Jungle Fever, part 2 - Days 7 and 8

I don’t know why PR isn’t a more popular tourist destination, or maybe it is and I just don’t know about it, but it’s a really nice island. There’s world class surf (most important), it’s a fairly cheap trip, with numerous flights out of NYC or Boston, the weather is nice, it has a lot to offer, they speak English, and you don’t need a passport. In fact, I think it’s considered a state, sort of.

I realize there are some elements that aren’t so great, like crime, and some places are nicer than others. In fact, some places, like Luquillo (at least in sections) are a bit of a dump, but there are really beautiful beaches and rainforests.

I’ve been told that there is a bit of crime on the island, especially in the capital, and you can sort of see why. It’s very urban, reminiscent of NYC, with a beach flair, like going to Coney Island. Whatever be the case, the last time I came 15 years ago, I wondered why more people don’t come here, so they must know something I don’t. I did notice that wherever you go on this island, not just San Juan, every place has bars on the windows. That’s a telling sign.

We are a week into our trip, and it’s been a lot of fun. The kids are enjoying their time in PR, and R and I are enjoying the warm weather, relaxation, and quality time spent together as a family. You just can’t put a price on that. It would have been nice to get more surfing in, but I’m glad I got to surf for one day. Have to be happy with what you have, right? Again, it would have been nicer if the kids could have surfed, but that’s for another time.

We spent a couple of days outside of Luquillo, in the Yunque rainforest, and as beautiful as the rainforest is, I have to confess, the town of Luquillo was not so nice. In fact, it was a bit of a dump. Since it’s so close to San Juan, I’m guessing it’s more like a town beach, where the people in the city go. We wanted to get a bite to eat, and the woman who owned the room told us to go to the beach and eat at the kioskas, which are small huts along the beach that serve food.

We headed down and couldn’t find a thing that wasn’t fried. It was a bit much. There was no variety, and I’m not sure how people choose one from the other, but it’s literally fried this and fried that. I ordered a chicken taco, which was chicken dipped in batter and deep fried. I had made up my mind that I wanted to eat just rice and beans on this trip, but even that is hard to find. When I could actually find the stuff, it was rice with a few beans tossed in for good measure. I was looking for something maybe more along the lines of Cuban food, a bowl of black beans that you pour over the rice. Food for the soul.

When I ordered rice and beans at the kioska, it was nothing like I had hoped for, and greasy as heck, to boot. We at the food, and A commented that she felt like she needed to go home and take a shower. I couldn’t agree more. Another downer in this town is that it must attract a lot of people, because the beach right behind the kioskas was filthy, with garbage everywhere, and it smelled like sewage. It made it hard to eat our greasy food. Plus, there are birds everywhere trying to forage for garbage. Kind of depressing.

We went to the other side of the beach, where it was less populated and the waves were breaking nicely, and it was nice, but still dirty. When you see garbage on the beach, it’s a bummer because people are really abusing the privilege of being on the ocean. Oh well, what are you doing to do?

I will say this, the rainforests are beautiful and worth a visit. It’s nice to be out of the hectic city, especially when it involves being stuck in traffic. There is nothing worse.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.