Ninth Eagle: A Puerto Rican Adventure

A home away from home.. that's what we can say about Puerto Rico.. It resembles Kerala, our hometown in many different ways like climate, beaches, green forests, way of life etc.. But unlike God's own country it also experiences storms and hurricanes during the months of September and October every year which brings life to a standstill on the island.. This year 2019, it had escaped the wrath of the hurricanes.. which prompted us to plan a vacation to this beautiful island just of the eastern coast of US in the month of December to escape the cold weather up north in the US mainland.

First off, Puerto Rico is a Union Territory of the United States, so it's simple as taking a domestic flight to California, Texas or any other state in the US. No visa restrictions, but to be on the safe side it's always good to carry your visa, green card, driver's license or some form of US ID just in case they start asking for the same on the return trip to the US. We did not face any issues though in our flights both ways.. Secondly, currency is US Dollars.

Now come the nuances, they follow both metric systems there.. US and British. Two of the most frequently seen ones and that to keep note off is 1) Distance is always displayed in Kilometers (km) , while Speed is shown in Miles per hour.. (mph). Even if the mph is not clearly specified on the board it needs to be regarded as such. 2) Gas is billed in $/liter instead of $/gallon. Also all gas stations that we had been to, offered only a pre-pay mechanism. So if you need to fill a full tank of gas, make sure you do the conversions right... ;-) .

Driving rules as same as US, but... there is no such thing as leftmost being the fast lane on the freeways.. It's more like you have to change lanes and overtake the vehicle moving slowly on that lane. Rarely or never did we see anyone using turn signals when changing lanes.. On inner roads especially at night we noticed some vehicles impatiently jumping the red signals if there was no vehicle in sight rather than wait for the signal to turn green. There was one instance where a car stopped right in front of us on an exit lane from the freeway so that they could pick up a bystander on the road. Nothing to be nervous about though, just be extra cautious, aware and always be ready to act in case of sudden events..

If you are renting a car, I would advise to take the toll pass or the Puerto Ricon version of the EZ-PASS offered by the rental company. All rental cars are equipped with it. They charge a administration fee of 3 to 4$ on a day when you use the toll roads in addition to the toll. Even if you pay the toll in cash, this fee would be charged as the cars have the tracker equipped. Also in some places the toll roads may come up on you sooner than you can change lanes as you would be enjoying the scenic views, so you may end up taking the PASS only lane instead of the cash lane.. This administrative fee is charged only for the first 5 days of using the toll roads after which only the tolls get applied. So for a maximum of 20$, you get to bypass all the cash lanes and also get a peace of mind of travelling without having to worry about getting a ticket later on for not paying a toll.. Also rent in advance as rental agencies tend to get busy throughout the year. Keep in mind that airport rental locations were charging almost double for the rental. Only catch being, if renting from an offsite location other than the airport, you cannot return the vehicle at the airport, nor do they drop or pickup from the airport. Instead you can use a Uber or Taxi from the airport and rent at the closest location from the airport. They are pretty inexpensive rides.

Spanish is the island language, so road signs are in Spanish most of the time. If you are Spanish illiterate like us, then now is a good time to memorize some words other than "Hola" and "Muchas Gracias"..

Norte -> North

Sur -> South
Este -> East
Oeste -> West

Salida -> Exit
Pare -> Stop
Ceda -> Yield
no estacióne -> no parking
Peaje -> Toll

It makes it easier when you enter and exit the freeways.. Locals at the tourist spots speak both English and Spanish.

Check with your cell phone provider if the same domestic plan applies on the island. Normally it does but just to be on the safe side and not to rack up roaming data/voice charges. The signal display would show up as domestic roaming..

Download Offline Google Maps of the island before travelling, it helps in some locations where there are no cellphone signals..

Puerto Rico is on Atlantic Standard Time. For those on the East Coast that's 1 hr ahead.

Being a tourist spot, accommodation can be found in resorts, hotels, and airbnbs.. You can do your own research on which one works best for you.. Airbnbs are a cheaper option if you are staying for a longer duration on the island. Resorts charge extra 18-20% fees on a daily basis, but you get extra amenities..

Guess I am done with the tips.. Now let's move on to the more interesting and fun stuff..

Luquillo, PR

The most part of our trip was spent around Luquillo as we had planned most activities in that vicinity. It's close to multiple locations like El Yunque Forest, Carabali Rainforest Park, Fajardo, Grocery stores, restaurants and of course the beaches are always close :-).. Travelling with toddlers this is a great place to hang out..

Airbnb, Luquillo

Waking up to these views from the Airbnb in Luquillo and walking right to the beach every day..

Kioskos & Food Trucks

On our first night there we tried out a food truck called Bristo Del Mar, Luquillo.. They were parked by the beach and chairs outside with truck.. We got a seat and ordered our food based on the chef's (Marina Martinez) recommendations. Initially we thought it was a mistake as the food took over 1.5 hrs to come out as they had some huge orders before we had arrived and were servicing those.. But when the food arrived, we were pleasantly surprised.. It was so yummy that even our little toddler mentioned, she wanted to come here every day for dinner for the rest of the trip..

We ordered the Stuffed Pineapple with chicken, & Chicken Mofongo.. To cap it off, we ordered our favorite which was the Sweet Fried plantains.. It was so delicious.. On the second day we ordered Octopus Mofongo, Steak with Avacado and Beef Empandas..

Tip : Always when ordering fried plantains make sure to mention you want the sweet ones. Since they have both the sweet version and the plain version..

Tip : Bristo Del Mar accepts cash and Paypal. The former being preferred..

Tip : Kioskos are like normal restaurants.. They are located on a strip like a shopping mall.. Below pictures give you an idea on the place, food and drinks

Carabali Rainforest Park

Day 2 : We had booked a 2 hr horse riding at the Carabali Rainforest Park.. It was located within a few kms or like 5 to 10 minutes from the place we were camped at. The reason we booked this activity was because the age restrictions were 3 and above which meant our 5 year old could do it. I had contacted them earlier to see if she would have to ride a horse alone or if someone would be accompanying her. They mentioned that she would be riding alone and it was perfectly safe and they would take care of her and make her comfortable... And that they definitely did.. She was initially scared after mounting the horse and got strapped in but then the guides walked her around on the horse while the others in our company got mounted on their horses.. 5 minutes into the ride and she realized that she would not fall off and started to enjoy it.. If you ask her, how was horse riding she would say "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!!!"..

Fernando and Jose were our guides and they made sure to take pictures of everyone on their horses and also stopped at scenic locations. There was a stop at the banks of the Mameyes River which runs through their park. Everyone got to munch on passion fruit which they plucked from the trees during the ride.. Grilled chicken or pork strips and coconut water was available for cash.. We spent some time getting our feet wet in the river and then immersed ourselves in the scenic views nature had to offer..

We further proceeded to go on the UTV rides as our toddler met the height requirement. Freddy the guide was very helpful. We took a different path on the ranch and rode through muddy waters and bumpy trails.

Seven Seas, Fajardo

Day 3: Christmas Dec 25th.. We decided to go to Fajardo on the North Eastern tip of the island.. We stumbled upon Seven Seas Beach. This turned out to be one of the best beaches we have been to so far.. The reason being the sea was so calm, white sand and the turquoise blue waters were so clear.. Parking is available on the street and a public parking area was also present..

Arecibo Observatory : SETI "Is Anybody out there?"..

Day 4: "Name's Bond. James Bond".. I guess everyone can recollect the largest radio telescope from the movie Golden Eye 007.. Yes and that telescope is here in Arecibo, Puerto Rico... It was an 1.5 hr drive from Luquillo but was worth it.. We had planned to go to El Yunque that day but glad that we decided to do a rain-check on that due to .... You guessed right!! the Rain.. The whole island was covered with fog and rain throughout the day.. The tickets are 12$ for Adults and 8$ for kids. The VIP tour tickets are 15$ and 10$ respectively but needs to be booked at least a day earlier or before you leave for the day. We missed the VIP tour as slots were not available until 2:30 pm that day.. The normal tour has a 15 minute video and a Q/A session.. Everyone were more curious how the telescope survived the Hurricane Maria in 2017. Additionally the VIP tour takes you through the control room where the scientists are busy processing data.. Overall it was a good educational tour..

Phones and Smart watches need to be placed in airplane mode before entering the observatory

There is sufficient free parking onsite.

Cueva Ventana caves

A 15 km drive from Arecibo through some curvy roads on the northern part of the Rio Abajo State Forest and you will reach Cueva Ventana caves. A relatively small cave system but has some good views from multiple openings. It was foggy but once the fog started to clear it was better.. The tickets were 19$ per person..

Age requirement for kids : 5 and above.

Closed toe shoes with good grip

It's always good to carry different pairs of shoes in your vehicle that way you can change them based on the location if you are taking a stroll on the beach or hiking the forest..

El Yunque National Forest

Day 5: A day of hiking and nature pools.. We started out at the northern entrance of the park. Our plan was already set, thanks to some tips from our friends who had visited the forest the previous day. We stopped by the mini waterfalls, Yokahu Tower, and then hiked up Mt Britton Tower. It's a 45 minute hike. Make sure to carry water as on a hot day the uphill hike can get a bit tiring.. Luckily there are 3 or more rest sheds along the way. The path is paved but very narrow. But the views are awesome from the top of the tower..

On the way back at KM marker 10, we parked by the road, and took a dip in the Juan Diego Creek. The water was cold but only for the first few seconds.. it was shallow at about 3-4ft but be careful with your footing in the rocks below. After the hike it was good to take a cold dip in the falls..

The park closes at 6 pm.

Make sure to park only in the areas denoted by the Road signs. Park Rangers are constantly on the move making sure the roads are not blocked.

Old Sanjuan

Day 6: We happened to meet some of our friends by coincidence and planned this day as a group activity along with them at El Morro Fort in Old San Juan which was more than 250 yrs old.. It was more of a relaxed day with 3 toddlers enjoying themselves running around the lush green park around the fort... We walked about the city and visited the Basilica too.. Food is also great.. We dined at Cafe El Punto for a late lunch.. Streets are crowded with vehicles constantly moving around the narrow yet beautiful roads with vibrantly colored buildings.

Photo Credit : Thariq

Park your vehicle at Ballaja Parking. It is the closest to the El Morro fort.. We paid closed to 8$ for about 6 hrs or so.

The wait times at restaurants are pretty long due to cruise ships arriving at the port with thousands of people.. So plan ahead for lunch as it could take as long as an hour or more to get seating. If you are in a big group, I would advise to split up your seating during lunch into smaller groups of 4 or less.. It's a shorter wait time that way.

Isle Verde

Day 7: Being our last day on the island we just planned to spend some time on the Isle Verde Beach and do a bit of Souvenir shopping. We stayed at an Airbnb close to the beach. There were couple of souvenir shops nearby and its best to buy from here rather than at the airport as everything was double the price at the airport. The Isle Verde beach was filled with sea weed on the eastern side and the waves were pretty strong.. Most of the water activities like jet skiing, para sailing and banana boat rides are available here.. We had not planned for any as we had already experienced most of it in our earlier trips to Key West and moreover we were just chilling out.. Watch out for small crabs running around the beach.. ;-)