During winter break my best friend Jennica and I set off on another adventure together, this time we hit the Caribbean and made our way to the island of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 I can say with confidence, Puerto Rico is one of the most underrated places I have been to yet! Here's why... Our trip to Puerto Rico didn't start out as great as you'd think. Imagine finishing a semester of school and all you want is to fly to an island and live your best life in the sun. That's exactly what didn't happen. For the first day or so of our trip it rained and we weren't able to do much. For reference we stayed in Carolina, Isla Verde so there wasn't too much to do at night aside from a few bars and restaurants. We were pretty discouraged but on the second night, we made our way to one of the small bars around the corner from our Airbnb and met a some locals! They recommended a few spots around the island and we made friends pretty quickly. One spot they recommended in particular was Playa Peña Blanca. We didn't make it there but when I go back, it will be on my must see list. I fell madly in love with this island so I will be back. After while of talking we went with them to what I think is a marketplace during the day, and a club at night. It was POPPIN too. I can't remember exactly what it was called but I'll update this if I find out. Okay so I'm going backwards but I forgot to mention that earlier that day (I think) we tried to visit Old San Juan and ended up in one of the most sketchy neighborhoods called La Perla right after sunset. In our defense we had no idea where we were. We were really just looking for parking and just so happened to find it by pulling off the road and down into an alley next to a graveyard. As I write this yes, I realize how it sounds. Prior to the trip I had actually looked online and read something that said "STAY AWAY FROM LA PERLA" 💀and that's exactly where we ended up. It's funny how life works like that sometimes. So here we are walking through this unlit, empty road and we quickly realized we probably shouldn't be there alone, especially at night. We went back to the car and ended up having to drive through these narrow streets and shoutout to Jennica for guiding me because it got so tight we had no choice but to back up at one point LOL. There was a car coming towards us, and us towards him so I had to back all the way back down this road while avoiding all the cars on either side of the street, good times. As we're trying to find our way out of there we see a sign that says "La Perla" and it was at that moment, we knew we messed up. The road was so dark and narrow, we were just trying to keep it together and get the hell out out ASAP. We kept driving and eventually made it out of that sketchy alley way and back to our Airbnb. Hallelujah. Despite driving through what may be the sketchiest area in PR, we did end up finding a pretty cool viewpoint in the midst of this first adventure: El YunqueFast forward to the next adventure, El Yunque National Rainforest! 🌴We drove about an hour out in our rental car to get there. There wasn't anyone letting people in so I'm not sure if it's always free but we got in for free that day #winning. There are tons of places to see in the rainforest but we made stops at La Coca Falls viewpoint, Yokahú Tower, and Juan Diego Falls. If you love greenery and all things tropical, this adventure is for you my friend. Set aside an entire day and I promise you won't regret it. El Yunque is another place I need to come back to explore the rest of. Time doesn't exist in this place, it's so tranquil. You can climb up to the top of Yokahú Tower and the views span all the way to the ocean. At Juan Diego Falls, we hiked up in search of a secret waterfall we'd seen online. On our way up we stopped in a few smaller pools of water off to the side. There were small waterfalls everywhere and we were already immersed in the rainforest at this point. We kept going up and found the main waterfall where there were more people swimming and kickin back. I had read online that we needed to go up on the side of this waterfall to get to the larger one, so we're standing there trying to figure this out and we see a woman poke up on top of the waterfall we're under. Perfect timing. *The Universe helps you when you need it.* She told her friend how to get up there and we followed him up through the mud and trees to come to find the larger waterfall. The best part was there were only two other people up there (one being the sign from the Universe). Once they left Jenn and I had the waterfall to our selves for about 20 minutes. Being at the base of that waterfall felt soul and mind cleansing. We were surrounded by green rainforest and I think we were both washed over with emotion and gratitude. I could feel the energy of the rainforest breathe life into my lungs. We explored a little further down from the waterfall and the best part of this was that there were virtually no other people around. There's something magic about being surrounded by green trees and plants and listening to the water run forever. Mother Nature DID THAT. If you decide to visit here please, please, PLEASE remember to leave no trace and pack anything you bring in, back out. Keep nature beautiful and take care of this miracle planet we get to call home 🌎 Bioluminescent BayWe did visit the Bioluminescent Bay too! We kayaked out of a dock in Fajardo in complete darkness with a group of other kayakers. It's also worth mentioning we only could see small lights on the backs of the kayaks to follow. We kayaked through a mangrove and crashed into the sides.. a lot. To be fair it was completely dark and we're both blind as bats. One of the couples behind us flipped their kayak! Yikes. Imagine flipping into water in complete darkness, everything looked black. So we eventually get to this immense open bay and the stars stole the show. There was a bit of light pollution but still, the sky was full. I'm going to be honest here, the bioluminescence is not as bright as you see in all the pictures, straight up. It's still a cool thing to see but we had to move our hands really fast in the water to see even small sparks. I overheard a man who went with another group say that they put a tarp over their boats and that helped them see a lot more. If you decide to do something like this, I would research tours who have the tarps to see brighter bioluminescence. NightlifeNow let's talk about some more nightlife. La Placita De Santurce and University Ave are teeming with life. La Placita is a block of stores and restaurants that essentially turns into one big ass block party at night. All the shops close down and the bars/clubs open up. Puerto Rico knows how to party. Imagine this: a square block with people and music filling the streets, and I mean filling. I'm talking CROWDS. There's a different bar or club everywhere you turn. And did I mention no cover charge? Just walk in! There are certain days of the week it turns into this though, because the first night we checked it out was a weekday and it was dead. That night we ended up at a restaurant down the street. As we were waiting for our food, we met two girls from California and turned that night into an adventure too. We exchanged numbers and actually went out with them to La Placita and University Ave a few days later. University Ave was exactly what it sounds like - the University students and locals bar and club hop similar to La Placita. I wish I took more pictures but everywhere you go - there's a party. We even found an EDM club while we were down there. There's so many different clubs it's impossible to not find at least one to love. I didn't get any good pictures of La Placita or University Ave unfortunately but I will say it was hands down the best nightlife I've experienced yet 🍻 SAN JUAN When we went back to San Juan (during the day and in a much more central area) we visited El Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro for short). You can explore the entire fort - going underground and into the watch towers as well. When you pay for your ticket, it also includes another fort you can walk to and the views from the watch towers of the city and the ocean are picture perfect. Watch out for the dragons who roam the forts freely too, they were half my size. Not kidding. Our next stop was the ever famous Calle Fortaleza. We wanted to see all the colorful buildings in the capital and shop around for some souvenirs. When I tell you I'm obsessed with how many different colors we were surrounded by I'm not even being dramatic. The colors are so bright and the roads are cobblestone, so pretty! It was here in a small cafe I tried mofongo for the first time and my life will never be the same. Here's the breakdown: mashed plantains with a side of rice and chicken or shrimp and a sauce that is to die for. Food is LIFE and my taste buds exploded. Another must try: papas rellenas. Don't even get me started because I won't stop. All you need to know is I'm crying internally because I miss them everyday of my life since I've had them. They're fried, beaf stuffed potatoes that came straight from Heaven to bless my mouth. Okay enough, I'm getting emotional. There were also a number of small bars in San Juan and we got a little day tipsy too if you're into that type of thing. Cheers! Culebra IslandI saved my personal favorite part of the trip for last. To get to Culebra you have a choice of taking a ferry - and even though it's the cheaper option this doesn't guarantee you a spot. You can also book a day tour to the island which is what we went with. We decided to go this route because my best friend and I are hardcore nature lovers so we knew we wanted to snorkel. We went with Tobias Tours, the tour couldn't have gone better. Remember how I said it was rainy when we arrived in PR? So originally it was scheduled for an earlier day but we moved it and there were no issues in moving it at all. The day we ended up going it was so sunny and perfect. We left from Fajardo and our first stop was this secluded part off of Culebra Island first - I can't remember the name but there were literally only 2 other people there besides our tour group (maybe 10 other people?) They let us jump off the boat into the water, offered to take pictures and gave us instructions of where we could snorkel. This water was the most clear and beautiful blue water I have EVER seen in my life. It felt surreal to snorkel around the reef and it was a perfect temperature too. They provided lunch, snacks, unlimited drinks (yeah you read that right), and they played music the whole time. After about an hour we continued the trip to Culebra. Once we got to there we had 2 hours of free time to explore but honestly, Jenn and I were so hungover and tired from the night before we took naps and swam in the prettiest water and it was perfect. If you go to Puerto Rico do not miss this island. I didn't even mind that we lost some time due to rain because we got to visit this one of a kind island on the most perfect day. *Things happen for a reason.* White sand beach, it wasn't crowded whatsoever, and the water was just amazing. I left my heart there and I can't wait to go back. Remember to always pick up after yourself. Let's keep this place as pretty as you see in these pictures ✨ I realize this post was all over the place but to be fair, this was 2 months ago so my days might not be in the right order. If you read this far, thank you! Damn you really fw me huh? 😂 I promise I'll be more consistent with this. If I can leave you with one thing, please visit Puerto Rico. They've recently had a number of earthquakes and they need the tourism. It's such a beautiful place and the culture and people are just as beautiful to match.
✈️ Alondra
12 Comments
Sergio Sanchez
2/12/2020 01:47:23 pm
I’m living for you; beautiful country! Hoping you and Jenn continue to explore nature so I can live vicariously through y’all
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Alondra M.
2/12/2020 02:45:46 pm
Thank you so much for reading friend! You are much appreciated :)
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Sara Perrone
2/12/2020 02:08:13 pm
I loved this!
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Alondra M.
2/12/2020 02:46:14 pm
Ilysm for reading it, thank you boo! :)
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Siril
2/12/2020 05:04:42 pm
Yoooo this was such a dope ass read! I felt as if I was on the trip with you lol I’m a fan! Keep me coming shawty!
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Alondra M.
2/12/2020 05:40:54 pm
Siril thank you so much for reading this! The support you stay showing is so appreciated 🙏🏽
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Kenny Dixson
2/12/2020 05:22:24 pm
Wow! I really could feel your writing coming from your heart on this one. Create a novel called the Travels of Alondra Mora w/pictures it would be a solid book
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Alondra M.
2/12/2020 05:41:37 pm
Thank you Kenny! I wanted it to be more of a story than anything so I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
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Aislinn M.
2/12/2020 07:52:32 pm
I felt like I was reading an actual book I couldn't put down! Sad I missed out on this trip but it was a great post to say the least. I think this is the wake-up call we all needed to get out there and travel more often and enjoy our planet. It really is heartwarming to watch your sis live her best life!
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Alondra M.
2/13/2020 03:05:21 pm
Thanks for the feedback lil sis! Let's start by taking Mexico! 💜
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Alondra M.
2/13/2020 05:35:29 pm
Hey thank you soooo much dude! I absolutely love traveling so much so I figured this was a dope way to share it w the world too! I really hope you’re right. Again, thank you so much for the love 🙏🏽
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AuthorA young writer sharing adventures both in every day life and my travels. Hoping to cover the topics of wellness, lifestyle, and travel. I hope I can both inspire and help people live their best lives. Archives
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