BuckeyeChuck
Member
Tonight is my last night in Puerto Rico, where my bride and I will have spent six nights. We came here for a friend's wedding and have spent the rest of our time driving around the northeastern part of the island, and the past two days hoofing around Old San Juan. It has been a great trip.
Driving here is a different experience from how we do it in the U.S., but I find it very intuitive. Position is 9/10 of the unspoken law of the road. If you have it, you're in control.
I love the food. So much of it is fried, which suits my palate. We've eaten a lot of native food, and while most of our meals have been good or better, a couple have been forgettable. We made a point to eat at the little roadside eateries. On Saturday we were driving back to Fajardo from Ceiba, when I noticed a small truck by the side of the road. Next to the truck was a barbecue with a motorized spit, and I noticed quite a few locals. We jammed on the brakes, pulled over, and proceeded to have a delicious meal of barbecued chicken and beans and rice. The woman in the truck was very friendly, and we managed to communicate about why we were there, and where we lived, despite my impotent Spanish and her nonexistent English.
The kioskos at Luquillo were a great place to find traditional fried fare. We went twice!
The beach at Luquillo was very nice, so long as you stayed away from the beach behind the kioskos. The beach in Ceiba was not from which to swim, but there were many native fishermen, and one of them showed us the catch in his cooler.
Old San Juan is very different from the smaller Puerto Rican towns. (We spent four nights in Fajardo, and two about 2 miles from OSJ.) Today we toured the two major forts in OSJ (took more than three hours combined) and watched a very large cruise ship enter the bay and dock. We've eaten very well in OSJ, including a great lunch today at Barrachina. Barrachina claims to be the place where the pina colada was invented in 1963. I recommend the mixed mofongo and of course, a pina colada. I get mine without rum, as my bride of 12 years and I are both teetotalers.
I do not exaggerate when I say that I have not yet met an unfriendly Puerto Rican. The shop keepers love to have your business, and the locals love to talk about their homeland. At least one Puerto Rican asked if my wife was Puerto Rican, but one glance at my pasty white face, blue eyes, and blonde-ish hair, and they assume (correctly) that I am not Puerto Rican.
I am awed by the complete lack of winter! One native Puerto Rican with whom I conversed extensively at my friends' wedding said he had never seen snow. Two inches of the hated white stuff fell during our absence; I hope it has all melted by the time we return tomorrow evening. I have always said that desert living would be my preferred climate, but this tropical island stuff ain't far behind. I do not like the beach (and the water here is very beautiful), but there are plenty of places on an island of this size to enjoy the heat and humidity without suffering in the sun and sand.
I suspect we will be returning. There is a lot more of the island to explore and experience.
Driving here is a different experience from how we do it in the U.S., but I find it very intuitive. Position is 9/10 of the unspoken law of the road. If you have it, you're in control.
I love the food. So much of it is fried, which suits my palate. We've eaten a lot of native food, and while most of our meals have been good or better, a couple have been forgettable. We made a point to eat at the little roadside eateries. On Saturday we were driving back to Fajardo from Ceiba, when I noticed a small truck by the side of the road. Next to the truck was a barbecue with a motorized spit, and I noticed quite a few locals. We jammed on the brakes, pulled over, and proceeded to have a delicious meal of barbecued chicken and beans and rice. The woman in the truck was very friendly, and we managed to communicate about why we were there, and where we lived, despite my impotent Spanish and her nonexistent English.
The kioskos at Luquillo were a great place to find traditional fried fare. We went twice!
The beach at Luquillo was very nice, so long as you stayed away from the beach behind the kioskos. The beach in Ceiba was not from which to swim, but there were many native fishermen, and one of them showed us the catch in his cooler.
Old San Juan is very different from the smaller Puerto Rican towns. (We spent four nights in Fajardo, and two about 2 miles from OSJ.) Today we toured the two major forts in OSJ (took more than three hours combined) and watched a very large cruise ship enter the bay and dock. We've eaten very well in OSJ, including a great lunch today at Barrachina. Barrachina claims to be the place where the pina colada was invented in 1963. I recommend the mixed mofongo and of course, a pina colada. I get mine without rum, as my bride of 12 years and I are both teetotalers.
I do not exaggerate when I say that I have not yet met an unfriendly Puerto Rican. The shop keepers love to have your business, and the locals love to talk about their homeland. At least one Puerto Rican asked if my wife was Puerto Rican, but one glance at my pasty white face, blue eyes, and blonde-ish hair, and they assume (correctly) that I am not Puerto Rican.
I am awed by the complete lack of winter! One native Puerto Rican with whom I conversed extensively at my friends' wedding said he had never seen snow. Two inches of the hated white stuff fell during our absence; I hope it has all melted by the time we return tomorrow evening. I have always said that desert living would be my preferred climate, but this tropical island stuff ain't far behind. I do not like the beach (and the water here is very beautiful), but there are plenty of places on an island of this size to enjoy the heat and humidity without suffering in the sun and sand.
I suspect we will be returning. There is a lot more of the island to explore and experience.
. I knew because the outfit was unique. What are the odds of that happening?
