Puerto Rico... Off the Beaten Path (Written by Guest Blogger Ryan Latone)

I arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico on a Tuesday at 4:00 pm. My travel mate on this adventure, Nick, had already grabbed the rental car. We booked a couple beds at a hostel roughly an hour and a half West in the town Isabela. At first glance, this peaceful coastal town had little to offer, however, it did provide us with the catapult we needed to attack this trip and make the next 4 days COUNT!

We saw a sign dubbed Hostel; surely this is the place to crash the first night. As we rolled into the parking lot, there were 20 or so garages all uniquely labeled, “Love Machine.” There wasn’t anyone in sight except a young guy yapping on his cell phone. I hopped out of the car and said, “Es este el hostel?” (Is this the hostel?) To which he replied, “No! Alla arriba.” (No! It is above/up.) I jumped back in the car and away we went. We had driven right by the Hostel into this “Love Machine” place by accident. I don’t know what goes on in those garages exactly, but I have an idea…how couldn’t you with a subtle title like that?

 We flew in with no agenda, nowhere to sleep, and no idea what Puerto Rico had to offer. In my opinion, sometimes it’s best to book a flight and figure out all the other shit when you get there. Once we found our hostel, we hit the beach for a brew and to chat with some locals. The beach was beautiful with the sun setting over the ocean, but we had little time to admire. We needed to find some locals and get some information. Fortunately, we met a couple that gave us some ideas. We would hit up Jobos, a surf spot near town, then proceed to get lost finding a waterfall locals frequent called Las Cataratas. We drove through the Puerto Rican hillside mesmerized by the beauty of it all. The road twisted and turned through the hills making each drastic turn a game of, “What could we hit around this corner?!” With the road only being about a car and a half wide, it makes for some interesting encounters with both animals and fellow drivers.

A bit lost, I asked Nick to pull over so I could ask an older gentleman working on a house if we were headed in the right direction. Sam was as nice as they come, small build with hands as tough as rocks, his English, PERFECTO! After explaining detailed directions, he could tell we still had no clue where to go. No fear, Sam to the rescue! “Give me 5 minutes, I will drive you there, you will follow me.” What an offer! He drove us the 20 minutes there and when we arrived a man tried to hustle us to pay for parking; Sam had none of that. We parked, walked over to Sam, and thanked him. He had unselfishly took the time  to drive us there without any motive at all, he simply wanted us two gringos to see a local waterfall in his home country. I tried to give him a ten-dollar bill for gas, but he wouldn’t take it. “Grab an extra beer for you boys tonight, safe travels,” he said with a smile.  It is moments like this when you see the kindness in people that is all too easy to forget.

We were the only ‘tourist’ there, although I use that term loosely.  

There had to be 200+ Puerto Ricans at the waterfall enjoying the day. The waterfall was everything we hoped it would be, both beautiful and jump-worthy! There were multiple jumping points, one at the top, and the other halfway at about 15 feet high. With no hesitation, Nick and I committed to jumping off the lowest one with the larger still in question. The first jump was relatively easy to get to and was a nice introduction to the cool water that waited for us below. We hiked up to the top where only one person has jumped that day. The question was, did I have the balls to jump? The waterfall was a pretty steep slope; you had to jump a solid 5 feet out to clear the rock face. Uneasy and nervous, I crawled my way to the edge and found my footing. A local gave me a thumbs up from below; his look of ease gave me the boost of confidence I needed to make the jump. Before I knew it, I had hit the water to a roar of laughter and cheers. Nick soon followed. Not only did we stick out like a lion at a vegetarian convention at this local spot, but we also conquered the fall. We hiked back to our car about 20 minutes away full of pride and amazement that we had just accomplished that! Thirty hours before this, I was working at my job with no idea jumping off of a waterfall was on the horizon.  This is why I like to travel with no plans; the unexpected becomes the story you want to tell.

We found a place to stay in a nearby town on AirBnB in Utuado, a sleepy little town in the heart of the Puerto Rican countryside. At $25 a night, it had our name written all over it. (AirBnB is a great alternative to hotels and hostels. Homeowners rent out rooms or guesthouses to people in need). We grabbed a bottle of rum and headed to our home for the night. The night was pitch black, without any city lights polluting the air it made for a great evening. Free from text messages, emails, or facebook; it was just two friends enjoying the simple life.

Goofing off in Yunque Rain Forest

We woke early to hit up the Camuy Caverns before jetting over to El Yunque Rain Forest. The caverns were a sight to be had, but the tour required for access made for a slow hike. This hike could have been done in an hour, instead we wasted a half a day. My advice would be to skip it if you have little time. We boogied our way to the rain forest. We hiked aimlessly for the rest of the day and found another series of waterfalls. We found a swimming hole, posted up to enjoy the afternoon sun, and enjoyed the sights and sounds we are not used to back home. We could have hiked for days around this beauty, but decided to go find our beds for the night in Fajardo.

AirBnb to the rescue again at $10 a night, chickens clucking at 5 am included! Luck plays into travel, and boy did we get lucky. Bioluminescent Bay was a sight to see, so we had been told.  Little did we know reservations for the kayaking tour into the bay booked up two weeks out! Shit. I spoke with every company there and had no luck. A man said he might have two spots available because a ferry from Vieques had broken down and a few folks might not make the 9pm launch. We waited with our fingers crossed and our bellies full of beer. Luck was on our side! We managed to get a kayak and we were off. I can’t explain how great this experience was. Essentially the bay has algae that ‘glows’ when it is disturbed.  It’s a beautiful fluorescent greenish/blue color that lights up the water. As you glide your hand against the kayak a trail of algae fused fireworks lights up behind your hand. It’s magical and mind-boggling. I felt like a kid again. 

The next day we planned on heading to the island of Vieques off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Luck would not be our friend this morning. The ferry sign said it clear as day, “SOLD OUT.” What the hell? We didn’t even think to come the night before and get a ticket, but that’s exactly what Puerto Ricans do. I talked to a local who said he got there at 11 pm last night to reserve a spot and camp out.  I thought back to the prior night and at 11 o'clock, I was three beers deep after our kayak trip. Oh well, he mentioned we should check out a secret beach near "Seven Seas Beach." Seven Seas Beach was a hot spot for locals, jammed packed and busy as hell. We walked along the strip of beach to the end where it turned into forest. The guy gave us directions to this so called ‘secret beach.’ 

On the way to Playa Colora

We were either going to get robbed, killed, or find an epic beach spot. We gambled and decided to follow the directions we jotted down through the forest. It was a brisk 20-minute hike to this paradise of a beach called "Playa Colora." I kid you not; we were the only ones there on a stretch of sand a half mile long without a hotel or other person in site. We relaxed as the day’s sun moved across the sky. I snorkeled for 3 hours as I had done when I was a kid in Marco Island, FL on family vacations. The risk paid off, we had found our slice of Puerto Rican paradise.

Old San Juan was exactly what I thought it would be, yet still very enjoyable. Touristy in its unique way, but still friendly and full of potential. San Cristobal Fort was worth the $5 admission and was worthy of the hour. We heard of an old bar called La Factoria, after walking in circles for an hour we found it. It was named, “La Taberna Lupolo” on the outside. This explained why we walked by it ten damn times. Carlos, our bartender, made us a unique drink infamously called, “The Industry Handshake.” It was a blend of Don Q rum, cayenne pepper and a dash of some ‘magic’ I couldn’t get him to share. The drinks were worth every penny that night, and went down like water on a hot summer's day. We drank till 4 in the morning that night, dancing and drinking with the locals. We drove to the airport, dead tired and ready for a nap. I slept right in front of my gate as to not miss its departure, surely someone would wake me up when they were boarding, and someone did thankfully.

My biggest take-a-way from this trip was a simple one: choose your travel partner wisely. Nick and I had been friends for a few years, but didn’t have any mutual friends and we lived roughly 1,000 miles apart. This distance created a lack of bullshit conversation on petty things going on back home. Instead, it opened us up to REAL conversations about life, passions, and our dreams.  My advice would be this, if you take a trip don’t always go with your best local friends. Ask an old friend who has moved away, try and reconnect with them on a new level. The opportunity for growth in your friendship is exponential.

Total cost for 5 and half days of badassity:  about $1500

$573 for flight, purchased 10 days out

$217 for food

$70 for paddle boarding/ caverns/ bio bay trip

$206 for alcohol, 70% of which was on the LAST night (idiot me!)

$250 misc cash spent

$150 for gas and car (short trips like this there was no time to hitch)

$85 on sleeping arrangement for 5 nights

Get out there and DO MORE! Thanks for reading. 

Florence

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add food to it.”

Some people do not enjoy travel once the destination is reached. I like to explore as much as possible and if that involves a couple hour train ride, I will use it to catch up on some sleep, reading, or recapping the previous day’s activities. My favorite thing to do is to catch other people in their element!

View from the top of the Duomo

View from our Hostel!

We arrived in Firenze mid-afternoon. We wanted to drop our bags off at the hostel first and then explore the city. The only problem was… when we arrived at BB Maison,  my brother and I were told we were too big for their beds. We picked this place mostly based on price, as Florence is much smaller than Rome thus allowing easier access. The owner was very laid back and the hostel hosted a pub crawl, so we were hesitant when he said he had another option. We thought for sure we were going to be moved farther away from the Duomo. Reluctant to see what he had in mind, we followed. To our surprise, we were not only set up closer, but he also knocked off a couple Euro a night with larger beds. Not a bad deal! A Canadian couple had the same "misfortune" so they were placed next to us.

Madonna and Child

We headed to San Marco Plaza, a religious plaza, which hosts a church and a convent. The convent housed many of Fran Angelico’s art work. We looked at some shops around the Plaza checking out wine. We were in the famous wine country of Tuscany and were tinkering with the idea of buying some and shipping it back home. We came up on the Bargello Museum, which looked like an old fortress. Later we found out it was in fact a former barracks and prison. This place wasn’t even on radar prior, but I would surely add it if it isn’t on your list. It mostly contains Renaissance era art like Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child (Bacchus, pitti Tondo), Donatello’s David (not to be confused with Michelangelo's David... that is soon!), among others. Bargello also had some artifacts/coins that were interesting. We were a bit exhausted, so we trekked back to the hostel. We could just barely see the Duomo Plaza and my Uncle who studied in Italy told me the best time to climb the Duomo was at dusk. So, we paid our 8 Euro entry and climbed some of the strangest 463 steps I have ever ascended. There were many tight spots and awkward situations with other tourists descending the stairs. The dome resembles the Pantheon with the oculus in the middle and a thinning wall as you get higher. The height of the dome is 115 meters! After 20 mins and sweat now broken, we made it to the top.

Climbing the Duomo!

The views will blow your mind. It is a bit cramped up on top so we waited out the crowd to get some good pictures. It was worth it! We got back to our rooms in time for a later dinner. We saw our Canadian neighbors heading over to the Hostel for a dinner night. We decided to join them (€2.50 for a pasta plate!). We grabbed a bottle of wine on our way and headed over. The small kitchen was filled with people from France, England, and of course Aussies. After dinner, we all headed to the Fish Pub where there was live music. We hung out there for a bit.  On a side note… my brother decided to buy some famous Absinthe. We briefly toasted with it prior to heading out. It is fowl tasting with a liquorice after taste. After dinner, our Canadian neighbors joined us, and walked and talked all the way to the river. While out there, we ran across a livid and drunk Italian. I don’t speak a word of Italian, but he was pissed at the statues by the Uffizi. He kept spitting on them and yelling. This entertained us for quite some time, but we had another long day ahead of us and called it quits.

Hostel friends

Our Canadian neighbors

Day 2 started rather late… but we didn’t miss a beat. First up was our reservation at the Accademia. I had read that in the high season the lines can be ridiculously long. I took a chance and pre-ordered our tickets (Accademia). There is nothing more frustrating than wasting time in line! The Accademia is most famous for Michelangelo’s statue of David. Michelangelo has a few more pieces along with many other Renaissance era works.

 Our opinion was it did not constitute an entire day, but when in Ro— I mean Florence… The statue of David lived up to the hype. The statue is quite large, maybe 15’ or so. This large marble was whittled down in 2 years with precise detail. It is simply amazing to achieve such precision  considering the technology and tools that existed 500 years ago. After the Gallery, we walked through the San Lorenzo Market which resembled a giant flea market. We picked up some souvenirs. Souvenirs can be a tricky obstacle. There are many things to consider. I suggest reading Becky’s comments on souvenir shopping. The Uffizi was up next. I am not against art or literature; I just prefer much more action packed attractions. Becky is the culture connoisseur, so she loved it. The Uffizi was built to provide openness but at the same time not to block viewing space.

Map of the Uffizi

This is very evident in the internal courtyard. My brother and I maybe lasted 30 minutes before losing interest, but we let Becky enjoy it for a couple hours. It was late afternoon by the time we finished. The famous Ponte Vecchio is very close to the Uffizi, so we hiked over there. It was a colorful market with numerous leather shops, jewelry stores, among others. I would say this area is more expensive, but a great place to get ideas on souvenirs! I took a quick power nap while Becky did some wine shopping. I met up with Becky, and she had made friends with an owner of a wine shop. He gave us a decent deal on shipping 6 bottles back home. I kick myself for not writing down who it was. I would just recommend being smart and doing your research if you choose to go this route. Modern technology should allow all sorts of assurance on quality. Of our 6, Becky and I got 4, my brother got 1, and as a thank you gift to our lovely Aunt who makes all our traveling cheap(er), we got her one.

Ponte Vecchio

 I promised Becky a romantic night on the town so we chose this night to do it. My brother ran off to the nearest pub while Becky and I went to a local restaurant of her choice. It is very common for people to be eating dinner after 8 pm which is considered late in the US. After our delicious pizza (which is not like what you find in the States) and local Tuscan wine, we hit the hay. Our goal was to catch an early ride to the coast.

Date night!

Highlights:

Duomo – Climb to the top!

Statue of David

Wine/food

Art/Culture

Do over:

I would spend an extra day and do a wine tour