Puerto Rico is a Caribbean Island and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, Florida.
Pictured above is El Yunque Rainforest, a mountainous lush green rainforest full of streams, cascades, waterfalls, creeks, and rivers crossing the forest. We rented a car in Puerto Rico and drove to the rainforest, exploring and hiking it with no tour guide. On the day that we went, it poured heavily for an hour, then it was very sunny for a couple hours, then rained again, so prepared for rainfall when you go. I recommend going down La Coca trail, which leads to natural pools and waterfalls. After hiking for a bit, we then drove up to the Yokahu Tower, which has an attached parking lot, and we saw the most stunning views from the top of Mt. Britton. We saw a variety of birds in the forest, including woodpeckers and the famed Puerto Rican parrot. There was also a zipline that a lot of people went on that was very high up, but my family and I were too scared to do that.
For more info: El Yunque National Forest | Visit The USA
Pictured above is a snapshot of walking through Old San Juan. Old San Juan is the second oldest city established in the New World, one of the most historically significant destinations in the Caribbean and the Western Hemisphere. Old San Juan is the cultural hub of Puerto Rico, full of colorful century-old buildings, monuments, and family-friendly activities. What can be seen in this historic district is a real community. As you walk around the beautiful city, you will hear astounding music played by local musicians, ranging from salsa to jazz. Hundreds of events are held in Old San Juan to celebrate culture. There are many shops, cafes, and restaurants to visit that you will see at every corner when strolling through this city, and a plaza about every few blocks.
For more info: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico – Viejo San Juan – Old San Juan Guide 2021 (sanjuanpuertorico.com)
While exploring Puerto Rico, my family and I found an abandoned house overlooking these magnificent views seen above. We can see the mountains, the ocean, the city, and the lush greenery in the middle. It is better to explore on your own and find things on your own that you wouldn’t be able to see if you had a tour guide (and it is much cheaper to do it this way!).
Pictured above are some delicious traditional dishes in Puerto Rico. My personal favorite dish is the Jibarito, a unique sandwich that uses fried plantains, known as tostones, to hold it together instead of bread (which gives the sandwich its distinctive flavor). The Jibarito sandwich includes steak, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise. Other popular Puerto Rican dishes include:
- Asopao: a hot soup made with chicken, olives, sofrito (tomato sauce), and rice on the side for you to add
- Rellenos de papa: croquettes of mashed potato filled with picadillo (ground beef), sofrito, onions, and cheese
- Alcapurrias: fried snack made from green plantains, taro root, and ground beef
- Pasteles: made of vegetable dough meat filling, steamed in banana leaves. the dough is a mixture of plantains, bananas, malanga, potato, and milk.
More info: 20 Delicious and Popular Puerto Rican Foods (spanish.academy)
Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017. The hurricane demolished houses, tore out cellular communications, and uprooted trees from the ground. I visited Puerto Rico August of 2018 and there were parts of the island that still did not recover. We drove by a city where every house was completely damaged, electric power poles were on the ground, and the sand from the beach was piled on roads. A lot of people’s lives never went back to normal after the hurricane; many properties were completely abandoned, and many families were still living beneath the protection of makeshift blue tarps. The cities that did not recover were the ones where the poorest inhabitants lived; they had fewer resources to assist them to recover and rebuild. For more info see: Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico | NOAA Climate.gov
