Puerto Rican Paradise

My husband and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  As we often do, we try to see how many anniversary celebrations we can recall - where did we go, what did we eat? Our recollections seem to get fuzzier as the years go by... We spent our first anniversary in Niagara Falls.  As residents of upstate NY at the time, it wasn't a long-distance trip, but certainly a memorable one. We traveled to Puerto Rico for our 2nd anniversary. It was a great opportunity as I was out of work at the time, but the Puerto Rican Tourism Department was running a promotion to kick-start tourism after the general downturn in all travel after 9/11.  I saw the promotion on the Today Show, called the number on the screen, was on hold for a looooong time, and bought ourselves a very affordable trip to the island!  Time well spent! 

It was our first trip to the island, but we had a little inside intel as my dad used to live on the base there when he was a kid.  We decided to stay a bit off the beaten path in the town of Rincon on the west coast. The area has beautiful beaches and as it turns out Rincon is a pretty big surfing destination. My husband and I are SCUBA divers, so that was our water activity of choice.  We stayed in a sweet inn, the Lazy Parrot. The staff there could not have been any more accommodating throughout our visit.  We really enjoyed our stay there. We went on several boat dives during our time in Rincon and not only did we see some amazing sites - tropical fish and all - but we met some amazing people. We also enjoyed some pretty fantastic fresh seafood. 
 
We also had the opportunity to take some field trips around the island.  We saw the sleeping giant of Puerto Rico, Gigante Dormido. We drove out to Aguadilla to film the former Ramey Air Force base for my dad.  We also visited the island's tropical rainforest, El Yunque. That was a phenomenal experience that I have not forgotten 15 years later. The hike through the forest was otherworldly.  We saw so many lizards and birds.  It was hot and humid.  And then there would be a break in the trees, and you would come across beautiful waterfalls.  They were a welcome - and refreshing - reprieve from the tropical heat. Swimming in and under these falls was an amazing experience and a lovely memory to this day. 

Another unforgettable experience was our boat dives out of La Parguera. We were able to go on a couple of trips out from there, and the visibility and marine life were great. On one of our trips, we did an evening dive in the bioluminescent bay.  What a completely surreal and unforgettable experience.  The people we met there were also pretty incredible, so kind and friendly.  We even went diving with a local dignitary from San Juan. On the way back from one of our dives we encountered a nighttime street festival where we enjoyed delicious seafood, live music, and beautiful people. 

We did enjoy a couple of days in San Juan before we headed home.  I loved the historic feel and vibrancy of the city.  On our last night, we had our anniversary dinner on a rooftop deck that we had all to ourselves. Oddly enough, I remember having my very first plantain during this meal - and history was made.  I pretty much always order them now when I see them on a menu. The view was magnificent, the food was delicious, and my company was perfect. 

It has been a month since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico.  They are still experiencing widespread devastation on the island.  Please consider donating to help their cause.  And when they're ready, please consider visiting this island treasure and boosting their tourism industry once again. They need our support.