Viva Puerto Rico!
By: Cissie Coy Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-04-18 16:18:29.009521-04:00
The island blazes with brilliant colors, its sultry salsa music blares infectiously, and the eclectic food is sophisticated and fresh. Flair and Puerto Ricans are synonymous.
Importantly, for those traveling with an 18-month-old powerhouse grandchild, as I did recently, the decibel level in streets, shops, and cafés is louder than normal and the tolerance for kids universal.
History
Puerto Rico’s history with Europeans dates to Columbus, who landed on the island during his second voyage in 1493. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement. Over the next three centuries, the French, Dutch, and English tried to wrestle control of the island from Spain. Finally, in 1898, Spain ceded it to the United States and in 1917, Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens. The island became a semiautonomous commonwealth in 1952.
Travel and Timing
Puerto Rico is a relatively inexpensive and an easy flight from most major cities in the US. It’s also a staple on the Caribbean cruise line circuit. Add to that an average winter temperature of 75 degrees, and it’s understandable that during high season, December through April, beaches and hotels can be jammed. You’ll avoid crowds during the low season, from May to November, but weather is the warmest and wettest. It is also hurricane season.
Both English and Spanish are spoken, although the 3.9 million Puerto Ricans on the island are likely to speak in Spanish among themselves. The island is 110 miles long and 35 miles wide.
The U.S. dollar is the currency and no visa or passport for U.S. citizens is required.
Old San Juan
Old San Juan is a meticulously restored colonial town in a seven-square-block area. The streets are lined with 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings, open-air cafés, designer fashion outlets, and monuments. The streets are paved with cobbles of adoquine, a blue stone brought over as ballast on Spanish ships.
Monumental Spanish-era forts include El Morro, a 16th century structure that rises 140 feet above San Juan Bay. Its 18-foot-thick walls encompass a maze of spiral staircases, tunnels, dungeons, and barracks. My grandson and I played hide and seek in the small, circular sentry boxes called "garitas" that have become a national symbol. El Morrow is part of San Juan National Historic Site and was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1983. The National Park Service oversees the site, open daily to the public.
Beautiful Beaches
Hundreds of beaches offer every water sport. Our favorite was Luquillo Beach, 45 minutes north from the capital. It’s one of the island’s largest beaches; a palm-dotted crescent of natural golden-red sand perfect for swimming, surfing, and snorkeling. Coral reefs full of tropical fish and marine life dot the lagoon that gives way to the Atlantic. Food stands line the highway, serving cheap local dishes like tostones (fried plantains) and root vegetables such as yucca and yams.
El Yunque
For a completely different experience, visit El Yunque, a semi-tropical rain forest in eastern Puerto Rico covering 28,000 acres. It is about 25 miles east of San Juan. Dramatic mountain ranges, 100-foot high trees, and dozens of well-marked trails lead to waterfalls and pools. At higher elevations, the waters are clean enough to swim in.
Ferns and foliage of every imaginable shade of green support a number of unique plant and animal species such as coquis (indigenous tree frogs). Keep an eye out for the endangered Puerto Rican parrot, which is about 12 inches high, bright green with blue primary wing feathers.
Nightlife
"Salsa" means "sauce," and indeed, the uniqueness of the music adds spice to the sauce. With easy to dance to tempos, salsa blends African, Spanish, Cuban, and Puerto Rican music with jazzy arrangements. Whether it’s played fast or slow, salsa lures all ages to the dance floor, grandmothers twirling with teenagers as often as two twentysomethings.
In San Juan’s sophisticated Condado and Isla Verde areas you’ll find cabaret shows and casinos. Whatever suits your fancy, when dressing for an evening out, remember: flair and Puerto Ricans are synonymous.
Food
The island’s cuisine is based on Spanish food, with African and West Indian touches. Before cooking begins, beef, chicken, pork and seafood are often rubbed with "adobo," a garlic-oregano marinade. I especially recommend "asopao," a flavorful soupy rice gumbo, and any dish that includes cilantro, an essential herb in Latin American dishes. A lighter green and more delicate parsley, cilantro is another name for Chinese parsley and fresh coriander leaves.
Feria!
Come to Puerto Rico May 5-6 and you're likely to see many of your fellow AARP members among the salsa dancers. The "Feria" event, celebrating AARP and its Latin members and staff is sure to be mucho fun. Don't miss it!
Books
Find these books online at www.barnesandnoble.com.
Lonely Planet, Puerto Rico
Ginger Adams Otis, Lonely Planet Publications, September 2005
Frommer's Puerto Rico
Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, Wiley Publishing, Inc., July 2006
Puerto Rico
Elaine Landau, Grolier Publishing, March 2000
Taste of Puerto Rico: Traditional and New Dishes from the Puerto Rican Community
Yvonne Ortiz, Penguin Group, March 1997
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