We spent just a few days in Puerto Rico, and based on suggestions from friends our goals included:
See El Morro ("the headland":): a fortress built by the Spanish to protect their newly stolen land.
Speaking of stolen land, here's a poignant statue of the "women of Puerto Rico:" A Taína (native indian), a Spaniard and an African.
Visit Culebra island: a rocky plane ride from mainland Puerto Rico, named for its resemblance to a snake. I was in the front seat of the plane for this trip. I was swinging wildly between two emotions: elation at the awesome ride and sheer terror that my knee would bump into one of the plane controls located 1 inch in front of me and we would crash and burn and die.
Hear the coquí frogs: they make a distinct sound at night that sounds something like a more melodious cricket. Like: boo BEEP! Apparently when Puerto Ricans leave the island their home sickness is triggered by the lack of this sound at night.
Coquís are REALLY small and I was sure I wouldn't get to see one, then CC spotted this beaut:
Taste mofongo: It's THE Puerto Rican dish, and I hunted down some vegetarian options even though I'm pretty sure they were still smothered in chicken broth.
As far as the best place to get mofongo in PR, the unanimous decision seems to be the Jibarito restaurant.
My favorite part of seeing Puerto Rico was stumbling upon a street concert in which about 20 female musicians were singing villancicos (christmas carols). Imagine my delight when not only did they sing my favorite song (Mi Burrito Sabanero, what a jam!), they also introduced me to a new song with a dope beat ABOUT THAT LITTLE FROG. The lyrics go:
"If you don't preserve tradition, the coquí won't sing...
I'm like the coquí:
I wake up singing,
I get happier at night,
I've lived in Borriquen (the local name for the island of Puerto Rico),
I'm a native from here!"
I love this song and will now warble it off key for anyone who asks.
And then we saw beautiful mosaics along a park path...
And one of them was a coquí! I crouched near it (to be like the coquí, obviously) and sang my heart out. Who wants to travel with me?
We left PR and headed to our last stop, the island of St. Kitts. The country is actually two islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, and people distinguish them by asking if you live in the tennis racket (St. Kitts) or the ball (Nevis).
See El Morro ("the headland":): a fortress built by the Spanish to protect their newly stolen land.
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| El Morro from the plane |
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| The beach from El Morro |
Speaking of stolen land, here's a poignant statue of the "women of Puerto Rico:" A Taína (native indian), a Spaniard and an African.
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| Las mujeres de Puerto Rico |
Visit Culebra island: a rocky plane ride from mainland Puerto Rico, named for its resemblance to a snake. I was in the front seat of the plane for this trip. I was swinging wildly between two emotions: elation at the awesome ride and sheer terror that my knee would bump into one of the plane controls located 1 inch in front of me and we would crash and burn and die.
Hear the coquí frogs: they make a distinct sound at night that sounds something like a more melodious cricket. Like: boo BEEP! Apparently when Puerto Ricans leave the island their home sickness is triggered by the lack of this sound at night.
Taste mofongo: It's THE Puerto Rican dish, and I hunted down some vegetarian options even though I'm pretty sure they were still smothered in chicken broth.
Mofongo
As far as the best place to get mofongo in PR, the unanimous decision seems to be the Jibarito restaurant.
El Jibarito ("the little country farmer")
My favorite part of seeing Puerto Rico was stumbling upon a street concert in which about 20 female musicians were singing villancicos (christmas carols). Imagine my delight when not only did they sing my favorite song (Mi Burrito Sabanero, what a jam!), they also introduced me to a new song with a dope beat ABOUT THAT LITTLE FROG. The lyrics go:
"If you don't preserve tradition, the coquí won't sing...
I'm like the coquí:
I wake up singing,
I get happier at night,
I've lived in Borriquen (the local name for the island of Puerto Rico),
I'm a native from here!"
I love this song and will now warble it off key for anyone who asks.
And then we saw beautiful mosaics along a park path...
And one of them was a coquí! I crouched near it (to be like the coquí, obviously) and sang my heart out. Who wants to travel with me?
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| Yo soy como el coquí! - I'm like the coquí! |
We left PR and headed to our last stop, the island of St. Kitts. The country is actually two islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, and people distinguish them by asking if you live in the tennis racket (St. Kitts) or the ball (Nevis).
My friend Bri is going to school here and I got to visit with another DZ friend from Texas, my homegirl JSon (formerly JGray). We all climbed fortresses together.
There is some bitterness between local Kittisians and students/tourists, which probably has a lot to do with well-off students/tourists sharing space with poor locals. Even in the touristy restaurants, there were moments of thinly veiled aggression which can be shocking if you aren't expecting it. For instance, the waitress for our table asked me what I wanted to drink and then immediately walked away. I asked my friend Bri if I should yell "bottled water!" at her back and Bri kinda shrugged. So I did yell it and without turning around the waitress waived her hand like she was dealing with a persistent mosquito. Eventually the water appeared and everything was fine...
I also have to say I don't recommend going here unless you know someone with a car or are ok with paying an outrageous amount of money for any cab you may take. Scamming tourists is not looked down upon.
That said, the scenery is gorgeous. Ask a student where to go for the best beaches, you won't be disappointed.
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| Black sand fades to white sand. |
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| On one of the beaches you will find a wonderful memorial to Wilbur the pig who "lived de life" and "rushed slowly," mottoes of the island. Miss Mocha the goat shares the spotlight of the famous Wilbur. |
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| That's the St. Kitts flag. |
There is a pretty famous outcrop here at which the Atlantic ocean is on your left side and the Caribbean is on your right.
As for the city life, the town center (located at the port) was once a market space for the slave trade. It's now a vibrant, colorful market with lots of shops.
As you can imagine, going back to frozen Boston after this trip was literally painful. But there's nothing like starting a year with great friends and wonderful new visits to countries you didn't know existed 10 years ago.
