Off season in Rincon | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

Off season in Rincon | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

We drove in to Rincon in the late afternoon. The traffic and winding streets made my tummy uneasy so I was elated to get situated in this cozy Coconut Cottage for the night.

*ahem* Not really complaining because I should be used to this, but there were a lot of mosquitoes though.

We checked out the Rincon Marina to scope out the scene. It had been raining all day, and it would rain every day at noon while we were there.

It was off-season for tourism but most importantly (for Ian), off season for surf of any kind. There were absolutely no waves anywhere except on the postcards at the empty surf shops. We got skunked.

Feeling deeply grateful to be able to meet up with good friends from around the world in new and beautiful places.

We got groceries at the Econo Supermarket to last us the next couple of days that we would be there. But then we also decided to grab a nice dinner at Roots in the town square where we laughed and toasted to friendship.

The next couple of days were quality.

Snorkeling, SUPing, seeing huge barracudas fly by.

Eating, drinking, talking, playing card games.

Nobody in this quiet town, except us and the singing coqui.

We tried to plan a scuba dive or a kayak tour of the bioluminescence, but were unfortunately turned away by the operators. The fact that it was off season was one possible reason, but it could have also been our short 3 day stay not being enough time. *Shrugs*

Our friends’ love and sunset on our last evening in Rincon.

Finally a picture of all of us together!

That morning: sleeping in, snorkeling, showering (it was about time haha), and saying adios to Rincon.

We got back on the road toward San Juan.

 

I was sad to leave so soon, but happy to share new memories with old friends.

 

Warmly,

Nerelle

 

Briskly taking in Old San Juan | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

Briskly taking in Old San Juan | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

A brisk morning jaunt in Old San Juan checking out the National Historic Site forts before we got on the road to Rincon. We had just gotten coffee and sandwiches at Café Cuatros Sombras, a few blocks away from our AirBnB. Ian and I flew into town yesterday in the late afternoon as a result of a delayed flight, so we could only catch the sunset from Castillo San Felipe del Morro before hopping around the many restaurants and pubs. Today we were rushing our way through the blue cobblestone streets trying to soak in as much of this romantic old spanish town vibe before our road trip. We quickly checked out Castillo de San Cristobal, the Devil’s Sentry Box lookout, and the colorful colonial style homes. Here are a few snaps from this morning.

Cueva Ventana | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

Cueva Ventana | Puerto Rico Travel Diary

Some photos I snapped while on a walking tour of Cueva Ventana, or “Window Cave” in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
We followed our local guide on a short educational hike learning about the flora and fauna of Puerto Rico.
A petroglyph with unknown origins, and unfortunately some vandalism in the cave.

Tried to spot bats but they were tiny and mostly just hung around the darkest parts of the cave.

I was surprised to learn that Cueva Ventana is not actually a state-sponsored conservation forest as I initially thought, but rather a privately owned historic preservation site.
Above:

View from inside the cave, looking up at the stairs we descend from.

 

Below:

The magnificent “window” view from Cueva Ventana overlooking the Rio Grande dé Arecibo valley.

Our guide told us to look out for the cave residents, aka Matilda, the Puerto Rican boa constrictor. Needless to say, we got a little jumpy when we had to turn off our torches and navigated through the dark parts of the cave so we wouldn’t disturb our animal friends.

Our friends – Eli and Victoria – adoring each other and the view.

Viejo San Juan at Dawn | Travel Diary

Viejo San Juan at Dawn | Travel Diary

We slept late the night before, dancing the merengue–or at least trying to, but having a blast on the town with friends. I woke up early in Viejo San Juan and admired the little town from my balcony. The aged blue cobblestone streets and the tall colorful haciendas. The soft sunrise gave me all the feels.