Puerto Rico

September 17, 2023

Tags: Blog

This weekend I got the opportunity to visit my friend Chiqui in Puerto Rico!

Day 1

I spent the first day in Viejo San Juan, exploring el Castillo de San Cristobál and el Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, as well as Parque de las Palomas and generally just meandering the streets.

Main NP signage for Castillo San Cristobál Overlooking San Juan from Castillo de San Cristobál Front view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Day 2

The second day I spent in El Yunque national forest. I arrived around 6:30AM, not knowing that the forest itself isn’t open to car traffic until 9AM. Luckily, I met a group of trailrunners who invited me to run up to one of the peaks (los Picachos) with them. After that, I worked my way over to El Yunque peak, then down the mountain, finishing the visit in las cascadas de Juan Diego. The second half of the day I drove along the eastern coastline and took a nap on Playa el Negro.

A selfie with the trailrunners I met at El Yunque! A photo on the trail with my new friends Looking down from Los Picachos Looking down from El Yunque peak The Juan Diego waterfall in El Yunque National Forest Looking towards the the beach from Torre Yokahu Looking towards the mountains from Torre Yokahu A beach on the SE coast of PR, “playa el negro” Watching the colors of the sunset at a local bar on the SE coast of PR

Day 3

My final day in Puerto Rico I went to the beach, surfed, and finished off the day with some mofongo y pernil, a quick nap, and then grabbed a tripleta sandwich before returning my car and arriving to the airport where I am writing this post. This island is absolutely beautiful, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and the people – I have felt super well received by the locals and felt safe throughout the trip (I’m sure speaking Spanish helps a great deal in this).

A palm tree where I surfed A sunset over playa electrico, a beach west of San Juan