For the second half of our Vacation we stayed in Puerto Rico. We rented a condo in Ashford Imperial on Condado Beach. I am not going to lie. I was so happy to get off the ship and stay in a condo. That being said I always get a bit of culture shock when we get to a new place. I was pretty emotional when we first got there. Everything was in spanish and navigating was a bit painful.
We rented a car at Charlies and then headed straight for Walmart. This is Randy's version of culture shock. Eyes wide open trying to get around when every sign is in Spanish. We figured it out and where champs by the end of the 5 days.
The Walmart was crazy. It had a huge escalator for your carts because it had multiple levels. It was nuts. We picked up some groceries for the week. We tried to find peanut butter...an american staple. After completely searching the store we finally found a tiny jar of it in on an obscure shelf. When we checked out the teenager helping us said he hated peanut butter and so did most people.
Brad and Claire had sent us multiple pictures of them getting ice-cream with Nanny and Papa so we thought we would return the favor.
For lunch we went to Danny's across from the Hotel.
After we got settled in the Condo we headed down to Condado beach to see the sunset.
The ocean was beautiful.
We walked along the boardwalk. There were crabs everywhere. They loved the rocks.
It is so frustrating when you take a picture and it doesn't do it any justice. I just wanted to bottle up the sound and smell and warmth of the air to bring home for the kids to share.
We got back to the Condo just as it got dark to change and go to dinner. The city lit up and cars started streaming in from everywhere. It got really loud. There was music, cars, and people everywhere.
The locals recommended Orozcos so we went there for dinner. It was authentic Puerto Rican food. We ordered calamari for our appetizer. It was amazing.
Then we ordered Mofongo for our entree. It is plantains cooked three different ways then smashed into a ball and smothered in gravy. It didn't look very good so I was skeptical. I couldn't believe how amazing it tasted. I couldn't get enough of it.
I had to fight Randy for the last few bites. I loved it.
The next day we wanted to tour the island. Our first stop was to see the Rio Camuy Cave Park. It is the world's 3rd largest cave system. We had to ride on a trolley through rain forest to get to it.
I was so amazed at how beautiful the rain forest was. Everything was so green and lush.
This is the entrance to the Cueva Clara cave. It was pretty spectacular.
The air was so hot and humid. You can see the intense humidity in the air. We were soaking wet by the time we were done.
This is the other end of the cave where it opens up to sky.
The Camuy River runs through the bottom of the cave.
The tour guide pointed out these spiders on the walls of the cave that you could only see when you used your flash. This spider was as big as by hand. I was completely freaked out the rest of the tour.
There are 13 bat colonies that live in the cave. You could smell, hear, and see the bats flying around. Kind of creepy.
After driving though Rio Camuy Cave Park we headed West to see the other side of Puerto Rico. I loved driving down these streets. Vines grew everywhere and I felt like we we in a constant tunnel of jungle.
For lunch we stopped at the side of the road to get something to eat. This place was busy with a bunch of locals so we figured it must be good. The entire menu was in Spanish so we just asked the lady to give us something good.
She brought us an ENTIRE plate of pit roasted pig, beans and rice and a ball of mofongo. It was greasy, heavy, and so divine. We ate every last bite and licked our fingers clean. It was such good street food.
We saw beautiful farms and towns. It was nice to get out of the touristy places.
We stopped at a dollar store to pick up some Puerto Rican candy for the kids.
We headed all the way West until we hit Rincon. This is the surfing side of the island.
There were iguanas all over. I can only compare it to our chipmunks or squirrels.
We sat up here for a few minutes ans watched the surfers below.
This beach was so different than the one we were staying at.
Rincon lighthouse.
After Rincon we jumped in the car and raced to Isabella to see the sunset. We stopped at Crash Boat Beach. We could tell the moment we got there that this was where the locals would hang out.
We sat and watched a guy train pelicans. He had them all named and they obeyed his commands. I don't know if this guy was crazy or really smart. Either way it was very entertaining to watch.
Then we walked out on this pier and watched the local teens fish and jump into the water. They would climb on that post and dive into the ocean. I loved it. I could have stayed and watched for hours.
The sunset was incredible.
Again the crabs...everywhere.
I didn't want to leave this beach.
The drive home was long but the freeway is nice. They have toll roads so we paid the extra to just drive straight through. Since they toll the freeways were kept up very well.
The next day we dedicated to touring Old San Juan. Our first stop was the old cemetery on the ocean.
It was so old and amazing.
I loved how weathered everything looked from the ocean.
Then we walked across this HUGE grassy area to see the old fort.
There are 2 fortresses, one at each peak. The cemetery is in the center.
It just so happed to be Veterans Day so we got in for free. What an awesome coincidence.
San Juan was a major port stop for ships sailing to the Americas. They had to have it heavily protected. Puerto Rico was constantly under attack. The city has mostly Spanish influence but also had a very European feel. I loved walking around the fortress. It was HUGE.
After we saw El Morrow fortress we walked around the city square.
I loved all the sculptures. Puerto Rico has so much rich history.
I loved the cobblestone streets and the colorful buildings.
Then we headed to the other fortress Castillo San Cristobal. It was built later on and had a very European feel.
We got to go down and see the dungeon where they kept their prisoners.
There is a legend of a ship captain that was held prisoner for years. He etched his ship into the rock wall. It is unknown how he survived for so long.
This is the tiny window in the dungeon.
After seeing the 2 fortresses we headed into the main part of the city to find something to eat. I couldn't believe how many cars were crammed into these tiny parking spaces. With some awesome coaching I helped Randy squeeze into this tiny parking space. We were quite proud of our parking job.
We saw this sign all over the island so we had to snap a picture. It made us laugh every time we saw it. I don't think you can out run a tsunami.
We picked Manolin for lunch. It was packed with locals which is always a good sign. We waited to be seated and the line got really long right after we got there. Our timing was perfect.
Randy ordered garlic shrimp and I ordered egg battered steak. It was all very good.
For dessert we told the waiter to bring us his favorite. He brought us a pistachio cake. I looked at it and felt kinda disappointed. It didn't look that impressive. I took one bite and went crazy. It was seriously delicious.
Randy only got about 20% of the cake. We fought over this last bite and I won!! I have to find this recipe somehow.
Then we walked around town for a bit.
These green birds were everywhere.
After Old San Juan we went back to the condo and ate dinner. Then we drove to Isla Verde beach. It is a really touristy beach with lots of people. We didn't feel like getting in the water so we walked around and collected shells for the kids.
It was so weird to see lizards all over the place.
Puerto Rico is also known for coqui frogs. At night they would chirp in the trees. It sounded so cool. When we drove around at night we would roll the windows down when we were close to water and we could hear them all around us. It was beautiful.
When we got back to our condo we walked around Ashford avenue and sat on the pier and called the kids. It was hard for me to hide how emotional I was. I was having a great time but I still really missed them. I felt much better after talking to them.
The next day we went to El Yunque rain-forest on the East side of the island. It is a National Park so it reminded me of driving around Yellowstone. It had all the wooden signs and pull outs. Just a whole lot greener.
We stopped at the Mt. Britton tower. It was built so you could go to the top and see the top of the rain forest canopy. Unfortunately it was closed when we got there so this was the best view I could get. It was still pretty spectacular to overlook the rain forest.
Our next stop was to take a hike to La Mina falls. The trail drops down to a beautiful waterfall you can swim in.
The hike was beautiful. The trees and vegetation were unlike anything I had ever seen before.
The falls were beautiful. I couldn't wait to get in. It was hot and humid and we had just hiked down the mountain.
Randy got in first while I took some pictures.
The water was pretty cold so most people wouldn't get in the water. We are so used to swimming in lakes that to us it was no big deal. It was really refreshing. Some of the locals were taking pictures of us because they couldn't believe we would get into such cold water.
On the way down we stopped at the visitors center and walked around.
After we left the rainforest we headed for our next adventure.
One of our Taxi drivers told us about this natural water slide that the locals like to do called Las Paylas. When we pulled up it was literaly someones house and property. They charged us $5 to park our car and walk down to the river.
It is a giant rock that you slide down. There were a bunch of local teenagers there. I was way to chicken to try it so I just watched from the bottom.
The local kids couldn't believe that Randy was willing to try all of it. Randy sat and chatted with them for a while. Their English was pretty good. One of the kids named Christian Gonzolas showed Randy a secret deep water hole. They climbed up a tree and jumped into the water. Some of the local boys wouldn't even try it. They thought Randy was crazy.
Randy had cuts and bruises all down both his sides. He said he had the time of his life. It was a once in a lifetime kind of fun.
We stopped at a bakery that we found on Yelp and had some amazing sandwiches...
...Followed by way too many pastries. Bread pudding, chocolate tornado and tres leches.
We even bought a box of pastries to take back to the condo for breakfast.
That night we booked a Bioluminesent Bay tour in Vieques. It is a Lagoon on the island where the water glows because of microorganisms in the water. When the water is disturbed the half animal half plant emit a bluish green light that can be seen best in the dark.
This was our only picture since we were in kayaks in the dark so we didn't take the camera. Can you tell Randy is tired of me taking pictures of him??
It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. This is a picture off the internet. It was seriously so magical. Every time you put your paddle in the water or splashed the water looked just like this. I had the hardest time paddling correctly down the narrow channel because I was completely distracted by how amazing it was. I couldn't keep my hands out of the water. You could see fish swim by under you because it streaked in the water. I wish I could have done it twice.
The next and last day of our trip we took a Ferry to the Culebra Island just off Puerto Rico. We heard that Flamenco Beach on Culebra is the 2nd most beautiful beach in the world. We had to go. The ferry left at 9:00am and returned at 4:00pm.
I had never been on a ferry boat before so I was pretty excited.
It was pretty small. I was shocked how fast it went.
When we arrived at Flamenco Beach I couldn't believe my eyes. It took my breath away. It was absolutely stunning. The water was crystal clear and the sand was like powder sugar.
There was no one there. It is such a remote Island and only one ferry comes a day so they can only bring over so many people. We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
It was the softest sand ever!!!
We found a spot under a palm tree and just relaxed, swam, and snorkeled.
The water was so calm and crystal clear you could actually see the reef we snorkled around and you could see all the fish swimming around from the shore.
It seemed like a swimming pool. I have never seen anything like it.
Pure paradise!
It was painful knowing we were getting on a plane the next morning.
When we got hungry we headed for a few food shacks the locals ran. We ate cheap and yummy chicken burritos and pina coladas.
We walked from one edge of the beach all the way to the other side.
On the far side of the beach were some abandoned military tanks. In the early 1900's Culebra was used for Naval bombing practice until the people of the island threw a fit. I can see why they were so protective of this beautiful gem of a beach.
By the end of the day I was getting a bit anxious and ready to see my kids. I wrote them a note in the sand right before we left Culebra.
We got to watch the sunset from the ferry on the way back to Puerto Rico.
I got eaten alive by mosquitos just from walking from the dock to our car. I got like 20 plus bites.
On the way back to the condo we were starving. We heard of a place in Luquillo that has a long line of kiosks or garage like buildings with a huge variety of restaurants and shops. We got on Yelp and found a place with good reviews. We decided on Ceviche Hut.
Randy ordered the shrimp and white fish ceviche and I told the waiter to bring me his favorite dish. Up to this point we had some pretty amazing meals. This time we ordered WAY out of our comfort zone. I had a fried fish that was topped with octopus, muscles, squid, and all kinds of sea creatures. I tried really hard to like it but I just couldn't. It made my stomach turn inside out. Randy's ceviche tasted good for the first couple tastes but ceviche is so acidy. It is meant more for a appetizer and not an entire entree. This was the one and only time we struck out with food on this trip. We sort of just pushed our food around the plate and asked for our check. The waiter could tell we didn't like it. He felt bad and we felt awkward. We couldn't wait to get out of there.
On the way home we stopped at a Burger King and Randy tried to order some fries. No one spoke English so it was a bit challenging. It was a rough end to the night.
Once we got back to the condo we packed up all our stuff and crashed we were tired and ready to get home to our kids.
The next morning we ate breakfast one more time at Orozcos on Ashford. We both ordered Huevos Rancheros.
Then we returned our car and headed to the airport for the long flight home.
Or layover in New York was really long. We had to kill 4 hours. We ate Stromboli again then waited and waited and sent the kids goofy pictures.
We came home to Cold cold cold and tons of snow. The weather was so bad that we had to spend the night at my mom's house to get the roads and canyons cleared so we would make it home safe.
We got home early Friday morning the kids had already been dropped off at school so we went to school to give them hugs and kisses. Both Brad and Claire were in tears when we saw them. I was bawling like a baby.
It was so good to see these kiddos. I missed them so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment