Old San Juan

The hostel we stayed in is the oldest hostel in Old San Juan. The elevator in the hostel was the first elevator ever built in Puerto Rico, and it was from the 1930s! I thought it was a really interesting piece of history to be a part of each day! The hostel, like most of Puerto Rico, had lots of Catholic references. Our key was Mary, and above our bed there was a large cross to wake up to each morning! haha There are crosses everywhere, it was fun to see a different religion other than Mormonism take over a town. The cross did make Esmie and I laugh when we first entered our hostel. But we really enjoyed staying there and we were able to make lots of friends along the way.

Me in the elevator!

Big cross above our bed!

Our key to our room.

View outside our hostel.

The sunset outside our hostel (Friend took this pic).

I was really happy that our hostel was right in the heart of Old San Juan. It gave us the unique opportunity of exploring the historic town a little bit each day. I loved the streets in Old San Juan. They are over a hundred years old. I couldn't help but wonder and think about who else has stepped on those very same steps throughout history. Sadly, Esmie and I noticed that they were taking out the old bricks and replacing them with new ones and redoing all of the roads. I felt grateful that I was able to still see that part of history before they remodel and change it.

I loved the way the grass grew through the bricks.

Me in the streets!

Cute right?

One of my favorite parts about Old San Juan was the history behind this ancient city. The princess gate was really neat to see, I loved the different colors of each building. The streets seemed to come more alive and the colors and different types of architecture was one of the best parts of Old San Juan. There were many statues throughout the city and my favorite one was by far "La Rogativa." Back in the 1700s, the Old San Juan was very desirable for surrounding countries. When the English launched a naval attack against the city at night, the Bishop came up with an ingenious idea. He gathered all the women and children and together they carried torches towards the port, which the English thought to be a sign of legions of armed soldiers. Which in consequence made the English realize it was not worth invading this town, so the Bishop and women and children saved the town from invasion. That is what the statue commemorates.

Esmie and I in Old San Juan

Overlooking the city

Beautiful paintings can be found throughout the town.

La Rogativa

I did do some of the stereotypical touristy tricks that everyone falls for. I took pictures with a lizard that you see everywhere in Puerto Rico, and I also was able to take pictures with parrots! Here are my touristy photos. haha

Look at his cute hat!

Maybe he'll turn into my prince charming?

Parrots!

Neat Haitian man I met on the street!

El Yunque Rainforest

Puerto Rico has the only rainforest that exists within the United States! I have always wanted to go to a rainforest and I was pretty darn excited about being able to see one! El Yunque is the name of the rainforest in Puerto Rico and even though it is smaller than most other rainforests, it was breathtaking. The king of Spain established El Yunque  as a rainforest in 1876, making it one of the oldest forest reserves in the Western hemisphere. El Yunque has doubled in size since it was first established, the Puerto Rican parrot being the largest symbol of El Yunque.

 

Beautiful flower I noticed at the end of our hike!

I'm in a rainforest!

Aren't these trees just beautiful?

I loved the way the water looked...

Ready for you to just jump right in!

Huge leaf that the natives would use as an umbrella when it rained.

We hiked in the rainforest for about 4 hours and had the chance to see two large waterfalls while hiking. I was amazed at how incredibly green the rainforest was! I grew up in North Carolina so I am used to forests, but I was taken aback by how many types of trees are within the rainforest.

 

La Coca falls

La Mina falls

Unfortunately I did not have the chance to see a frog, or a Coqui, as the Puerto Ricans call it, but I heard quite a few while hiking through. The most interesting tree while there was by far this tree, every time a piece of its bark would fall off a new color would emerge. I have never seen a tree like this one before, though I can’t recall its name I loved the different colors of its trunk.

 

RAW beauty.

 

Many people still reside within the rainforest, selling fruits from the rainforest and having tourist shops to make a living. I saw a beautiful mango tree while there! Look at how BIG the mangos are! They were very sweet and super delicious! Thanks to our dear friend Wilson we were able to try some!

 

 

Huge mangoes!

 

The hike wasn’t a very difficult one; we chose to hike on La Mina falls. Coming back up the mountain was very strenuous, I took two breaks but I was fine!  The observation tower was closed for construction, but we were still able to park at a high peak in one of the mountains and see the rainforests from above. Here are a few photos to see!

 

Every step counts!

Esmie and I while taking a break to BREATHE!

After hiking the rainforest, Esmie and I were exhausted, so we ate at a restaurant called Don Esteban. I would like to return to that restaurant again should I go to Puerto Rico, it was delicious! The service was excellent, and the meal was a great cost, $12.00 for a drink, dinner, and for a dessert as well. Here is the address of the restaurant so that I can look back at this one day and return: Street 940 km. 4.2 Bo. Quebrada Fajardo, Fajardo 00738, Puerto Rico. Here is a picture of our delicious meal! YUM! It was much needed after the hike in the rainforest.         

The AMAZING food!

 

Friends Along the Way

One of my favorite aspects of traveling is meeting new people along the way. I met some pretty amazing people while I stayed in Puerto Rico! Let me introduce to you the great and wise….WILSON! Esmie and I met him when he was driving us to one of our tours. He was hilarious and so kind that we clicked as friends so quickly! We invited him to dinner later and we ended up hanging out quite a few times after that. Wilson is a friend that I plan on having for a lifetime. He took us around the city and even ended up driving us to the rainforest as well. I will never forget how sweet and thoughtful he is. It felt as though all of my troubles  were lifted when we were with him. I know that the next time I go to Puerto Rico I will for sure take time to meet him again! Esmie and I were so lucky to meet him while we were there!

Wilson, Esmie, and I!

We met two beautiful ladies named Carmen and Stephanie while in our hostel. Carmen is Stephanie’s mom and they are both Puerto Rican. They have been to Puerto Rico many times and visit for about two weeks each time they come. They are strong Jehovah Witnesses who love to share with you a sweet message from God. Their light and testimony shined in all that they did. They are both so compassionate, understanding, and fun to be around! Their smiles and laughs light up a room and it was fun spending time with them! They took us to a local restaurant to enjoy some BBQ and  even  helped us get to Wal-Mart . Esmie and I would come back from a full day of fun and would sit out on the balcony with these two and just chat about what we believed, our families, and the jobs we all didn’t want to go back to. They are a wonderful pair, reminded me of the beauty in a mother/daughter friendship. 

Stephanie, Esmie and me!

This is Guy. He is from London and he has a love of traveling and of life. He also stayed in our hostel! He is really funny and enjoys giving you a great laugh. We didn’t have the chance to get to know him super well since we met him towards the end of our stay, but it was fun to sit at the table in the hostel and just talk with him about whatever we wanted to talk about. It was inspiring to see him as a back pack traveler willing to go where the wind takes him. Great guy! (No pun intended)

Guy with me at the hostel!

 

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD.....WE'RE ANXIOUS TO TRY IT!

The food in Puerto Rico is pretty tasty! My parents asked me if it tasted like Mexican food to give them something to compare it to, but honestly, it’s just Puerto Rican! It has its own little category of different types of food, but I would say it’s more Hispanic than it is American. With every meal there was a salad, plantains, and beans. Now beans sounds boring or not very flavorful, but the beans in Puerto Rico were the best I’ve ever had! I kept trying to figure out what they put in the beans to make them taste so wonderful, but I could never figure it out. Rice was very common with a lot of the meals we had. 

Shrimp!

This was some pretty yummy chicken with rice, salad, and plantains.

I ate quite a bit of seafood while I was there. Living in Utah for so long makes me crave fresh seafood so I was happy I was finally able to get my fix while I was there. Grouper and fried red snapper are quite common there, along with some yummy shrimp. A very special dish in Puerto Rico that is well known is called Mofongo. This is a dish that is made primarily of rice and crushed plantains with various seasonings and your choice of meat on top. I tried it several times but the best tasting Mofongo that I had was shrimp Mofongo. Here are some pictures!

This was by far the best Mofongo we had there!

 

Fried Red Snapper!

Grouper with fried sweet plantains and salad!

One thing that I have had on my bucket list is to try shark. I have lived close to the Outer Banks my entire life but I had yet to try it. While on Flamenco beach they had what they called shark bites there! Basically it’s fried shark in smaller pieces. I thought it tasted delicious! I assumed that shark would be quite chewy and kind of hard, but it was very soft!  

The fruits in Puerto Rico were HUGE! Here is a picture of some fresh mangoes that our friend Wilson picked for us right outside the rainforest. I don’t usually enjoy mangoes but these mangoes were large and very sweet. Sadly I didn’t get to try they massive avocados there but maybe next time I go I will be able to!

 They also had very sweet ice cream there, made with coconut juice. Trying all of the different types of juices there became a fun part of dining while I was in Puerto Rico. Here is a picture of me drinking a virgin piña colada!

We went out with a couple of locals we met while there and had some AMAZING BBQ! The restaurant is called Bebo's BBQ and locals stand in line for it each day because it's so good!  I tried Yucca for the first time, which was super yummy! The BBQ just fell off the bone, it was so savory! We were all so quiet while we ate as we were so busy tasting the food! I highly recommend going there, it was well worth it! It was also nice to get out of the touristy areas and try something more local.

It was kinda in the middle of the ghetto...

We tried BBQ Pork and chicken!

Blood sausage...gross!

The white stuff on the other plate is Yucca with onions, I didn't take a picture of it so this is one off the web!

 -Amber Toy