Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico
16 June 2008

Arriving from the US Virgin Islands to the island of Culebrita in the Spanish Virgin Islands, our first stop in Puerto Rico, we are greeted by a pod of dolphins playing in our bow wake. Tatiana watches in awe: “I knew we would see dolphins, but I did not expect them to be jumping all the way out of the water!” Although there is much to see in the Spanish Virgins, we only check out the island of Culebra, one of the few hurricane holes in this area, and then continue for the mainland of Puerto Rico. Our brief stop there also allows us to gather information from other cruisers that have sailed through the passages ahead of us. The cruising community is wonderful. I am always amazed to hear the stories of what brings people cruising. We meet retired couples, very young couples, couples that have quit their high paying jobs, families on small boats that have spent years cruising, singlehanders, people that run small business while cruising, you name it. Many of them have no particular plans and cruise with an open end both in terms of destination and time. The spirit of adventure, exploration and desire for simpler, slower and richer life is evident in everyone we talk to. It is revealing to realize how much we are constrained by what we know and feel secure in, and at the same time inspiring as well as humbling to meet all these people that have been able to break free. And none that we have met have had any regrets!

The route planning from here to Ft. Lauderdale takes some thought and studying of charts, as there are different options. Most cruisers take their time to sail around the south of Puerto Rico where there is a lot of anchorages, then cross the notoriously miserable Mona Passage (luckily the notoriously miserable is attributable to the opposite direction than the one we are going in) and continue along the north coast of the Dominican Republic to the last harbour of Luperon as a waypoint to the Bahamas. From there it depends on weather, draft of the boat, time and particular interests, to decide which way to go through the hundreds and hundreds of islands of the Bahamas. Given our time constraints, we opt to sail along the north of Puerto Rico but leave the Bahamas route open for now. We have slipped into the manana mode and are practicing the art of delaying decisions. Even I am getting better at that!!

Once in mainland Puerto Rico, we dock in Fajardo on the eastern coast and explore the inland tropical rainforest, El Yunque. Although small, the canopy and variety of plants is amazing. The rainforest also provides much of the drinking water for the island (what a difference from the taste of the desalinated water on most of the previous islands we visited). After many weeks of being barefoot or in flip flops, we put on our running shoes (that feel very uncomfortable) and set out on two small hikes. At home, these would be considered short walks, but here, in the heat and humidity, it is all we can do. One leads us to a magnificent view from top of a mountain to both coasts and the other to a set of waterfalls with swimming pools. Along the way, we hear the unfamiliar sounds of the rainforest, including the local tree frog (a bit of a mascot for Puerto Rico) coqui, who sounds more like a bird singing “co – qui, co – qui”. We learn that tree frogs do not drink water, rather absorb it through their skin. We also learn about the unique Puerto Rican green parrot that was close to extinction few years ago, but due to diligent efforts their numbers have climbed to several hundreds. It strikes me as interesting that one nearly extinct parrot provides employment for probably fifty people here – they need to be counted, tagged, have nests built for them etc. Unfortunately, our untrained eye sees neither one of these creatures. It doesn’t help that my two children, Tatiana and Kuno, entertain themselves by making loud animal sounds along the way, scaring the real creatures of the forest away.

Full of expectation and excitement, we then sail to old San Juan, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Spellbound, we enter the harbour under the watchful eye of the El Morro fort. I let my thoughts wander to what it must felt like in the 16th century, for pirates and explorers alike, to be entering this harbour as we are now, so many years later, with El Morro as the silent witness. It hasn’t been silent at all times. After all, until the Spanish-American war of 1898, San Juan, with its numerous forts was, with just a very few brief interludes, an unconquered city of Spanish rule, protected by cannon batteries along the still standing forts and walls of the old city. But today the town is friendly and inviting. We spend the next few days exploring its treasures. Old San Juan, with its Spanish colonial architecture of colorfully painted buildings, street side cafes, forts and museums is a true delight. Apparently the restoration project of the old town cost over 100 million dollars. It shows. We observe many buildings being renovated rather than torn down, with just the outside façade remaining. I wonder if that is a condition of being a heritage site. The result is beautiful. Unlike many of the other cruise ship ports we have visited, San Juan has a different vibe, obviously not living for and from the cruise ship business only. The larger San Juan is a modern city with about a million people.


As I flip through my Puerto Rico guide, I discover that there is the largest and most powerful telescope for radio astronomy in the world located at Arecibo in the north-central part of Puerto Rico. I also recognize it in the picture as one of the sets from the James Bond movie Golden Eye. Not to be missed, we set out exploring. The highways in Puerto Rico are wide and fast and it is easy to crisscross the country in a few hours. But driving the back roads as we have done, takes a long time. The central PR is full of what they call “hay stack” hills, limestone peaks and ridges covered in lush vegetation. In some ways it reminds us of landscapes in Asia. We spend hours driving on winding roads, admiring the countryside, as well as the neat villages along the way. Puerto Rico seems to be doing very well and we find people here extremely friendly and helpful. We end up staying overnight in a “zenish” mountain retreat with healthy food, yoga classes, simple cabins and a swimming pool. At night the forest comes alive with all sorts of strange sounds. But the night is cool and refreshing and a welcome change for us.

The Arecibo observatory is a scientist’s dream, but I find the whole thing a bit beyond my understanding. By receiving radio pulses from stars and gas clouds from our and other galaxies in the stationary 305 m diameter reflector, scientists can study phenomena as close as 3 km above us to probing objects 10 billion light years away. Apparently they can receive radio waves that date back to the Big Bang, 14 billion years ago. The exhibits are fascinating, loaded with information, but with my limited knowledge, I find them hard to understand and relate to anything practical. But that must be my mechanical engineering background – I like to see and touch, none of this ancient radio wave stuff. Kuno, on the other hand, is soaking it in and Tatiana has fun with some of the hands on exhibits. While we are at the observatory, a lightning storm starts, giving the whole scene a bit of a surreal feel. Our visit ends with a bit of a shopping spree in the gift shop, where they have all sorts of interesting scientist kits for kids. In a brilliant plot, Tatiana points to the electricity making kit to get me to buy her something (after all, she knows the way to my heart). But knowing better where her interests really lie, we end up with several chemistry kits – after she promises that she will do all of it on the shore, not in the boat.

We also attempt to visit the Rio Camuy caves nearby, where both tourists and serious spelunkers can explore a network of limestone caves, but are told that there was an accident in January and the caves won’t be open to public for several months. Too bad, we were looking forward to descending into a cool cave. It is now 36 degrees and humid.

Puerto Rico, what a beautiful island! In the past, it merely represented a flight layover on our way to other Caribbean destinations. How mistaken were we to keep bypassing this place, so rich with history, nature and charm. Even now, after spending a week here, there is still so much to be explored. As we leave San Juan at night for our long sail to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, the dark El Morro watching us depart, Kuno and I agree that one day we will be back.