The Vacation of a Lifetime.
The fact that I am even writing this blows my mind. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky. My mom really has the coolest family! This year was our Ensz Christmas and it was decided that we would go to Puerto Rico. A house was booked, flights were booked and summer clothes were bought, but still it felt unreal. It pretty much felt unreal until now, as I sit at our little table on our patio under the stars in the 79° night air. So here is the report of a vacation of a lifetime.
It has been a while since our family flew together. I forgot how chaotic we are. In the airplane, we held up the line as dad pulled our 6 suitcases from the overhead bins. People looked at us oddly. Yes, what is this Amish family doing in San Juan, Puerto Rico? The waft of stifling warm tropical air hit us as we exited the airport. Just a little bit different than the snow and freezing temperatures we had left in Cleveland! After some slight confusion we managed to get our Uber and soon enough we were plopped into the middle of the street. We fell asleep to the sound of roaring airplanes and the gentle hum of the air conditioner. We were awakened by the roosters crowing and the little brother yelling, “There is a lizard on the wall outside!” He seems to be impressed by absolutely everything here. Then again he hasn’t been out that much. We traipsed all over San Juan with the barge of other tourists. Caribbean cherry ice pops cooled us down after walking for a bit. The guy at the stand said that was the best flavor and that the cherries were in season right now. The old forts are just beautiful and the views are immaculate, the waves crashing against the shore and the sunlight sparkling across blue waters. The piña colada’s were pretty good but i’m not a huge coconut person. We heard that the piña colada’s here were the best. The streets are blue cobble stone and the buildings look like they are straight out of a picture book, the colorful houses with the wooden scroll work and all the arched windows and doorways. Have you ever had lemon fresh squish? That was the English translation for lemonade. ;) The four hour drive to Rincón seemed to take forever. The narrow winding roads and crazy drivers make driving through Cincinnati look easy peasy! We arrived as the sun was setting. It was hugs all around and soon we found our room. This airbnb is actually a hotel. Each room is a little different and they are all connected by little walkways. There is a pool and a rooftop terrace with chairs and a fire pit. The best part is that beach is like ten steps from the house. How perfect is that! For supper we hit a seafood spot. The fish & chips were phenomenal and the dog that was lazing around was quite friendly. The aunties had a bake sale earlier this year and they generously paid for our meals! It seems the house has solar power heated water. That is not the best, but cold showers are healthy, aren’t they? The waves lapping the shore, were a delightful sound to fall asleep too.
Tuesday dawned clear and bright. The sun was hot at a very early hour. After a late breakfast of cornbread & gravy and fresh fruit, we loaded up the rental vehicles and headed to Crash Boat Beach. The blue waters and beautiful sand and crashing waves were a perfect way to spend a Christmas Eve. Have you ever eaten pinchos? Essentially it is chicken on a stick, and what a glorious experience that is! Especially when you are standing by the beach with a piña colada as the rain comes down in a mist and there is the sound of splashing waters and Spanish tunes in the background. A good many hours passed and it was time to “hit the road, Jack.” The poor humans who have to clean out our rental car. There is sand everywhere. A cold shower and a sandwich later, we watched the fireworks exploding in colorful displays across the night sky. Puerto Ricans and Kidron youth boys have something in common! After walking around the very Christmasy town square, we sat on the rooftop with the firelight glowing and talked about the stars and planets. All the insect noises were very calming and it was quite a perfect way to end the night.
Noted:
Kebabs on the rooftop are “incredibly phenomenally amazingly bussing”, to put it respectfully.
What better way to spend Christmas Day than on the beach? Maybe it is not everyone’s cup of tea but it was simply lovely. Our Airbnb came with beach chairs and umbrellas and a paddle board. You could take the paddle board out and then go snorkeling around the rocks. There were some vicious looking black spiky things hidden in crevices and colorful fish darting in and out of the rocks. It was very very neat to see.
WakeNBreak is a little trailer with a lean to seating area and the best breakfast food I have had in a while. At the same time, maybe it is the atmosphere and the people you are with that makes it amazing.
The tropical sunshine is just different than regular sun. At 8 in the morning, it is beating down and sunscreen is your best friend until it washes off in the ocean and you forget to reapply. Oop!
At the surf beach, the little cousins built sand castles, hauling in the water in a coconut shell. Dad and the uncles thought they would try their hand at surfing. I think it is maybe more difficult than it looks. Interesting side note, the difference in people on a regular beach and people on a surf beach is vastly different. You can tell which people are surfer pros by their swagger and the beginners with their uncertain looks. The latter would definitely be me!
New Level Unlocked: I tried plantain. It tastes pretty bland, kind of like an unseasoned smashed potato in a way. After reading this, my sister “politely” informed me, “How dare you do plantains like that? They’re delicious!” I guess she’s a fan.
We were chilling on the rooftop and my littlest cousin was scurrying around with great excitement. The rooftop only has a cable railing and it’s the roof, so that is pretty high up. Over the edge of the rooftop on one side was a tarp stretched across the patio area underneath. “If she falls off, she will simply bounce back up like a trampoline!” said one of the uncles.
The BeachHouse is a fun little restaurant that overlooks the water. The sunsets here are just beautiful over the water. What fun chaos it is to go to a restaurant with all 23 family members! Also I love the outdoor/indoor restaurants around here. The zephyrs breezing through the building as you eat makes the vibes immaculate. The food was also quite delicious but honestly what can I say? Most of the food I have eaten here so far has been delicious!
Sorry, I am a foodie, so here’s another fun restaurant. Acapulco Taquería Mexicana, a hole in the wall restaurant with some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. It had been recommended and it was too good to not write about. The Al Pastor tacos were just exquisite, especially when one is famished. And a can of coke over ice seems to always hit the spot.
On Friday morning, we loaded up “the bus”, as we fondly call our Kia Carnival rental and after going about the business of saying goodbye to the dear fam, we hit the road for the three hours back to San Juan. It is a much shorter drive if you pay the tolls we found out. Once we had unloaded our belongings at our new Airbnb, we ate supper and then walked the beach. Little rabbit trail: beach glass is just so darling. My little brother picked up a piece with sharp edges. “Don’t pick up that one! It is not done yet! Throw it back in!” The sister informed the perplexed one. That produced some giggles. “Throw it in for a couple more minutes and then it will be done, huh?” Also, a high end shopping mall with designer stores is maybe not the best idea after you have been traipsing around in the sand. Nobody looked at us too oddly thankfully. Soon it was back to the house and the most delightful thing. This house actually had hot water! What a joy it was to finally shower with warm water and feel clean again. (Maybe a little dramatic;) It seemed kind of pointless given that we would be going to the beach and getting quite salty the next day, but how nice to go to sleep feeling fresh.
Have I talked about the blooming trees? It is just gorgeous to see the bright pink flowers on the green trees and the hibiscus bushes scattered about. Also the fig trees and rubber plants are enormous! The ferns and fronds are luscious and shine with water from the rainfall. There is bamboo the width of a person’s arm and of course the palm trees are quite pretty. On that note, dad helped a man who was cutting coconuts from the top of the palms. In payment, the man gave us two fresh coconuts. Definitely an interesting flavor. It didn’t appeal to my taste buds but some other family members thought that fresh coconut water was pretty delicious! It was very fun to hold the coconut and drink out of it with a straw! “Soak up the green!” my mom said because yes, soon we will be back home where everything is brown and there are no blooming flowers.
When we were in the rainforest the littlest brother asked, “Are we at a high attitude?” I think he meant high altitude, but it got some laughs if nothing else. Also ponchos are quite fun to wear! When in a rainforest where it is actually raining, it is nice to not be so very damp.
On our very last evening in this beautiful country, we strolled the streets of San Juan and ordered authentic Puerto Rican food from little food trailers. Empanadas were a fan favorite and of course more lemon fresh squish! :)
And that has been the report for this trip. I feel that there is so much more to share, but this will have to do for now. It is appropriate to say that we had a lovely time in Puerto Rico. I would recommend and give it five stars on Google Maps if I could. It is a perfect escape from the cold and it definitely helps if you are with others who have been here before. Our Uber will be at our Airbnb around 3 a.m. tomorrow morning to take us to the airport so I will send this on its way. I hope you had a splendid holidays with all the people you love. Until next time…