Puerto Rico: Sunrise or Sunset?

 

During our last ten days in Puerto Rico, we rented a car, and set out to answer the age-old question ...

East or West,

Sunrise or Sunset,

Which is Best?

While researching for our trip, I followed the postings of a few Puerto Rico travel groups on Facebook. During our cruise, we had a chance to talk with a number of Puerto Rican natives. The answers were always mixed.

As we would find out, Puerto Rico has something for everyone.

Historic Pueblo Admirer?

Almost any of Puerto Rico's small town squares will suit your fancy.

Architectural Aficionado?

Take an afternoon stroll around the city of Ponce with its unique Creole architecture.

Rain Forest Enthusiast?

Take a hike through El Junque National Forest

Lighthouse Lover?

Yes, there are a few to be found.

Natural Phenomenon Seeker?

Hop in a kayak and take a night tour in one of Puerto Rico's three bioluminescent bays. 

Beach Lover?

Around 300 beaches are waiting to be discovered along the Puerto Rican coastline.

Puerto Rican Foodie?

Make a quick stop at any roadside food truck or kiosk and you are sure to find delicious empanadillas or pastelillos (meat turnovers), alcapurrias (plantain fritters filled with meat or seafood), or pinchos (a grilled chicken or pork skewer).

Puerto Rico's West Coast

Rincon, Puerto Rico

In order to experience the beauty of Puerto Rico outside of the city of San Juan, it is definitely necessary to rent a car. And while driving a smaller car should be easier than driving the Baby Beest, Puerto Rican roads elevate the driving experience to a whole "nother" level ... and not necessarily a good level.

You never quite know what is coming at you from around that bend, but Doug was a trouper, and got us to our first stop which was the city of Rincon on the west side of the island.

And for his gallant efforts, he was rewarded with another "dot" on his craft brewery map ... once they decide to open.

We stayed in an Airbnb condo right on the west coast so ...

gorgeous sunset views became the highlight of our day.

Puerto Rico's West Coast Beaches

Along with sunsets, beaches are also a big draw on the western side of the island,

and we almost turned into beach people (at least for a day) when we visited Crash Boat Beach, one of the most popular.

It was fun to watch the young people jumping off the abandoned piers,

but the strong sun, high humidity, and hot temps

had us more often seeking the shaded ocean views from our condo's deck,

... or enjoying the cool vibes and colorful clientele found at a local coffee shop.

La Parguera Bioluminescent Bay

Our highlight of our stay on the west coast was a nighttime paddle out to experience the Bioluminescent Bay in La Parguera, on the southern coast, about an hour from Rincon.

After sunset, we got onto one of these water bikes and were led into a nearby bay to experience a unique natural phenomena. Microorganisms, called dinoflagellates, emit a short burst of light when the water is agitated causing the water to glow.

In an area free from a lot of light pollution, magical patterns of light appeared with any movement of the water. When scooping up a little water in my hands, the glowing organisms appeared as small sparkles of light. We will remember it as one of nature's most unique "magic shows" that we have been privileged to experience.

Puerto Rico's East Coast

Ponce, Puerto Rico

After five beautiful sunsets, it was time for us to experience the sunrise side of the island. On our way there, we stopped in Puerto Rico's second largest city, Ponce. It is nicknamed "the pearl of the south" because of its beautiful historical and cultural treasures that can be found in the center of town.

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

We arrived at our home for the next six days in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on the east side of the island later that afternoon. Because of its proximity to El Junque National Forest and two more bioluminescent bays, this area is popular with hikers, kayakers, and general adventure seekers. But when I saw that our patio provided a shady, breezy and beautiful viewpoint over the harbor,

 

I know what my preferred activity was going to be for the next few days! After all, I would need that afternoon siesta if I was going to get up bright and early to witness a rarity in our lives since we retired ... a sunrise!

 

Culabra and Vieques Islands

About 35 miles off this eastern coast of Puerto Rico lies two small islands that boast of BIG natural beauty. Culabra Island is the home of Flamenco Beach, famous for its expanse of calm turquoise waters and fine white sand. Vieques Island is the location of some beautiful beaches by day and the world's brightest bioluminescent bay by night. Unfortunately, reserving our spot on the ferry involves some advance planning, which is not our strong suit. Maybe next time.

Catamaran Excursion to Cayo Icacos

Just 1.5 miles off the coastline lies Cayo Icacos, a tiny uninhabited island that also boasts of white sandy beaches and clear waters for snorkeling. Because of its natural beauty and easy accessibility, Icacos is a popular destination for half-day catamaran excursions that departed from the marina close to our condo in Fajardo.

Swimming and snorkeling in the clear warm ocean waters,

followed by sunset views while sipping on an authentic Puerto Rican rum punch made our Salty Dog Catamaran tour quite memorable.

Puerto Rico's East Coast Beaches

Yes, the east coast of mainland Puerto Rico also has its fair share of fine sandy seashores. We discovered a "hidden" gem not far from our Airbnb condo that bore the appropriate name of Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach). From the popular Seven Seas beach area, we hiked along a mile-long trail through a mangrove forest that led to the tranquil beach.

From there the sandy beach lined with gorgeous palms stretched on as far as one cared to stroll ... and we knew that we had found our small slice of paradise.

Laguna Grande Bioluminescent Bay

Fajardo also boasts of having a bioluminescent bay, so we took a kayak tour to check it out one evening.

Unfortunately, there is a lot more light pollution on this more populated east coast of the island, so it wasn't nearly as magical as our experience at La Parguera bioluminescent bay a few days earlier.

El Yunque National Forest

The true magic of nature on this side of the island is found in the El Yunque National Forest. This is the only tropical rainforest in the United States national forest system. It is also the smallest national forest, but don't let that fool you. El Yunque is also one of the most biologically diverse with over 240 types of native trees, 50 types of orchids, and 150 types of fern.

We found these tall tree ferns that can grow up to 40 feet tall to be quite "shady" characters.

 El Yunque, with its waterfalls, natural rock water slides, and hiking trails, is one of the most popular tourist destinations outside of San Juan. In order to avoid the crowds, we arrived early at the Angelito Trail and got the "true" rainforest experience of hiking down to the river during an early morning rain shower. Thankfully, this trail was gravel so we avoided the slippery mud that other trails in the forest are infamous for.

Afterwards, we stopped at El Portal, the main visitor center. During a ranger talk, we learned how the El Yunque National Forest serves to protect a bird that is only found on the island of Puerto Rico ... the Puerto Rican Parrots. The loss of their habitat due to hurricanes, deforestation, and population growth has put them on the critically endangered list making the national forest's conservation efforts that much more important.

It is estimated that there were tens of thousands of these beautiful green birds when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493, but only 13 were found in the wild in 1975. Through the efforts of the national forest service, those numbers are slowly increasing with an estimated 250 living in the forests of Puerto Rico today.

By mid-afternoon, the park's narrow roads and popular trails became quite congested, so we were happy to just enjoy the "mini" waterfalls on the side of the road,

... and marvel at the lush beauty that is being preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Puerto Rico Reflections

After almost three weeks of exploring Puerto Rico, it was time to return to Florida. We enjoyed our time here and appreciate being able to get to know this "cousin" of the United States a little bit better. Some things that stood out for us ...

Puerto Rico is sunny, hot, and humid ... which makes its beautiful waters that much more inviting.

Puerto Rico can be expensive ... especially car rental, lodging, and high end restaurants. But you can eat well if you stick to the local delicacies found in the independently owned kiosks and cafes.

Puerto Rican roads are a challenge to drive on ... which makes one appreciate the "free" buses in San Juan even more.

Puerto Rico is for beach lovers ... and for those who like to hike along their vast expanses of sand.

Puerto Ricans speak Spanish, but most also speak very good English, and all warmly welcome you to their island paradise.

The beauty and diversity of Puerto Rico means that there is something for everyone to enjoy!

Sunrise on the east coast?

... or Sunset on the west coast?

We'll take both ... and all the charm of Puerto Rico that can be enjoyed between the rising and the setting of the sun as well!

Island Hopping in the Southern Caribbean

 

Caribbean Cruisin' ...

Vibrant,

 Colorful,

And a Whole Lot of Fun!

After a week in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it was time to change things up a bit. And lucky for us, San Juan just happens to be a major port for cruise ships heading to the southern Caribbean. 

The deep blue seas were calling us for nine sunny days

and golden nights of

Island Hopping in the Southern Caribbean

... along with plenty of snorkeling,

... sight-seeing,

... relaxing,

... and, of course, eating!

Yes, Doug ate two lobster tails that night.

Island Hop Stop #1

St Thomas, US Virgin Islands

It took us two days via a slightly "strange" route

to sail the "short" 76 mile distance from San Juan to St Thomas. I suspect that cruise line operators like to have the first day be a "sea day" so that travelers will start their vacation reveling out strong with plenty of eating, drinking, and gambling.

It's always nice to enjoy lunch with a view!

But once we arrived at our first of five ports of call, we would have from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm to explore a new island either through guided tours or on our own. Upon our arrival at St Thomas, we noticed that our ship was docked right next to the Water Island ferry.  Since we had no pre-planned excursions booked, we were able to catch the ferry and spend the day away from the crowds in one of our favorite places  ... Honeymoon Beach.

Snorkeling with some sea turtles sent this beautiful day over the top!

Island Hop Stop #2

St John's, Antigua

St John's, the capital city of the two island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, was our second port of call. Doug signed us up for a three hour catamaran and snorkeling tour.

The rum punches that the crew members served up helped calm the nerves after snorkeling in the middle of the ocean that was a tad too wavy for me.

A stop at this beautiful secluded beach definitely helped also.

Island Hop Stop #3

Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten

Our next stop was on an island with two different "official" spellings of its name along with two different personalities, depending on which side of the island you are on. "Sint Maarten" refers to the Dutch side of the island, and "Saint Martin" is the French side.

We took a bus tour to see and learn more about the unique history and co-existence of these two countries on this one small island. Of course, no trip to "France" would be complete without a stop at a French bakery.

How does one choose???

Afterwards, we walked around the Dutch town of Phillipsburg to find another capitol building,

... and stumbled upon some amazingly delicious gelato.

I'm thinking that there may be a little Italian influence in this Dutch town!

Island Hop Stop #4

Castries, Saint Lucia

After another day at sea, we reached the only country in the world that is named after a woman ... Saint Lucia. Our catamaran tour today would treat us to the shoreline beauty of this island nation.

Colorful homes and elegant yachts adorned the coast,

... but the true stars of the show were the majestic Pitons, two volcanic spires that rise up from the sea approximately 2600 feet.

Afterwards we walked into town in search of the capitol building, but Google failed us. Instead we enjoyed the smiles and a short conversation with a group of local children who were curious about where we were from ... and even more intrigued with the idea of living in a place that has "snow".

Island Hop Stop #5

Bridgeport, Barbados

Our southernmost island and final stop was Bridgeport, Barbados. Our catamaran tour operator filled us with the hope that we would be snorkeling with sea turtles... but this little fellow is the only one that we encountered. 

But we did see a variety of fish that now call the wreckage of a sunken ship "home". After the snorkeling was done, we relaxed on the trampoline and enjoyed the island scenery and party vibes that included Caribbean music and plenty of pineapple and  fruit juice ... with or without rum.

Our mission in the afternoon was to find the capitol building,

Success!

... and put another dot on Doug's craft brewery map.

Success ... with the added bonus of snagging his most unique beer coaster yet!

While cruising isn't our preferred way of travel, we're glad that we could catch a "snippet" of what life is like on these small Caribbean islands. 

 Our island hopping adventure gave us the opportunity to see both the beauty and the hardships of island life,

... and helped us to realize how our tourism dollars can help build up these small island communities.