I’m a bit exhausted as I write this post. This past weekend, we hopped on a plane and headed to Puerto Rico for a couple of (very active) days. I’ve been to Puerto Rico before but the last time I was in San Juan, I was maybe eleven years old with a salty ‘tude and little patience for family vacations. So this visit was paid with zero memory (or expectations). Armed with a handful of recs and ressies, we arrived with a packed Puerto Rico itinerary and high ambitions of fulfilling it. We’re not really ones to normally travel with agendas or go against the flow but there was much to do while on island having a loose plan worked to our advantage. We had 2 1/2 days to get in some surfing, kayak at night to Bioluminescent Bay, go on a full-day canyoning adventure in El Yunque, and fully immerse ourselves in Pork Highway all while making time to explore the different parts of San Juan. Here’s how it all went down.
Our weekend started with a late arrival Thursday night when we were appropriately greeted by live music and salsa dancing in our hotel party lobby before engaging in late night mofongo. The next morning, we woke up somewhat early to hit the waves since, despite the chatter I heard about San Juan’s non-existent surf scene, there are breaks that do exist in and around the city. It was then time for the ever-charming Old San Juan where we grabbed lunch and set out for some exploration (photos to come). Old San Juan is so picturesque and we spent most of the afternoon visiting artisan shops and getting lost in the colorful streets and historical forts. Later that night, we met our friends Stacy and Chris — who also happened to be on island with some amigos — for night kayaking to Bioluminescent Bay and an amazing late dinner. Kayaking by moonlight is pretty rad but nothing compared to the bioluminescence waiting for us at the end of the channel. Just stunning.
The night ended up being another long one and we struggled with our 5am wake up call Saturday morning — the eco tour in El Yunque that we had scheduled was another hour away. I’m still not quite sure how we managed as the entire day consisted of strenuous hiking, rock climbing, cliff jumping (from 40 feet!), body rafting, rappelling, and waterfall scaling just to name a few things we put our bodies through. But our guides were amazing — so much so that we all chilled afterwards like old friends over drinks, tostones and other amazing local eats.
After we left, we made our way to Guavate for lechonera heaven (yes, more food). For those not familiar with lechón, it is a roast pork dish found most specifically in Spain and its former colonial possessions throughout the world. In other words, it is the national dish of my roots and thankfully of Puerto Rico’s as well. This one road is filled with lechoneras one after another that all serve food with a side of live music and dancing. Predictably, we picked Lechonera Los Pinos where Anthony Bourdain visited, and — predictably — we picked right. We spent our last night with our friends and the next day, we squeezed in the last bit of beach time, exploring, and eating all the delicious foods before heading to the airport. I felt so accomplished by the week’s end and also so exhausted. But I can’t wait to go back and do it all again.