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| I took this leaving the beach after a long day of surfing |
Mi Viaje
In short--It was a great and I would recommend it to anyone who can handle a non-pampered vacay. As I have mentioned, when I travel, although I do enjoy resorts, I generally prefer to live like the locals so I can soak in la cultura. We’ve all heard the quote “When in Rome…” Well, “When in Puerto Rico…” Anywhoo, the group rented a beach house from one of the natives for the week.
Unlike San Juan, which is a modern, big, city, Rincon was, what I would call, more authentic, and is famous for surfing and its beautiful beaches. Most people spoke English, which I was actually kind of disappointed about because I was hoping to improve my Espanol while I was there.
Navegando
We found a local surf board rental shop and a couple of the guys gave us lessons. (I will never forget my eye candy of a surf instructor, Billy) We attempted on our own, but on several days the swells were just too big for amateur surfers. Those days we watched the pros and that was pretty amazing. I’m proud to say I did catch a few waves while I was there especially because this wasn’t my first time. Almost as entertaining as watching pro surfers, was watching people learn to stand up paddle board. Hilarious actually. The key is balance and once you get that taken care of you’ve got it. For me, that’s no problem. I’m barely 5 feet tall so my low center of gravity gives me an advantage. But for most of our group members who were average height and some, who my little self considers to be giants (5”10 and above) it was difficult. People were wobbling and flying off everywhere.
Actividad Favorita
If I had to choose a favorite activity while we were there it would definitely be hiking a rainforest to a secluded double waterfall. It took us about 45 minutes to hike to and the scenery was gorgeous of course. When we got there, the waterfall was almost breathtaking. We were able to rock climb up to two different cliffs and jump off into the waterfall pools. The highest cliff we jumped was between 20 and 30 feet but I would say the falls were about 90 feet. I admit I was terrified at first but I was determined to overcome the fear of jumping and was able to with a little help from my friends. Interesante
The most interesting part about Rincon were the people and their relaxed lifestyles. It seems stereotypical, but from what I observed, it is that genuinely chill surfer town where it’s truly all about the waves. From an outside point of view, it seemed people just lived day to day pretty much carefree except for watching for swells of course. I’m sure this had to do with the amount of other “recreational activities” they participated in. ;)
Also there were a lot of local panaderias (bakeries/ bread stores).
These places had some of the best fresh cheesecake and pastries I have ever tasted. The best part about it was that you could buy giant slices for only about 80 cents. I think I went to one every day.
Funny Trip Stories:
Scenario: Myself and a couple of other group members walk up to this roadside bar/food stand type of thing. One group member happens to be like 6 foot 7 and in perfect athletic shape (Example of someone I consider a giant.). The bar is crowded with several locals that I would consider drunk as skunks and high as kites just chillin on a random weekday afternoon.
Giant: Walks up to the bar to order an entire chicken I believe
Random Guy: Says to giant in a very Cheech and Chong voice “Heeey maan…you play tennis?”
Giant: No man basketball
Random Guy: Well when people look at you they think “man that dude knows how to play tennis.” When they look at me they think “man that dude knows where to get the good weed.”
Giant: And I bet they’re right
Random Guy: Yeaaa bro
Scenario: We were going through airport security in San Juan for our departing flight. Here we are loading our stuff on the conveyor belt and for some reason I always think this is an opportune time to quote the “Meet the Parents” movie…you know at the end when Greg is on the plane arguing with the flight attendant because his bag won’t fit and it turns into him singing “Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb, Bo Bomb.” Yea that part. Not smart I know but I can’t help it. So right as I get done chanting my little tune the security guy immediately pulls me out of line. Now I’m thinking “Oh crap. He heard me and I’m about to get interrogated by the San Juan police or worse.” So he pulls me over and makes me stand in this booth while they X Ray and do whatever I don’t know but he was getting frustrated with me because apparently I wasn’t standing correctly in the booth. ? Fortunately we were all relieved that he did not hear my bomb tune and I had just accidently left a water bottle in my bag. He even ended up joking with me about it.
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| Coco Pirata's |
My Recommendations:
In conclusion, If you ever visit Rincon, Puerto Rico and I recommend you do, here are some highlights that I suggest.
Banana Dang: A coffee/ smoothie shop who’s passions are coffee, bananas and the environment. I recommend the Purple Dang Smoothie and Cinnamon Toast
Coco Pirata’s: Ask anyone in Rincon and they will tell you where to find one. I don’t know exactly what’s in it other than rum, but it is served in a coconut and very delicious.
Hiking to the waterfall: Ask a local. Find it. It’s worth it.
Local Panaderias: As I already mentioned, amazing pastries ridiculously cheap. True diamonds in the rough
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