Destination: Puerto Rico

A photo I captured while strolling the streets of Viejo (Old Town) San Juan. circa 2017.

Three years ago if you asked me what I knew about Puerto Rico, I would have probably said something about Jennifer Lopez. I never really thought much about Puerto Rico, except that it has a weird history with U.S. statehood. However, after meeting some Puerto Ricans during my time at university, I learned a great deal about the people, culture, and food of Puerto Rico. Thus, began my desire to travel to Puerto Rico.

After getting to know a culture so unlike any other Latino culture, I had to visit Puerto Rico. So, the first opportunity we had, we packed our bags and made our way to the island. There is a standing tradition where Puerto Ricans do this massive applause upon landing in Puerto Rico, which was my indication that this place is genuinely unique. As we exited the plane energized by the performance, my friend met us at the baggage claim. We stepped out of the airport and the warm island air hit me immediately, it was a refreshing change of pace from the freezing temperatures of Indiana.

First stop: Denny’s; my last taste of home. It was pretty late and I was drained from the day’s travels. We met up with a couple of my friend’s friends and EVERYONE was speaking a strange Puerto Rican dialect of Spanish. It’s important to note that Puerto Rican Spanish is extremely different from any other Spanish dialect because there are a lot of Puerto Rican-specific vocabulary that nobody uses outside of Puerto Rico. So, a jetlagged Brett thrown in the midst of this very foreign conversation was exactly as unsuccessful as it sounds.

Finally, we made the trek to our accommodations for the night, at a cozy 3:00 am. Our friend’s place sits right off the beach, so, after a refreshing night’s sleep, we wandered out to explore the beach. Honestly, I was most excited for this day, Sunday, because we were going to Guavate, PORK HIGHWAY. I love food, and so do Puerto Ricans, so naturally we get along pretty well. Finally, we get to this elusive place and order our food. Apparently, it’s a delicacy to eat the pigskin, but it’s a pretty foreign concept to me. Since I had promised myself that I would be open-minded, I caved and took a bite of the pork skin. It had a peculiar texture but was rich in flavor. I was very impressed by Guavate, it had pushed me to try something unique and I had enjoyed it.

That evening, we made our way into San Juan, where we found ourselves in Viejo (Old) San Juan. Viejo San Juan is a charming portion of the city, full of vibrant pastel colors that reflect the tropical ambiance of the island. We watched the sunset along the boardwalk, and as the sun disappeared behind El Morro, the old Spanish Fort in San Juan, the sky exploded with breathtaking shades of orange. Once the orange faded into black, we retired for the evening.

Sunset over El Morro (the old Spanish fort) in San Juan.

This was my first time in the Caribbean, first time to a real island. This made it all the more intriguing when I found out that we were going to Isla Icacos, another island off the coast of the island we were already on! We made our journey to Fajardo, a small town on the northeast coast, where we were to cruise to Icacos. As we piled into this “boat” that looked more like a dinghy, I was convinced that we were going to capsize. Ten minutes later, to my surprise and relief, we pulled up onto the shore still intact. We got out and set up camp under the shade of a palm tree. It was fascinating to explore Icacos, but there was really only one thing a fair-skinned individual such as myself could do: burn. When we got home that night, not only did I look like a ripe tomato, but I felt like I was covered in fire ants – this would persist for the remainder of our stay.

We went back to Viejo San Juan the next day to continue our exploration of the city. The glimpse of pastels I caught a couple days prior now stood in full light, even more vibrant than I imagined. Traversing through these narrow cobblestone streets brought back memories of the Spanish architecture I have come to admire. Coming upon the imposing presence of El Morro, it was easy to see the history written on the battle-worn walls. We strolled through the city, stopping periodically to test the local cuisines (obviously this was a highlight for me). Lunch was our rendezvous point where we met my friend’s mom. She was, what I envisioned to be, the epitome of a Latina mom. I thought the typical Puerto Rican spoke fast until I met her; she was talking so fast, I wasn’t even sure she finished one word before starting another. We ate lunch at this quaint little Cuban-style restaurant in the heart of Viejo San Juan. This Cuban food was unlike any I had before. At this moment in time, I started feeling less like a tourist and more like I belonged. We made our way up and down the strip until we were dog-tired and the sun retired back into the ocean.

We were up and going by sunrise the next day; today is the day we trek deep into El Yunque, Puerto Rico’s exotic rainforest. We made a long winding drive up to our destination and, unexpectedly, the paved road turned into dirt. We pulled off and hiked to the trailhead. I stopped dead in my tracks when I read a sign that said “WARNING: Deer, bears, and black panthers.” I’m sorry black panthers?! Whoever created this sign was so casual about the fact there are black panthers up here. Nevertheless, we continued past the ominous sign and wandered deeper into the wilderness. Everything in El Yunque was lusciously green and, after an hour of hiking, we arrived at our destination: a massive waterfall of 100 meters in stature. Naturally, we dived directly into the icy water which was a refreshing change from the humid spring air I had grown accustomed to. The raging water created a deep pool that you could dive into and play around in. After a while, we perched upon a dry rock to relax and admire the profound ambiance of El Yunque.

That night, we went to my friend’s family reunion. This had to be the highlight of the trip because it was a very culturally enlightening experience. You can’t truly experience a culture until you have been immersed in it, and this family reunion was me jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim. I conversed with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, and it was very interesting to begin to understand their different world-views. The week was already halfway over, and after everything I had done, I didn’t think I could ever go back to Indiana.

Bright and early the next morning, we made our way into Cabo Rojo where my friend’s family resides. We spent a couple days there, traveling the noticeably less touristy west side of the island. One of my friends is originally from Cabo Rojo, so we met up with her childhood best friend. I really enjoyed this experience because it felt so surreal to me because I genuinely felt like a local. We were all talking in Spanish and eating at this tiny restaurant where I was able to order octopus and a Medalla (a popular Puerto Rican beer brand). That night, we went to a festival at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. I was mesmerized by the entire experience. Everything felt like the kind of things you would see at a county fair in Indiana, but with a distinctly Puerto Rican take on everything. They were playing Reggaeton music over the speakers and all of the booths were selling Puerto Rican street food.

The next day, we took what I thought would be a relaxing boat ride out to a sandbar area off the southwestern coast of the island, but these waters were noticeably choppier than those on the northeast side of the island. I was convinced this time would be the time we get thrown into the bottomless abyss of the Caribbean. Once I finally managed to get acclimated to the choppy waters, I was struck by the massive sheer cliffs that fell straight into the sea. It truly is a unique perspective that you rarely get to see from land. An hour later we pulled up on this quaint sandbar, called Caracoles, which sits maybe a kilometer off the coast. The water was impeccably clear and chilled. We jumped out of the boat and went snorkeling. In the hidden nooks and crannies, there were marvelously colored fish, the kind you would find in an aquarium. After an afternoon of kicking back to cerveza and snorkeling, we made our way back to shore. That evening we made a long trek across the island back towards San Juan, absorbing our last exposure of the island.

We left for the airport before sunrise. We were all clearly worn out by the week and there was a somber atmosphere in the car. It was time to leave. Goodbye Puerto Rico, until next time.

Looking back on my travels in Puerto Rico, I cherish the things I saw and the experiences I gained. While most people only brush the surface with the tourist-filled areas of San Juan, I was able to dive deep into the backcountry and immerse myself in the culture by tasting authentic foods and talking to locals.

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