Aruba 2022 - Day 0: Arrival

Continuing our tour of the Caribbean, we're celebrating several people's new jobs by spending about a week in Aruba with some friends (henceforth, referred to as Matt and Dietlinde).

We left home before 5 AM this morning, in light rain, fog, and darkness. They only live across town, so we carpooled to the airport.

Our 8:40 flight out of Newark was slightly delayed, but uneventful. (Don't count on getting anything to eat in terminal B before 8 AM on a Sunday, though.)

Once airborne, it's about 4.25 hours to Aruba. We spilled out into the wind and humidity before 2 PM, in search of our rental car.

If you've been to the Caribbean, you're probably familiar with island time; it was another 40 minutes before we made it to the condo, despite it being a 10-minute drive.

Sometimes, Airbnb or VRBO photos/listings can be deceiving or exaggerated, but this condo is as "on the water" as we expected.

We took a few minutes to explore the views and the waterfront.

We hadn't really eaten much, and were all in need of a cold beverage and a bite to eat, so we headed to a nearby beach bar (Battata).

I had to try the Aruba Ariba (pronounced "Arubariba"), for science. There were also some piña coladas on the table, along with some snacks. There was a constant 20 to 25mph wind, which made everything a little tricky but also tempered the oppressive heat and humidity.

If you look carefully, you can see the horse in the volleyball court. They were offering horseback rides around the beach. We resisted the urge, but it must've been popular because their Facebook page is currently filled with horse videos. 🤷‍♂️ 

After a brief stroll on the beach, we continued down the road in search of a grocery store. The first one we tried was closed, the second one was more of a mini-mart situation, and the third rounded out our immediate shopping needs. We returned home with our spoils, then spent a few minutes unwinding and investigating dinner options.

Not wanting to get back in the car, we opted for the nearby Zeerover bar/restaurant/seafood-shack. It was only about a 10 minute walk from the condo, accompanied by a beautiful view of the sun sinking toward the horizon.

This turned out to be a popular idea; we had to wait in line for about 40 minutes to order our food, but we were committed once we set out on foot. Matt and I enjoyed a local bottled beer while waiting.

It took another 45 minutes for the food to show up at our table. Luckily, the scenery and company were agreeable, and the ever-present ocean breeze kept it relatively comfortable. Occasionally, water would splash up through the gaps in the deck boards, slightly wetting our feet.

I think it was almost 9 PM by the time we wandered home. If not for the full moon, I suspect it would've been too dark to walk back along the water's edge.

The forecast for the entire week is remarkably constant: mid 80s, feels like mid 90s, sunny and windy during the day, but 80 F at night. There's no plan for tomorrow, or any other day (yet?).

We're all tired, and will be turning in early tonight. It's tempting to watch the lunar eclipse, though...

Puerto Rico 2022 - Day 5: Departure, thoughts

This morning, we ate breakfast while watching some fishermen work on the beach. You can see the rebar fence that was about to become a concrete wall before the project was halted.

We had about a 2.5-hour drive across the northern expanse of the island, and we needed to allow ample time to gas up and return the rental car, so we left the condo around 10:30 AM.

There was an accident (or something) on the only major highway, so we had to wind our way along the ridges and hills.

We passed the Cumar River Cave Park, which had been a potential day-trip option if we had a problematic weather day. In hindsight, it probably wouldn't have gone well... this site indicates that it only recently opened, after being closed since hurricane Maria (4.5 years ago), and possibly requires reservations? The Wikipedia article says it was scheduled to open last December, but also that it re-opened about a year ago (March 2021), so who the hell knows? Maybe next time.

We also passed relatively near to the Arecibo Observatory, which would have been an interesting stop a few years ago (before it collapsed).

The airport was rather busy, and also disappointingly devoid of decent food options. By the time we endured a nearly-two-hour-long maintenance delay, a 3+ hour flight (but a 1 hour time change), a dead car battery, and the drive home from PHL, it was 9:30 PM (almost exactly 12 hours from the time we left the condo in Puerto Rico).

The west coast of Puerto Rico was absolutely beautiful. I would stay in the Rincón area again, if the opportunity arose. The location and view from our condo was excellent; we could sit on the balconies and watch pelicans fishing as the sun set over the ocean. The pace of life is definitely a bit slower outside of the capital, which is already somewhat relaxed, compared to what we're used to in the northeast US.

I'm glad that we got to see more of the island this time (vs last trip which was mostly San Juan with a few hours for Luquillo beach and El Yunque rainforest). With the extra side trip to visit the Pork Highway on the first day, we nearly circumnavigated the island.

I'm writing a random list of notes here, for our own (or your) future use. 

• Córcega beach was clean and calm, and the water there was clear with a nice, sandy bottom as far out as anyone could stand. The beach we visited down by the salt flats was also nice, although there was some floating seagrass. Neither beach had much sargassum, if any.
• There are lots of iguanas, to the point where we saw maybe a dozen as roadkill.
• There is some very creative driving. I commented several times that I was surprised we didn't see more accidents. Maybe give this a read, before going.
• There are bakeries everywhere. Seriously... go to Google Maps and search an area of the island for "bakery". If you like guava and pineapple, you'll be pleased. Also flan, which is apparently very polarizing.
• The food is amazing; the roadside, casual, outdoor restaurants never disappointed. Everything was fresh and tasty.
• The interior of the island is much lumpier than any of us expected. This map sums it up nicely.
• The weather patterns were the same, every day. It was calm in the morning, then the wind/water got rougher in the afternoon, followed by scattered showers.
• Some reviews we had read (e.g., TripAdvisor, Google) mentioned the groceries being expensive where we were, but this was not our experience. Everything seemed reasonable, especially in comparison to some other islands we've visited.
• Gas is sold by the liter, and distances on signs are in KM or meters (abbreviated "mts"), but speed limits are in MPH. Gas prices were about the same as in PA, (at least when we left).
• The roads weren't bad, but anything other than the main highways was somewhat hilly and windy.
• There are horses and cows all over the place. People tether horses in yards, parks, baseball fields, centers and shoulders of roads, and anywhere else there's grass. Other wildlife is not shy about crossing roads, either: dogs, chickens, iguanas.
• About 1-in-8 Church's Chicken restaurants in the US are in Puerto Rico, and they were often paired with Burger King for some reason.
• It seemed like there were auto parts stores, garages, and car dealerships everywhere. (Again, check Google Maps. You'll see.)

Let me know if I missed any fun facts or notable items.

Puerto Rico 2022 - Day 4: Beach, revisited

It was another perfect beach day, so we headed down to the water after (what had become) our usual breakfast routine. Karyn had to take a work call around 1:30 PM. This fit in perfectly with our schedule of "doing nothing all day".

The area between the building and the beach had been a construction zone at some point. Presumably rebuilding/repairing after hurricane Maria and/or the large earthquakes? Unclear.

At some point, some government entity seems to have put a stop to the project. At least, that's the gist I got from skimming (and comprehending maybe 20% of) the 8' tall sign that was posted next to the building, by the small public parking area.

Because of this, the wall/fence around the yard area is incomplete, which was nice for us because it made it easy to get to/from the beach. The yard also contains this large mound of dirt, which several iguanas have decided to use for their burrow(s). This morning, I finally saw them, and even managed to get a photo as they scurried over the pile.

As on Monday, we spent the entire day lounging on the beach, reading, napping, swimming, snorkeling, walking, snacking, etc.

As the sun marched across the sky, those of us who preferred the shade had to shuffle our beach chairs around a few times. It was all rather relaxing, as we nearly had the entire beach to ourselves.

The weather cooperated completely, again. We really were very fortunate these last few days, with regards to the weather. The forecast was essentially the same every day: high of 80 to 82F ("feels like 89"), chance of showers in the afternoon. At times, we could clearly see it raining in the distance, to the north and to the south. And yet, we always managed to dodge the storms.

Some time around... 4? maybe 5? we retreated to the condo to rinse off sand and sunscreen, and sneak in a cocktail as the sun set to the west.

For tonight's dinner, we hit up another touristy spot, just past the downtown area (such as it is), sort of at the marina: Shipwreck Bar & Grill.

Not wanting to have any more leftovers, we shared a few entrees and appetizers. The mofongo was served in a pilon, which is sort of a wooden mortar and pestle. Opinions were split on the food, but we all agreed that it was "fine". The drinks were just average, though. I probably wouldn't go back, if I ever happen to be in the area again.

Our sample size was small, but it seemed that the food options near the downtown area and to the north were aimed more at tourists, while the venues south of downtown were better, perhaps more authentic, and certainly cheaper. Or, to put it another way, the tourist restaurants had menus in English, whereas some of the other nights we had to practice our Spanish.

We left the Shipwreck around 9, which left us just enough time to stop at the Rimicon Bakery en route to the condo, where we stretched the boundaries of "reasonable amount of dessert for five people", but didn't get too carried away (this time).

Tomorrow, we depart for Pennsylvania.

Puerto Rico 2022 - Day 3: Cabo Rojo

It was another lazy morning, and then we loaded up the car for a day trip down to Cabo Rojo. We chose the scenic route, around Mayagüez to avoid traffic; the road meandered along the coast for some of the drive.

Along the way, we stopped at a random gas station to air up the front-left tire; the tire pressure warning light had been on since we picked up the rental car... 2 AM didn't seem like the time to try to get that fixed, the other night.

It took a solid hour to traverse nearly the entire west coast of the island. Cabo Rojo is a region, a town name, the name of a nature preserve, and where the salt flats are located.

We stopped at the Interpretive Center to look at a map. The center (and the observation towers) were closed, and it didn't appear to be just because it was Monday.

Striking out at the first stop, we continued another 15 minutes or so down the road, stopping to see the views of the salt flats a few times.

The weather was absolutely perfect for spending a day walking around and exploring: approximately 80F and sunny, with a steady ocean breeze.

Sabrina, Karyn, and Christie decided to walk the last 3/4 of a mile or so, rather than endure the bumpy road from the back seat of the Kia.

Shannon and I enjoyed some muddy offroading to the end of the dirt road, also stopping along the way to take some photos.

We managed to get the last parking spot, in a puddle, and then opportunistically relocated once someone else left. It had been such slow going that we only had to wait about 10 minutes, during which we studied the map and the signs to come up with a route plan.

One of the top attractions at the southwestern tip of the island is Los Morrillos lighthouse.

We decided to take the scenic trail in a loop that included the lighthouse.

The trail offers some spectacular views as it wanders along the cliffs, with nothing but the occasional "peligroso acantilado" (dangerous cliff) sign for safety. 

One of the other attractions is the natural stone arch, at the edge of a sheltered cove. There were a handful of people swimming, below.

From the stone arch, it was a short stroll along the cliffs, overlooking the ocean, towards the lighthouse.

There were several iguanas sunning themselves while enjoying the views.

The lighthouse was built in 1882, apparently. It's in remarkably good shape for being 140 years old, in this climate.

Just past the lighthouse, we got a panoramic view of Bahia Sucia ("dirty bay"?) and Playa Salinas, with some of the salt flats in the distance.

We followed the trail back down to the beach area, then sent Karyn and Christie to find us a spot on the beach, while Sabrina, Shannon, and I walked back to the car along the dirt road, to get the cooler with our lunches/snacks/drinks and hopefully move the car closer.

The beach didn't seem that crowded, but somehow the small parking lots at the end of the road were nearly full. We managed to get the last space, and returned to the beach with supplies. Christie and Karyn had secured a perfect location, with a log for seating and an overhanging tree for shade.

Here is the view from the log-seat, and a photo that Christie took while on a beach walk. We somehow managed to not get any long shots of the entire beach, apparently.

After nearly two hours at the salt -flat beach, we packed up and began the rough ride through the potholes and mud, back towards the Airbnb.

Along the dirt road, this little guy hitched a ride for awhile, and admired himself in the side-view mirror.

We made one more stop on the access road, so I could get my phone from the trunk and also to take this last photo of the salt flats, while standing on the upper rungs of a metal gate.

Once we were back on the edge of civilization, we stopped at the Boquerón Bakery to use the bathroom, get some coffee, and practice our Spanish (not in that order).

Throughout the day, we had seen storm clouds to the north, and we slogged through some moderate rain on the drive back up to Rincón. It had clearly rained along most of the west coast, at some point today, but we had somehow managed to miss all of it.

Back at the house, we regrouped, cleaned up, had a cocktail overlooking the sunset, and hunted the internet for dinner venues.

We settled on Tamboo restuarant, which was up near the lighthouse park from yesterday. It was easily the most touristy place we've been yet, but was also quite good.

After dinner, we returned to the Airbnb and retired to the roof patio for a dessert sampler of pastries from the Rimicon Bakery. I think we finished them all, so I'm not sure what we're going to do tomorrow night.

Tomorrow, we have no specific plans, which means we'll just be hanging around the beach in front of the condo. The weather forecast is the same every day, so it should be beautiful with a chance of rain showers in the afternoon.