It's almost twenty years to the day since we escaped the cold and damp of Britain's winter, heading for the balmy warmth of the Caribbean and a week in Puerto Rico.
This was no straight forward holiday, though, as my wife had an ulterior motive for booking this trip. She's been a huge Duran Duran fan since her early teens and that year the first date of their tour happened to be at the recently built José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Hato Rey, San Juan. We discovered that, unlike huge swathes of the rest of the Globe, the band weren't particularly well known there. The meet-and-greet was something of an aberration as the band actually outnumbered the fans - a most abnormal occurrence. This did, however, allow for a slightly less stressful occasion than a more typical, frenetic meet-up.
The rest of the week was a bit more laid back.
The 'sun, sand 'n' sea' type of holiday isn't our normal first choice, but it turned out to be a wonderfully relaxed week away. Despite a brisk breeze, the air was decidedly hot and summery and still very warm at night. Late in the evening of our first day there we sat on the warm sands of the beach eating our supper, bathed in the light from the city, our ears caressed by the soothing sounds of waves lapping the shore.
The local fortifications from yesteryear were certainly built to last. Worth seeing.
Although the newer part of the City is fairly typical of a modern resort destination, the Old Town is far more picturesque, full of the character of it's Spanish colonial past.
Many buildings are attractively colour washed though, perhaps, a little faded in places. In the heat of the day it was nice to find aa little respite under the canopy of a tree-lined street. Some of the local feline population clearly felt this was a good place to be, too.
As you can imagine, the rainforests there are lush, vibrant places and a visit was definitely on our to-do list. We engaged with one of the local tour companies that guided us through the El Yunge National Park. Our route was clearly a popular one as the path was mostly metalled and well maintained making for a relatively easy walk. The dull, occasionally wet weather didn't dampen our joy at being in such a beautiful place. We had hoped to catch sight of the local coquí frog. They were typically quite vocal but, alas, rather shy and elusive as we looked in vain.
As we discovered, if you're taking a casual walk along the beach when the midday sun is out, some sort of footwear is advisable as those countless grains under bare soles are HOT.
It's all rather lovely, though. Even when the weather is a little overcast, the beaches fulfil that idyl of golden sands and swaying palm trees.
All in all it was a fantastic getaway.
Our return to the UK and it’s climate brought us down with a bump, as we stepped back into the cold, damp February gloom. Still, at least we had those memories to keep us warm.
(All photos taken on Canon Powershot S70)
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Nice! Sand between the toes is never a bad thing, and Duran Duran to boot. Sounds like a good time!
Envious! It looked like a great vacation. I love the color in that second to last palm tree photo.