December
2009 Happy Holidays! October
2009
Ishaan,
Janet, Stefan, etc. Come to DC
Friday,
3 July 2009
Swimming
with Whale Sharks
Saturday,
21 March 2009
Hanging
with Alton Brown
Tuesday,
20 January 2009
Inauguration
25 December 2008 - 6 January 2009
Puerto
Rico
Victoria and I spent the twelve days of Christmas in what turned out to
be one of my favorite travel destinations thus far: Puerto
Rico.
We
started off the trip by driving around the island (in a brand-new car,
no less) for five days. It was an epic journey: we hiked the
El Yunque rainforest with Zel and Carlos; kayaked Fajardo's
bioluminescent bay -- yes, the water actually glows -- in the dark of
night; enjoyed an afternoon at Luquillo's Monserrate Beach with Zel,
Noraido, Eduardo, and family; ate homemade Puerto Rican food (delicious
pasteles) at Zel's house in Naguabo; took in the spectacle of Hatillo's
annual tradition, the Mask Festival, on December 28; explored the beach
and ate seafood at Joyuda; and wandered the streets of Puerto Rico's
former capital, Ponce.
After returning the car, we hopped on an eight-passenger plane to the
tiny island of Culebra, off the main island's eastern coast (referred
to by some as "the Spanish Virgin Islands"). Upon arriving at
the tiny one-room airport, we were picked up by our guesthouse manager,
who drove us into the town of Dewey (population:
2000). This quirky little town is home to
Mamacita's, the best restaurant we encountered in our entire trip; with
entirely outdoor seating overlooking a lazy river, a pet iguana, a
seafood-heavy menu that changed with every single meal, and the best
piña coladas I've ever had, Mamacita's unsurprisingly had wait times of
well over an hour for every dinner service. Equally
unsurprisingly, we found ourselves eating there over and over during
our time in Culebra (which overall has only a small handful of
restaurants to choose from). On the non-culinary front, we
spent New Year's Eve at Dewey's block party by the dock, where we were
surrounded by hundreds of revelers setting off fireworks and sparklers
and having a good time. It was a great way to ring in
2009. Finally, Culebra is home to Flamenco Beach, one of the
most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. The water was
stunningly blue and clear, the white sand absolutely perfect, and a
coral reef was just a short swim away from the shore. As you
can see in the photo above, Playa Flamenco was idyllic perfection.
The final leg of our trip took us to Old San Juan, where -- by total
coincidence -- we happened to arrive on the inauguration day for Puerto
Rico's newly elected governor, Luis Fortuño. En route to our
apartment, our cab driver let us know that the parade route was mere
blocks from where we staying. As a political junkie, I of
course had to go check out the festivities: I waited by the parade
route for about an hour, watching security personnel walk by and
helicopters zoom by overhead; finally, the music got louder, the crowd
swelled, and the swarms of people carrying Fortuño campaign posters
filled the road. And then, in a small opening amongst the
crowd, we saw the man himself: Luis Fortuño was walking down our side
of the street, stopping to shake hands with the adoring
crowd. In the most unexpected twist of all, he stopped to
shake my hand, thanking me (in English) for my
support; unbeknownst to him, I hadn't heard of him until a couple hours
prior, let alone known that his inauguration was that day.
But it's not every day that you get to shake hands with a newly elected
leader on the day of their inauguration, and -- mindful that January 20
was just over two weeks away -- I certainly had not expected the
opportunity to attend two inaugurations in a single
month.
In addition to being the home of Puerto Rico's governor, Old San Juan
is a fantastic city in its own right. Its rolling hills and
surrounding waters reminded me a little bit of San Francisco; the
colorful architecture and cobblestone streets, amazingly, date back to
the 16th century (Old San Juan is the oldest city in the United
States); and the people are unconscionably friendly (one measure:
drivers never honk despite the narrow streets and heavy traffic, and
one car even stopped to let us take a picture of something on the other
side of the road). There's no shortage of things to do and
see either. The Nuyorican Cafe is a nightlife hotspot, with a
great vibe, fun crowd, and lively jazz and salsa bands. The
fortress El Morro feels like a place you'd think only exists in your
imagination; perched atop a verdant green hill overlooking the
Caribbean Sea, the castle has it all: winding hidden staircases,
cannons and lighthouses, and guard towers-turned-viewing stations, all
hundreds of years old. It is the kind of wondrous place I
wished I had seen as a kid.
After twelve days of seeing what Puerto Rico has to offer, it was time
to return to the states. But I came away thrilled to learn
that this island territory is a fantastic place, with an almost unfair
array of things to offer: good food, friendly people (including the
prettiest girls I've seen in all my travels), rainforests and beaches,
history and culture -- and, of all places, it's in the
Caribbean. And you don't even have to leave our country to
experience it.
If you ask me for travel recommendations and I suggest Puerto Rico, now
you'll know why.
