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A Postcard From Puerto Rico

A Postcard From Puerto Rico

This is a feature from Issue 9 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.

Puerto Rico means Rich Port in Spanish, but this American outpost in the tropical Caribbean is also known as La Isla del Encanto – the Island of Enchantment – and it’s certainly enchanted me. I’m not sure if it’s the history and culture here, most palpable amongst the cobblestone streets of old San Juan. Perhaps it’s the friendly people who are so keen to share their exotic food and rhythmic music. Or it could be the dreamy scenery – the lush mountains and fine white beaches. Whatever it is, I will find it hard to leave this Island.

TO THE HILLS

Today I quite literally woke up and smelt the coffee, with a trip to the Utuado region and an eco-farm which belongs to a popular Puerto Rican singer. Sadly, he wasn’t home but I got to join a horse ride tour through the forest and around the organic crops, taking in the fresh air before enjoying a sublime cup of coffee surrounded by the nature it was cultivated in.

From here it was a short hop to the Caribbean’s most important archaeological site, the Centro Ceremonial Indigena de Caguana. Looking at the vivid petroglyphs I got a glimpse into the lives of the indigenous Taino that inhabited this region before the Spanish arrived.

Puerto Rico's smaller islands include Culebra & Vieques, both pristine wildlife refuges

FUN IN THE SUN

Back in San Juan’s Old Town I had a sense of déjà vu as I wandered past the crumbling pastel casas. It had me recalling scenes from The Rum Diary, a movie set here, starring Johnny Depp as a hedonistic journalist in 1950s San Juan – and that made me crave a cocktail!

The pina colada is the official drink of Puerto Rico and San Juan’s lively Barrachina restaurant and bar is the place that claims to have invented it. After a couple of these I needed dinner and Chocobar, where everything is made with a hint of chocolate, hit the spot. I even manged to work off the calories with a Salsa lesson after sunset.

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This is a feature from Issue 9 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.