Puerto Rico
One week to do a bit of kite surfing and see the island
Puerto Rico is the neighbouring island to Dominican Republic, so it seemed like a natural progression to visit here. We also had a kite recommendation, which is always good 👍
There was no wind on the Monday, so we did a bit of sightseeing and drove to San Christobal Castle in the old port of San Juan.
and also Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
These are both large fortresses built by Spanish colonizers to defend the island from sea attacks, on either side of the entrance to the Bay of San Juan.
Amazing views…
and large lizards in the grounds 🦎
A large part of the San Christobal castle is below ground. They collected rainwater through channels in the roofs and floors to fill five large chambers lined with lime. Wells in the open areas provided access to the stored water.
Walking down through the connecting old quarter of San Juan, we wanted to see the Spanish colonial style of architecture, with colourful pastel painted houses, balconies and cobbled streets.
The area was clean, pretty and vibrant.
and full of character.
We came across this establishment – so we had to go in and research this national drink of Puerto Rico.
As it was lunchtime one was enough –
even if it was their 60th birthday…
All the car plates have “Isla del Encanto” – the isle of enchantment.
There is wind, there is kitesurfing!
We found the local kite spot, with a chilled vibe. Unfortunately this was the only day it was windy enough to kite 🙁
More exploring,
more wildlife,
Some very vocal 😀
A few nights in town…
trying the local beers – ocean mambo has a hint of mango 🥭
Sunset walks…
Zipline thrills,
This one at Toro Verde is 2.5km in length, and is the longest in the Americas.
On the last day we went snorkelling in Condado
and were happy to see starfish and conches.
Thrilled to see turtles,
and swim with them in their environment.
I was truly amazed to see and float alongside some manatees. These were grazing underneath the massive road bridge in Condado Bay. I thought it would be too built up and noisy for these shy creatures, but there they were!!
They have wide, prehensile mouths which make it look like they are hoovering up the sea bed. But in fact they rip off Seagrass and grind it between ridged pads in their mouths.
There were lots of turtles,
some jellies, and fish hiding amongst rocks,
Our guide mentioned that you often get Remoras, or suckerfish, that attach themselves to the manatees and turtles.
They have a modified dorsal fin on their heads that acts as a suction cup, allowing them to attach to larger marine animals for a free ride, protection, and leftover scaps of food.
However, as the manatees are herbivores, he didnt reckon they would stick around for long… 😁
Seeing the Manatees was the best part of our week in Puerto Rico. They were bigger than me, and were really well camaflouged in the dappled light under the bridge.
I would recommend visiting Puerto Rico for this reason.
We hired a car, which is a must to get around the island. There isn’t much in the way of buses or other transport.
One day it started chucking it down with rain as we walked along the beach exploring. To our amazement people began running for cover away from the beach. We simple undressed and jumped in the sea! 😁
