-the-wall bar adjacent to Nuyorican Cafe. It was, from what I gathered, an all local crowd drinking rum concoctions and listening to Reggaeton. Randomly though, this bar actually had a ceremonial mask that can only be found in Sri Lanka. After a couple hours here and getting to know some locals I headed to Club Brava at the San Juan Hotel. After another Mojito and some people watching I was back heading towards Condado. It was close to 4:30am when I decided to call it quits. 

Saturday was Discovery of Puerto Rico day, unfortunately I slept-in till late. I did catch some festivities in Old San Juan late in the afternoon. It was a great day and the locals were enjoying the celebrations of their history. Old San Juan is also a great spot for all types of photogs and I was enjoying the various photo opportunities that presented itself, especially in the waning daylight. On the recommendation of some friends I went to Barrachina - the birthplace of the Original Piña Colada. Honestly, the Piña Colada wasn't my cup of tea (this was my very first). The pineapple and coconut cream mixture takes some getting used and after one of them I switched back to Mojitos. While I was waiting on my dinner, Bistec Fortelaza (Skirt Steak stuffed with ham, Swiss cheese, onions and peppers covered in mushroom sauce), I was chatting to an Australian couple who attested that the Piña Colada here was indeed the best in San Juan (at least by their standards). C'est la vie. Tonight, I headed back to the studio early. For tomorrow I'd be going on an adventure, an adventure that is rated Top 500 by National Geographic! 

Early in the morning, 5:45am we were off to the Rio Camuy Caves for some Caving/Spelunking. (More on that to come). The Caving adventure was probably one of my favorite excursions I've done in all my travels and I'd highly recommend it anyone that is visiting Puerto Rico. (www.aventuraspr.com)

I was so tired after the physicality and the lack of sleep from the previous night that I passed out for a few hours back at the studio. That night I was keen to go out, but I had another early morning planned with a snorkeling excursion the following morning. 

Monday morning, I was off to the coastal town of Fajardo - about an hours drive from San Juan. I had booked a snorkeling excursion with a local outfitter just south of Fajardo. Unfortunately, the swells were preventing us heading towards Culebra. I was keen on Culebra because its Flamenco Beach is highly recommended by travelers and locals alike. Instead, we were off to the uninhabited island of Icacos. As soon as we were given the all clear I was in the water. While the rest of the folks were still loitering on the boat!!! While the snorkeling didn't compare to the snorkeling I had done earlier this year in Thailand it still was amazing. In my opinion the higher salt content of the Caribbean makes it easier to snorkel for a long period of time. In fact, I had stayed out in the water the entire time we were in Icacos. Saw some really awesome marine life; including a trumpet fish that camouflaged itself amidst the sea weed and an extremely shy octopus that I happened upon for a brief second. There was a Blue Tang that followed me around the reefs off Icacos and another that kept me company on the reefs of Palamino later (our second stop). Most snorkeling outfitters provide lunch and unlimited rum punches and other beverages. 

My excursions for the day hadn't finished, next on the schedule was kayaking in the bio-luminescent bay (La Laguna Grande) north of Fajardo. There are two-trips that each outfitter plans for the night, one right after dusk and the well into the night. I headed out on the later excursion. None of the review could prepare me for this experience. You set out in pitch black conditions, the only thing to guide you are small LED lights on the guides kayak. The entrance to the larger lagoon is through a mile-long strip of water that is fenced in by mangroves. Before getting into the lagoon proper you could spot hints of the single-celled bioluminescent dinoflagellates as oar broke the serenity of the water. Some kayaking ability is required as there are many kayaking outfitters that lead tours into the lagoon and the opportunity for crashing with other kayakers is high. Once in the lagoon you can run your hand in the water, and it would seem your hand was 'on fire' underwater. This is one place you would hope for a brief tropical shower, imagine seeing the water light-up as each droplet disturbed the surface. The whole excursion takes about an hour and a half. The darker it is, especially moonless nights are the best to go out onto the lagoon.

My last full day in San Juan (and Puerto Rico) and I was hell-bent on making the most of it. I had to, had to, eat some BBQ-ed pork! After hearing so much about La Ruta del Lechon (the 'pork highway') from Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern I was sure it'd be on my to-do-list. However, there was a place right in San Juan that could rival the lechoneras of Cayey, Bebo's. So for lunch on Tuesday I was at Bebos, just before the locals got off for their lunch break. I ordered both the BBQ pork and some flavored rice. What was most impressive was that the pork wasn't doused with many a spice, but held up all on its own. All I can say is, you have to go to Bebo's when in San Juan. All BBQ pork should taste like that. To avoid a food coma I was off to old San Juan to catch the ferry over to the Bacardi Rum factory. The ferry is really cheap to Cataño, 50 cents one way. It also allows you a different view of San Juan, especially the huge cruise ships that come into the harbor to dock. The neighborhood around the Bacardi rum factory is dodgy - especially right outside the ferry dock. I enjoyed the tour of distillery and the two free drinks that comes with the tour. Although, I don't know if it's worth taking a taxi over to it ($35, one way). I'd only suggest it if you have extra time to spend in San Juan. I took the ferry back to Old town San Juan and spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening walking around the fort and the cobble-stone streets of the old town. 

That night, I wanted to try the up-scale restaurant at the Conrad Condado called Pikayo. It was pricey but the food was good - I had the jumbo prawns and pork belly sliders and many a mojito to wash it down. I finished the night off smoking a cigar and sipping some eight year old Bacardi rum at a open-air restaurant (Via Appia) facing the 'window to the sea' park. It was the perfect end to my Puerto Rican adventure - Rum, Cigar and Pork being the common thread that wove this trip together.

The next morning after checking out of my studio I was back heading towards Bebo's for a final BBQ pork and ribs combo before heading to the airport, across the street). The perfect send-off to an enchanting place. 

I know the title of this post is startling but in all honesty I had a blast in Puerto Rico. It still maintains its own culture - something I missed in Hawaii. I hope you all give Puerto Rico to enchant you. I know it certainly left a lasting impression on me.