A Preview of Puerto Rico

Strolling the Streets of Old San Juan

The extent of our Puerto Rico explorations took place on the eastern part of the island, the vast majority of that time was spent in the heart of historic Old San Juan. Weather conditions upon our arrival and throughout our trip weren't always favorable, but we were given a pretty good mixture of sunny and stormy days, so we didn't let those that were dreary dampen our excitement to explore. We really enjoyed the simplicity of just strolling the blue cobblestone streets, taking pictures of the assorted sorbet-colored colonial style buildings, and sampling tasty Puerto Rican street snacks along the way. Rarely did we venture into any of the shops or galleries throughout our tour, although some were too hard to pass up. 

Tasty Puerto Rican Street Snack
  
After two days in the fast-paced city, we headed toward the easternmost tip of the island to be swept away to a more serene setting, but not before making a pit stop first! Originally, we planned on spending an entire day in the tropical rainforest of El Yunque, however, all-day dwindled to a few hours due to misinformation we received from an out-dated guidebook. I was still glad that we managed to fit it in at all, because I would have hated to miss it altogether. This super quick pit stop had us speed-hiking a trail through a non-stop drizzle to the base of a very popular waterfall where we were privileged enough to take a plunge in at the end. It was an exhilarating way to finish off this whirlwind tour! On our way out of the park, we stopped off to catch a glimpse of a roadside waterfall before heading toward the town of Fajardo to hop on the ferry over to a smaller island called Vieques. Due to the earlier confusion about ferry times, we had to wait a few hours for the next boat.
Hiking in El Yunque

The ride to the neighboring island took about 1.5 hours, and was a fairly pleasant way to kickback and take it easy while someone else worried about navigating. Once on Vieques, we worked out a ride with a publico to take us to our guesthouse in Esperanza. Perched high up on a hill, in a residential neighborhood, was the setting of our homebase for the next few evenings. We didn't mind being off the mainstrip since the walk was a short 10 minutes to the beach. Our time on Vieques was divided between walking the sandy white beaches while treasure hunting, and frequenting the local restaurants to refuel and indulge. In the evening, we took a captivating tour of the nearby bioluminescent bay, which was a major highlight of the entire trip. Can you imagine swimming amongst a sea of glimmering micro-organisms that glow upon contact?!?! It was an amazing experience! This magical paradise was definitely a great place to slow down and enjoy the solitude.

Seaside Escape
  
After a rough ride back to Puerto Rico on the ferry, and climbing back into the saddle of our rental van, we attempted to make our way back to San Juan. It wasn't until we got lost a few times that we found our way to the next and final destination, the Andalucia Guesthouse was located on a semi-busy street, just a few blocks away from the beach. For the area we wanted to be in, which was close to the airport, this place was perfectly situated and was close to some rather convenient amenities. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to thoroughly inspect our surroundings before our departure the next day. So many food choices, so little time! We did, however, find a moment to eat at an awesome bakery before leaving for the airport. 

Andalucia Guesthouse

Wait! Is that it?! Nooooaaaah....
What I have shared here is a very quick run down of everything we did during our most recent trip to Puerto Rico. There are many missing details that I plan to fill you in on over the next couple weeks. For instance, a detailed 'report' on the scrumptious foods we ate during our stay on the island. A sampling that will be filled with snacks, out of the ordinary breakfast treats, and other yummy morsels. Food was one of our favorite parts of this trip, and I can't wait to make you salivate :D Overall, it was one of those vacations that had a great mix of adventures that kept us on our toes, but one that also allowed us to take it easy when we needed it the most. STAY TUNED!!
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Posted in: My World Tuesday

20 comments:

  1. Hi WW! I have long wanted to visit PR, so now only do I think your pictures are beautiful, but they have inspired me to keep PR on my plate.

    My Chinese connection is weird about personalized domain names on blogger, I often can access them. They seem to have fixed it for the time being. I'm glad I was able to see these, it's been along time since I could access your page.

    Hope everything is going very well for you and your health.

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  2. WW: Wow, world traveler. I hope you got to see the Bioluminous Bay. It was spectacular. I look forward to you exented report.

    Hammock Hanger

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  3. wow I am blown away.. really love the first picture of the cobblestone and the beach pic with the wave rollin in.. good job sister!

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  4. Marvelous shots of a lovely place! Love the cobblestone street, reminds me of the little town in Mexico where I lived for a year! Look forward to seeing more! Hope you have a great week!

    Sylvia

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  5. Wow, the first one is gorgeous! The beach shot is so inviting too!

    Looking forward to more of your travels!

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  6. I thoroughly enjoyed your photos and the synopsis of your trip. You certainly saw some breathtaking sights! (Snacks look yummy, too.)

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  7. I enjoyed venturing out with you to Puerto Rico. When's the next trip?

    www.ewok1993.wordpress.com

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  8. How nice to see the cobblestone street, your town is very interesting would be lovely to explore.

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  9. Yey! lol @ noooaaaaah. :D

    Can't wait to see the rest. :)

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  10. These are all so fantastic.. I especially love the cobblestone. Really great work!

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  11. What an incredible place. So beautiful, so romantic.

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  12. aloha,

    what a wonderful day today is visiting your corner of the world and seeing this quick visit to PR, enjoyed the read....thanks for showing this to us!

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  13. What a wonderful tour! Beautiful pictures, especially the first one.

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  14. Great place to visit, lovely shots particularly the first one.

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  15. Looks like a marvelous journey into a dreamy place.

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  16. wow, so you've been out on a nice holiday??
    lucky you!

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  17. Wow! Nice pictures of the cobblestone and the beach.

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  18. mmm. bioluminescent bay... it all sounds so magical.

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  19. Lovely photos. I enjoy reading and viewing your photos here. Nice blog!

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  20. This is my first time on your blog, and wow, your photos are stunning. I think you would really enjoy the travel opportunities offered by Elevate Destinations (sustainable and philanthropic).

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