Puerto Rico 2021 - Old San Juan & El Yunque
Time to
Escape the Quotidian
Stop,
stand, stare,
Relax
without a care,
About time
racing past,
Racing
fast,
Making the
logical illogical,
The
illogical logical;
Making our
heart beat,
Our hands
shake,
Ready to
snap and break …
From St Barts to Puerto Rico
Un changement d’air
Por la cultura
hispanica,
Pour flâner les
rues sans but,
Sin el
reloj.
Por
apreciar todo momento del dia…
El arte, la
musica, la comida, el café fuerte… y mi esposo, mi amore.
Puerto Rico - a
much-needed trip off-island subsequent to several months of restrictions and
limitations ... After
desperately searching for adventure afar, forever optimistic for normality
returning, I slowly realised that such ambitions would have to remain on hold …
So in the meantime, it was to be a quick hop, skip and a short flight
to Puerto Rico, where we found a great balance of slow-paced city
life within the ancient walls of Old San Juan, combined with the abundance of
flora and fauna in El Yunque rainforest.
The
historical district of Old San Juan was as we remembered it from a previous
visit almost twenty years ago. We spent the days meandering around its
characterful streets lined with multi-coloured colonial-style buildings.
It
was rather reminscent of Cuba, albeit more 'manicured', save a few
decaying buildings, which made perfect backdrops for creative street
art. We
quenched our thirst for culture in the art galleries and museums, as well as wine bars where we enjoyed Puerto
Rican musical classics by the likes of Bobby Valentin and Richie Ray, whilst sipping
vino tinto and nibbling on tapas. And we equally relished the
local coffee as we spent time in the interesting cafés.
In
sharp contrast, we truly relaxed in the heart of nature in El Yunque
national park. Our eco-lodge 'treehouse' looked out on lush green
rainforest as far the eye could see; and the beautifully landscaped
surroundings were abundant with tropical heliconias, wild ginger and
massive elephant ears, alongside prolific papaya and mango trees. Our
days were spent hiking the winding trails, be it to the summit
of El Yunque mountain or to a cascading river or waterfall.
This was
certainly a restorative break, perfect for mind, body and soul, while allowing us to put
everyday life into perspective.
