PUERTO RICO ADVENTURES and MISADVENTURES

We registered for the Road Scholar Puerto Rico program months ahead of time, even before the earthquake which devastated the southern part of the island.

I had my qualms and was slightly becoming unnerved in the early days of March. We received an email from Road Scholars that the trip was "on." And so were we! I anticipated being in Puerto Rico with the Road Scholar program.

The icing on the cake would be our 3-day stay afterwards in a VRBO on the island of Culebra where my brother Paul, his wife Corinne, Gerry and I would snorkel, kayak and unwind.

We flew from LAX to San Juan via Chicago on Saturday March 7. We arrived at the Hotel Verdanza (a short 10-minute Uber ride from the airport) at 1:00 a.m. (March 8).  I was exhausted, but as is often typical, I was unable to sleep very much.

The complimentary breakfast buffet was very good. I especially enjoyed the fresh papaya. We arranged for a late check-out so we could take a leisurely walk along the lovely beach near the hotel.

Vacation is off to a beautiful start

Smooth sand and a rocky beach

Temperatures are in the 80s and it is quite pleasant

The host hotel for the Road Scholar program, the Hampton San Juan, was only a 1/2 mile from Hotel Verdanza so we walked over with our luggage in the afternoon. Fortunately we were able to check in early.  We took another leisurely beach walk in the afternoon. The beaches are uncrowded and the sand is very smooth on our bare feet.

We stopped under this tree to take in the scenery

We turned around shortly after here

We stopped for a snack of fried plantains at the New Reef Bar and restaurant. We enjoyed this five- mile walk, though the sun did get intense on the way back to the hotel.

We met our fellow Road Scholars at the official start of the program, the orientation meeting which was at 5:00 pm. There are 18 of us on this - over 25 percent are the Button clan (Mom, Paul, Corinne, Gerry, Mary).

Dinner was at Metropol, a restaurant located 5 minutes from the hotel. I ordered grouper with creole sauce, served w sweet plantains and a salad. Portions were generous. They overly salt food here according to my taste buds, but perhaps it is necessary they do so in the Caribbean so the locals get enough sodium.

The plan on Monday, March 9, was to take a walking tour of old San Juan. Unfortunately, it was raining and quite windy most of the morning and so we had to come up with an alternative plan.

We visited a local market, Plaza Del Mercado,  and our group leader Alberto pointed out some of the local produce, such as pumpkins, papayas and plantains.

A display of very healthy looking papayas at the Plaza Del Mercado

The Mercado was a colorful building

Shortly after our visit to the mercado, we met our local guide Ada who gave as a tour of Castillo San Cristobal, the largest colonial Spanish fortress in the Western Hemisphere. Construction began in 1634 and the fort was not completed until 1790.

This impressive structure is now part of the San Juan National Historic Site.

Excellent views abound

Next, we visited Plaza De Colon and San Francisco Street with colorful houses in a variety of colors. San Francisco Street is a main artery in old San Juan and is filled with cafes, artisan shops and cafes. Very fun street for us to stroll.

Plaza De Colon under threatening skies

A colorful shop along San Francisco Street  - one of  many cafes and local businesses

Colorful San Francisco Plaza

Old San Juan has many plazas and I found most of them very interesting. I appreciate the colors and the architecture.

A view of Plaza De Armas in Old San Juan

Another view of Plaza De Armas from a different angle

We walked to the old San Juan Gate. For centuries, this doorway served to keep invaders out of the city.  We walked through the La Puerta de San Juan to experience the splendor and romance of this elegant and vibrant city.

Walking through La Puerta de San Juan

Enjoying the view

Glad the storm clouds are gone and we can appreciate this view

Lunch time has arrived and we were in for a treat at Restaurant Barrachina, known as the birthplace of the pina colada. They gave us a tiny sample taste. Delicious!, but I don't do pina coladas at lunch.

Our original agenda was to include a field trip to El Capitolio de Puero Rico - Capitol Hill - with our local guide Ada, but this was cancelled at the last minute because of Coronavirus concerns. Hence our misadventure begins. And (sadly) it would continue...

Instead, we walked the neighborhood of Santurce and viewed "street art."  Dozens of murals are painted on abandoned buildings. Older murals are painted over, creating a constantly changing urban landscape. I found it fascinating. Below are seven of my favorites. Keep in mind there are dozens. I admire the creativity of the street artists and how their artistic renderings have helped spruce up the neighborhood.

Another misadventure, the Dow tumbled 2000 points this day.

Dinner was across the street at Hi Ole. My selection was mahi-mahi with cilantro sauce and sweet plantains. It was tasty and an early evening. We were back in the hotel by 7:30 pm and I was happy to kick back and relax. I set my alarm for 6:00 am so Gerry and I could start our Tuesday with a a sunrise walk.

It is like I am on my own private beach

Such a beautiful sunrise, the ideal start of the day

Tuesday, we boarded our motor coach and headed via the Luis A Ferre Highway over La Cordillera Central - the island's main mountain range - into the southern part of Puerto Rico, Ponce, where we would stay at the posh Hilton Ponce and Golf Resort for two nights, (Tuesday and Wednesday).

We first ventured to the Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center, one of the mot important archaeological sites in the Caribbean. It was discovered in 1975, and archeologists began excavating in 1976.

The oldest artifacts and structures from pre-Taino Indians date back more than 1,000 years.

At the site

What struck my eye was the beautiful hibiscus plant on the perimeter of the property.

How glorious

In the afternoon we embarked on a walking tour of Ponce which included the FireHouse, Ponce Cathedral, Delicias Square and the Museo de la Historia de Ponce, one of the city's most active cultural centers, preserving and presenting aspects of history and culture.

The museum is housed in the beautiful Casa Salazar, which combines both Moorish, neoclassical and Ponceno architectural elements.

This is the firehouse, a notable building, considered by some "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island."

The Cathedral in Ponce is impressive

I appreciate the architecture in Ponce

It was a very nice day in Ponce.

We changed into our bathing suits when we arrived at the Hilton Resort. There is a direct access to the beach from the back of the property. We took a relaxing swim in the warm Caribbean sea.

Our group met later in the evening for a hand's-on dinner at "Chef's Creations" where we made our own Mofongo. Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish with fried plantains as its main ingredient. Plantains are picked green and fried, then mashed with salt, garlic, broth, and olive oil in a wooden pilón.

We donned our aprons and chef's hats and got to work. It was a fun experience.

Chef Jane Button at your service

Wednesday, I set my alarm for 6:30 am so Gerry and I could take a morning walk before breakfast.

I'm definitely a morning person

We met with our group at 8:50 am and boarded the coach for a 30-minute ride to the Hacienda Buena Vista, a 19th century coffee plantation turned museum. It's location is a beautiful view or "Buena vista" in the Rio Camas Valley.

Our local guide led us on a nature hike upon trails which took us past bay rum trees. We also viewed the Ceiba tree, the ancient sacred tree of the Taino people. Ceiba means "connect" and the Tainos worship the tree to connect with their ancestors for guidance.

Arrival at Buena Vista plantation

Our guide points out the sacred Ceiba tree to us

Our guide emphasized the importance of being outdoors and connecting with nature, which I surely understand.

I never met a waterfall I didn't like

After the hike, the lessons continued back at the plantation as we learned about the development of the coffee industry in the area during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Fresh coffee beans on display, and what a beautiful backdrop

After a casual lunch we were given a tour of Serralles Castle, a mansion located in Ponce overlooking the downtown area. This was the substitute for the misadventure of the original plan on the schedule, a visit to Museo de Arte de Ponce, which was closed due to the January earthquake.

The Serralles Castle was built during the 1930s for Juan Eugenio Serralles, son of businessman Juan Serralles, founder of Don Q rum.

The tour of the house and its furnishings was very impressive (no photos allowed indoors). We gained a better sense of how rum is an important part of the city and the island.

Arriving at Serralles Castle

After the tour of the interior, we stepped outdoors to the backyard balcony, where we were allowed to take pictures.

Looking to the left

And then to the right

Our tour finished with a tasting of Don Q rum. The locals prefer it by far to Bacardi rum.

Misadventure continues when we return to the hotel and turn on the news. Stock market plunges and fears of the spreading Coronavirus increase worldwide. It is now taking the United States by storm and events far and wide are cancelled. Surreal watching all of this away from the mainland.

Thursday Gerry and I arose for our traditional sunrise hike. It is peaceful and quiet in the early morning hours while most people are still in their beds at sleep. I often want to keep on walking and walking, but of course I cannot because we need to return to the hotel, have breakfast and get onboard for the day's schedule.

A view of the Caribbean

See why I want to absorb this a bit longer and not return to the hotel for breakfast?

But when we did have breakfast I splurged and made a special request of the omelet-chef to add smoked salmon to my made-to-order veggie omelet. One of the perks of staying at fancy-schmancy places like this is they usually tend to comply with requests like this.

We boarded the coach for the drive to Caguas to visit some of the local museums.

Misadventure once again - a 45 minute drive to Caguas from Ponce ended up being more than twice as long due to road construction. Hence, our museum experience was very rushed.

Museo de Artes Populares featured the work of Edwin Baez Carrasquillo, who specializes in creating three-dimensional scenes of Puerto Rican life, full of minute details.

I appreciated all of his work. The wood carvings were exquisite, and really he succeeded in telling the story through his art.

This depicts the evolution of the culture from the Taino to the present

A wonderful 3-d rendition of the market scene of years past

 The power of music to unite us can not be over emphasized, (especially in times of misadventure, and I am already feeling this is the case for me personally).

Music is always a significant part of any culture -especially in groups

And also alone. I have many "me and my piano" times that give me comfort

The town of Caguas is still recovering from both the September 2017 Hurricane Maria and the January 2020 earthquake, but it seemed on the mend.

The center of town and the plaza still looked lovely to me, and I made use of my imagination to picture how more beautiful this would have been without the devastation.

Santiago R. Palmer Plaza, Caguas

Trees should be here. But hurricanes happen and they were decimated

After lunch, we boarded the coach for the journey back to San Juan for a visit to the Museo de Arte Puerto Rico. The docent-led tour of the museum was the highlight of my day.

This museum opened in 2000 and contains a large permanent collection of Puerto Rican art, ranging from the 16th Century to the present.

The exterior of the Museo de Arte is art!

Our docent was excellent and he led us through carefully selected artworks, helping to give us insight into Puerto Rican art.

Highlights included Jose Campeche y Jordan, "The Daughters of Governor Don Ramon de Castro" (1797)

"The Daughters"

By the 1930s , a quarter of the population lived in urban centers. Twenty years later, the figures doubled. A large part of these migrant populations settled in improvised dwellings, forming slums.

Augusto Marin, "The Agriculture" (1960)

More modern art displays included Freddie Mercado "Freddilicias: decendencia dislocada" (2019)

His work stands out for breaking schemes of everyday life

Women artists get their respect in this museum as well. Elsa Marai Melendez is known for her pieces with characters made with graphic displays, sewing and embroidery which, according to the scene, tell a particular story.

"La Torera " (Woman Bullfighter) (2012) - check out those high heels!

We viewed elaborate masks, many of them are made of coconut husks. (We later saw several hand-painted masks in artisan shops in old San Juan.)

This mask takes up most of the wall

The gardens outside the museum were also lovely. We had 15 minutes or so to explore.

Gerry near the lily pond

We returned to the Hampton Inn for some down time before dinner at Cayo Caribe, in Old San Juan.  I ordered fish tacos - grilled grouper topped with cole slaw.

Friday I set my alarm for 6:00 am to enjoy a sunrise walk along the beach. I like this peaceful start to the day.

Another vibrant sunrise

We grouped up at 8:00 am for the excursion to El Yunque Rain Forest.  El Yumque is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest system. At nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse of the national forests. El Yunque is located on the eastern end of Puerto Rico.

Appropriately, it rained as we walked along a short trail through the rain forest. It was interesting to view the lush vegetation, especially the trumpet trees and other trees and flowers.

Gerry comes prepared with his umbrella

A healthy trumpet tree with the enormous leaves.

 Here's an idea - use one of these leaves as an umbrella

After the trail walk, we visited the Yokahu Tower, a 65-foot Moorish-looking stone tower which was built as a look-out in 1962. We climbed to the top for a vista of the surrounding countryside.

Yokahu Tower - 96 steps to get to the top

It didn't take long to climb to the top where we were rewarded with the view.

Culebra is out in the distance

We drove into the small town of Palmer for a light lunch. After lunch, we visited Loiza.

What makes Loíza distinct from any other part of Puerto Rico is the rich African heritage that permeates the town's identity. The town was settled in the 16th century by members of the Yoruba tribe who were brought to the island as slaves.

In modern times, most of the music, dance, culinary traditions, and art produced in Loíza is Afro-Puerto Rican, and the town has the largest black population of the island.

We visited the local art museum which featured some elaborate masks and colorful paintings.

My favorite mask of the exhibit

We then went outdoors and sat before a small stage and learned about bamba music. We were given a performance and lesson by a local teacher and talented drummers. We were taught that in bamba the female dancer is the "queen" and controls the music and the tempo.

The "queen" of bamba

The "queen" beckoned Gerry to the stage to dance with her.

Gerry has the rhythm

We enjoyed a walk upon the beach at sunset before dinner.

Sunset in San Juan, two blocks from our hotel

Saturday was the final day of the Road Scholar program. (Misadventures continue with the roller coaster - mostly a steep downhill ride - of the Stock Market and news of cancelling of public events. It is nerve-wracking being away from home during a crisis.) 

 The morning excursion was to Hacienda la Esperanza - Para la Naturaleza in Manati.

This was one of Puerto Rico's most prosperous sugar plantations during the 19th Century, where the main driving force behind sugar production was slavery.

We arrive at Hacienda la Esperanza. The grounds are beautiful

The guided tour (approx. 1 1/2 hours) was very interesting.

Jose Ramon Fernandez, the Marquis of La Esperanza,  acquired 2,200 acres and owned more than 150 slaves.

The plantation house

The main house includes a collection of 389 machetes and an intricately woven lace tapestry. Very sad that the slaves had to use these machetes for 16-hour days in the fields under the hot sun to cut down sugar cane.

Only the machetes with the dullest blades were given to the slaves. Plantation owners had their fears and did not want the slaves to use the machetes as weapons of revolt.

389 machetes of various sizes, shapes and sharpness are on display

The antique sugar mill has been restored to pristine condition. Here is the only sugar mill steam engine of its kind that is still in existence.

Fascinating to see this

The Conservation of Trust of Puerto Rico acquired the lands of La Esperanza in 1975 for the purpose of conservation. Their conservation mission is right up my alley.

We rode to old town San Juan after the tour and  were given three hours of free time to have lunch on our own and shop, etc.  We visited a few artisan "made in Puerto Rico" shops, and had lunch at a local cafe. I selected a vegetarian meal of pigeon peas, (similar to lentils, but a nuttier texture) with rice and sweet plantains.

One final photo of a typical street in Old San Juan

We walked with my 87-year-old mother who is doing great and helped her on her mission to find postcards (actually it wasn't too difficult a mission).

Our farewell dinner was at Ropa Vieja Grill in old San Juan. Misadventure - the mood wasn't jolly like it usually is on Road Scholar farewell dinners. I think most of us were worried. I know our leader Alberto was. He had recently received word that his next 7 tours (his livelihood) had been cancelled.

 Sunday. We slept in before a beach walk and a leisurely breakfast at 9:00 am. We checked out and met my mother in the hotel lobby to bid her farewell. She had a 12:30 pm flight, and we called an Uber for her at 10:40 am.

My brother Paul, his wife Corinne, Gerry and I were looking forward to the final three days - an excursion to Culebra where we would stay for 3 nights at the Coral Cove, an elegant waterfront apartment, a  VRBO Corinne had booked for us. It looked lovely.

It was slightly over an hour taxi ride from the Hampton to Fajardo, the town on the northeast side of the island where we would catch the ferry to Culebra.

We were advised to get to the docks in Fajardo an hour in advance, so we took a taxi van large enough for four people and their gear. Total fare including tip came to $80, somewhat reasonable for a 60 + minute ride.

At 12:45 pm we were allowed to board the ferry, and a few minutes before 1:00 pm they lowered the gangplank. Misadventure continues. 30 seconds later an announcement came over the PA system alerting us that the governor had issued an emergency order and only residents of Culebra would be able to take they ferry.

So we (and a few dozen others) disembarked. We had the business card of the taxi van driver, so we called him to come and pick us up and transport us back to the Hampton Inn, San Juan.

At 3:30 pm we were $160 poorer, burned needless gas, and were back where we started nearly five hours ago.

Priority was to book flights home. Fortunately, we were able to do so, as were Paul and Corinne.

Our last night in San Juan we stayed at Villa Del Sol, a modest small hotel a block from the Hampton (and at half the price). We took one final beach walk around 5:00pm and and a final dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

We sent our alarms for 4:00am. Fortunately it was a smooth and uneventful travel day.

It felt wonderful to arrive home at 2624 Green Oak Place at 3:00 pm Monday afternoon.

Glad to have experienced Puerto Rico, and glad to be home.

I tend to look at the glass half full, so tried to highlight the adventures, and not the mis-adventures of this trip.