Some destinations are seen with the eyes, while others are etched in the soul; Puerto Rico belongs to the latter. Photo: Nils Huenerfuerst/ Unsplash.
Traveling to the island, where lush greenery and the azure hues of the sea intertwine with memories, offers a complete immersion into the heart and soul of the Caribbean. In Puerto Rico, travelers discover a sanctuary of carefully protected biodiversity, a proud historical heritage, a distinctive cuisine, and a captivating rhythm of life.
Stay one more day. Let the fun continue. There are so many adventures in Puerto Rico that you need to spend more time on the island to enjoy them, says the guide from Discover Puerto Rico, DPR (www.discoverpuertorico.com).
And there are certainly many good, abundant, and varied reasons to accept the tempting invitation to stay in “that place where every corner tells a story,” as stated on the official tourism website of Puerto Rico, which is part of the United States as a Commonwealth.
Puerto Rico exhibits the mixture of different cultures, customs, and traditions from around the world that, throughout history, converged in the region: from the Spanish and African ones, which joined those that were already on the island at the hands of the Taino Indians, to the later link to the United States, which led to the adoption of multiple forms of the North American lifestyle.
Among the traditions of this warm, musical, and colorful island, with more than 3 million inhabitants, and where both English and Spanish are common, with the latter predominating, there are many festivities, many of them inherited from the Catholic religion, reports the official Government portal (https://pr.gov).
The Island of Enchantment.
Puerto Rico, “La Isla” as its inhabitants call it, is a vibrant tapestry of color: historic facades, turquoise coasts, and landscapes designed to be discovered. There, one can begin the day under the lush foliage of a tropical forest and end it contemplating the sunset from a centuries-old fort.
The island moves to the rhythm of its people. Visitors can feel it in the local markets and savor it in the cuisine, for example, by sharing a plate of roasted pork with friends. Its culture, rooted in warmth, celebration, and a sense of belonging, generates an enveloping energy, according to DPR.
And for those seeking excitement, Puerto Rico offers multiple adventure options, from gliding down some of the longest zip lines in the world, to exploring limestone caves or surfing before noon on waves that are among the best in the world.
Puerto Rico has recently registered a historic record of 14.5 million passengers at its airports and the arrival of more than 1.8 million cruise ship travelers, consolidating itself as the heart of tourism in the Caribbean, according to experts.
The ‘formula for success’.
For Enrique Sancho, a specialist in tourism markets and trends, the secret of this success is “a unique formula that combines five centuries of shared heritage with Europe, abundant nature that is zealously protected, and an unparalleled ability to connect emotionally with the traveler through rhythm, gastronomy, and its vibrant cultural identity.”
Footsteps echo in a special way on the streets of Old San Juan, the historic district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the island’s capital, which are characterized by their attractive blue hue and special shine, and which become somewhat slippery when rain has fallen on them.
This is because its cobblestones are made of iron ore and slag. These hewn stones were used as ballast in Spanish galleons to balance the ships on the outward voyage from the Iberian Peninsula, and were unloaded at the port of San Juan before the holds were filled with the riches of the New World.
Those cobblestones guide the visitor’s path between pastel-colored facades and colonial balconies overflowing with bougainvillea, towards different squares that breathe culture and beauty.
Visiting the San Felipe del Morro and San Cristóbal castles, imposing fortifications that watch over the bay and defended the city against corsairs and pirates, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is like traveling back in time.
In the iconic Plaza de San José stands the Pablo Casals Museum, dedicated to the great Catalan cellist and composer, whose mother was of Puerto Rican origin and who lived his last and most fruitful years on this island, where his legacy remains present through the Casals Festival and the National Symphony Orchestra, which he founded.
Strolling through the narrow streets of San Juan, such as Hospital Street or Nuns’ Street, contemplating the pastel-colored facades in rare harmony, the colonial balconies, some made of wood and filled with bougainvillea, and the intricate wrought ironwork of some of the railings, transports the traveler to the early days of the city founded by the explorer Juan Ponce de León in 1508.
In the heart of the city, the Plaza de Las Rogativas commemorates one of the glorious events that mark the history of San Juan. During one of the sieges that the English navy imposed on the city, a bishop decided to lead a procession of all the women, the elderly, and children, carrying torches, to pray for divine intervention.
From their ships, the English spotted the long lines of lights traversing the city and thought they were reinforcements coming from the interior of the island, so the next morning they lifted the blockade and set sail for the open sea.
The fusion of Spanish and Creole influences is especially evident in the cuisine. Before leaving the capital, be sure to try mofongo, a dish made with fried and mashed green plantains and garlic, and lechón asado a la varita, Puerto Rico’s national dish, at the restaurants in the Santurce neighborhood, the city’s most artistic and bohemian district.
That festive and inclusive spirit is reflected in its music and folklore. The décima espinela, a poetic form from the Spanish Golden Age, remains the soul of the “jíbaro” music of the island’s interior, where troubadours improvise verses to the sound of the Puerto Rican cuatro (an instrument related to the Spanish guitar).
Beyond San Juan, the walls and the asphalt, the island bursts into an almost unreal green.
A short distance from the capital rises the El Yunque tropical rainforest, a sanctuary where the clouds blend with the treetops, the trails smell of damp earth, beautiful crystal waterfalls are discovered, and the incessant song of the ‘coquí’, the tiny frog symbol of the island, can be heard.
As night falls, the fascinating spectacle of bioluminescence (the emission of light by living organisms) awakens. In Mosquito Bay or on the paradisiacal island of Vieques, the water glows with an electric blue light at the slightest movement, transforming swimming into an almost celestial experience.
Vieques and Culebra, two small islands known as the ‘Islas Nenas’ and with some of the most beautiful and tranquil virgin beaches in the Caribbean, with fine white sand like talc and turquoise waters so transparent that it is hard to believe, are Puerto Rico’s bet for a luxury tourism based on preservation, wellness and genuine rest.
Capital of rum and salsa.
Puerto Rico is, by right, the rum capital of the world. More than 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced on the island, whose distilleries age some of the most coveted elixirs—smooth, spirituous liqueurs that form the foundation of international Caribbean cocktails.
Furthermore, the island claims to be the birthplace of the Piña Colada, which originated in the cocktail temples of San Juan in the mid-20th century.
“And you can’t understand rum without dancing, nor the island without salsa,” Sancho points out, recalling that this rhythm found its heart and its most universal voice here, turning street corners, the bars of Old San Juan, and patron saint festivals into a perpetual dance floor where music is not just entertainment, but the purest and most vibrant way to understand life.”
“From ‘bomba’ and ‘plena,’ the oldest and most traditional Afro-Caribbean musical rhythms of the Island, through the golden age of salsa, to becoming the undisputed global factory of modern urban rhythms, Puerto Rico demonstrates that its greatest heritage is its people: hospitable, proud of their roots and possessing a contagious joy,” he concludes.
Daniel Galilea.
EFE – Reports
