Well, it looks like fall is finally upon us. The colder weather has me thinking about warmer climates so now seems like a good time as any to share about our trip to Puerto Rico this past January. Raisin Bread and I spent two days on our own and then met up with a friend from NYC.
We arrived in San Juan very late on our first night and simply picked up our rental car and drove to the hotel in the business district of San Juan.
Our first day was packed with lots of activity. Unfortunately, over the last nine months, we managed to lose all of the pictures that we took using our underwater camera. Our first stop was Pelayo's for breakfast, where we had a difficult time communicating and, yet, were able to procure some yummy sandwiches, flan and coffees!
Next, we drove an hour to the east to visit El Yunque National Forest. We climbed to the top of Yokahu Observation Tower, which gave us amazing views of the forest, and we visited two waterfalls, La Coca Falls and La Mina Falls. There seemed to be a taekwondo club doing a photo shoot the entire time we were there. We went to La Coca Falls first and when we came back, they were still there!
We continued our drive east to Luquillo Beach and found ourselves a nice piece of sand for a short nap before we had a late lunch at the kioskos. I wanted to sample every stall along the beach but we finally settled on ceviche! So delicious!
We kayaked in the bioluminescent bay, which was my number one must-do for this trip. It did not disappoint. The moon was bright and after making our way through the mangroves, we were transported to another world of dinoflagellates.
Our grand plan for the evening was to attend the San Sebastian Festival in Old Town San Juan but it was not meant to be. We gave up on the public transportation and everyone we talked to urged us not to drive downtown. Instead, we found ourselves a pile of chicken wings and a mountain of mofongo at Waiter's Bar and Grill.
The second part of our trip was spent in Rincon, where the surf rats go to chill. While we aren't surf rats, chilling sounded like a good idea.
Along the drive from San Juan to Rincon, we stumbled upon an extremely popular empanadilla truck and were treated to beautiful views of the coast line.
Once in Rincon, I believe we spent entirely too much time at Tamboo, where I will admit to having at least one pina colada, and proceeded to purchase the "Pirate Special" at Villa Cofresi. But hey, it came with a free sunset.
After dinner, we headed back to our vacation house to settle in for the night when, lo and behold, there was a birthday party at the clubhouse! As we were walking past the sliding glass doors, the birthday boy waved us in. That is how we ended the night with some super fun locals and
Banda Kamaleon!
The next morning, my ears were still ringing. This iguana we found laying by the pool seemed to have the right idea.
Instead, like any reasonable person, I decided to follow through on my original plan to go to a detox yoga class. I'm happy I did. It was the first time I've done a yoga class outdoors. Being outside on the beach, where it was peaceful and quiet, was just what I needed.
We eventually made our way back to San Juan, where we had a few hours to explore Old San Juan before heading home to D.C.
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