PR Day 3 and 4

Okay let me finish up the remainder of my adventure at Puerto Rico.

Driving to Cayey

The third day we woke up pretty early around 7, maybe even earlier. We all dressed in our black dresses and suits to for the funeral that was beginning at 10 a.m. I am not going to lie I was pretty nervous, I haven't been to a funeral since in years. But we went and it gave me some insight to how funeral were done in Puerto Rico. First off, I was not raised Catholic, I was raised nondenominational christian, we didn't have the rosary and praying to the virgin mother when I was growing up. The funeral was Catholic and in Spanish, let's just say its a miracle I passed my Spanish class because when the Padre decided to start the mass, I was lost. But I repeated what everyone else was saying as we went through the mass. At the end we put my boyfriend's grandmother in the hearse and walked to the cemetery.

Yes, I said walked. I never done this before, but I felt it was beautiful in its own morbid way. She would have wanted it. As the car drove from the funeral home to the cemetery, we followed behind the car on foot and played a certain song requested on her burial behalf. We walked through the streets of Cayey and put his grandmother to rest where she had wished to be. It was beautiful, and I cried like a puppy dog when I saw everyone else and the eerie feeling of death among the group. It made me think about life and death, how fragile it actually is.

The view from the parking lot. 

After the funeral we went to a restaurant up the hills in Cayey. The Lechonera El Mojito. Very nice place, outdoors with a bar and gift shop and it gave off a very festive vibe. We were told that after the funeral we were to eat pork. Now, growing up here in South Florida, pork cannot be escaped, the delicious other meat is prominent down here but there, they made it so much better than I expected. I had three dishes of lechon or pork's shoulder, arroz con gandules, and yuca. The drinks there definitely had me feeling less sad and brought up the spirit of the family who came to celebrate her life. To put it in simple terms, I got drunk. By the time we got to the hotel everyone was feeling good, we drank even more and I passed out by 8 p.m.

View from El Morro

The next day we also woke up bright and early, that day we headed to San Juan to be tourists. The trip to San Juan was insane, I definitely had to cover my eyes while the drivers escorted us the lovely historical port and city. First place we visited was the city of Old San Juan and to the infamous fort El Morro. See in Puerto Rico there are two forts that surround Old San Juan, the Fort El Morro to the West and the Castillo San Cristobal to the East. According to the national park pamphlet passed out in El Morro and my feet, it is a half and hour walk in distance between these two forts. Also construction of El Morro began in 1539, making the Fort over 470 years old. And I thought the town of St. Augustine was old, this is a different level. Next to the Fort El Morro is the Cementerio Maria Megdalena de Pazzis, said to be one of the oldest cemeteries.

Feeding the birds

After we went and toured the inside of the Fort, we walked more throughout San Juan. We came to a little park area where a man was feeding the pigeons, there was swarms of these creatures all around this man. He came up to me and asked me to hold out my hand, I obliged and he poured bird seeds into my hand and three pigeons landed and started feeding from me. I cleaned my hands with plenty of soap and water after, I never experienced that before. As a person who has been to New York City, that means a lot.

While we were walking we stumbled across a little restaurant in San Juan. The name currently escapes me.
In this restaurant, my boyfriend and I enjoyed some interesting food. My boyfriend, the seafood junkie that he is, ordered seafood paella. I ordered beef steak cooked in onions with white rice, red beans, and tostones (smashed and double fried plantains). Oh not to mention we ordered drinks.

Mojito

I first started out with a simple rum and coke, but for the first time ever, I ordered myself a mojito. The mojito was out of this world, the lime citrus flavor coincides with the mint flavor and becomes one of the best alcoholic limeade drinks I personally have had. I was told not to drink too much, because after our lunch we were going to head over to the Bacardi Factory in Puerto Rico.

Bacardi Cuba Libra

At the Bacardi Factory, we were presented with three different tours possible to take. The regular historic tour that cost $15 per person, the mixology tour for $45 per person, and the rum tasting tour for $45 per person. I went all out and chose to take the rum tasting tour. At the front table where we paid, the woman gave us little coins and said we can use these to buy our complimentary drinks at the bar at the opposite end of the patio we were at. My first drink consisted of a rum and coke, and later because we had left over coins I also got myself a dacardi. During the tour we learned of the history of the Cuban originated rum and how it came to be. One of the facts I learned was of the bat logo, the wife of the creator went into the distillery and saw bats hanging from the ceiling. She felt the bat represented family and unity and we now know this as the logo to their infamous rum. During the rum tour we also learned of how the rum was created as well as tasting five different types of rums produced by Bacardi. The first one we tried was the Bacardi white rum, the ultimate mixer rum, white because it was filtered through activated charcoal. The second one we tried was the Bacardi Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron, great for a maestro collins drink. We also tried the Bacardi Rum 8 Anos Reserva Superior. We also tried the Bacardi Reserva Limitada as well as the ultimate rum. Our final taste of the Bacardi rum was the Bacardi Casa Special Reserve. Oh was it smooth. By the time I was finished with the rum tasting I was done for the day. I got to drink, see the sites, and walk through an American commonwealth that has a very different culture.

PR Day 1 and Day 2

When I first landed in the airport in San Juan, it was the early evening time. Our ride greeted my boyfriend and I outside the airport, we immediately sprayed ourselves with our military grade bug spray and packed into the rental vehicle his mother got. We drove a good I believe it was forty minutes south to our hotel in Caguas. At night, each little city area we passed seemed beautiful and the dark silhouettes of the mountains in the background gave me a feeling of nostalgia. See I stayed in Panama for about a month one summer and the landscape is pretty similar, and the crazy driving as well. But we arrived at our hotel and unloaded our things into our hotel room on the fourth floor.

Our hotel, the Four Points in Caguas, was amazing. As soon as we pulled into the parking garage we noticed our hotel had a casino attached to the side. A casino, usually we only get that at the Hard Rock down here in Florida but we had one. We didn't go to the casino the first night, we saved that for another day. But anyway, we checked in at the front desk and noticed the hotel also has a gallery attached between the casino and the hotel lobby. We also noticed the diner area with a bar that looked out to the pool area. The first night it rained so we also didn't go swimming. But we did drink our first night in Puerto Rico.

My boyfriend isn't a big beer fan and I am not one either but we had no idea what to order so our first beers in Puerto Rico were Corona Extras. They were very good with our lemon and lime slices on them. We drank and ate dinner in the diner area, he has a quesadilla and I had chicken with rice and beans. Later on his family came down and ate and drank with us as well. Turns out his whole family also were staying at this hotel with us. At the dinner table we discussed the funeral arrangements that were to come also places we were to eat dinner at.

Our first night was pretty simple, two beers and prepare for the viewing.

The next day we rose early and set out to the city of Cayey, which is even further south than Caguas. I got some pretty good scenery snap chat videos on our trip further south.

The city of Cayey was small but this is my mother-in-law's hometown and I felt it had several major cultural aspects. I am not sure how Catholics and Puerto Ricans mourn their dead but our viewing lasted from 9:30 am until 9 pm. We didn't stick around the funeral home all day though, at some points when we became restless we would get up and walk through the city of Cayey and go on little adventures while also meeting many citizens who knew my boyfriend's family.

Anywho, I heard pretty interesting stories about Cayey pertaining to my boyfriend's family history. When we arrived the city was practically empty, most of the people were at church and the church fair because it was Sunday. We wandered around going up to different businesses, many of which were also empty or closed. Around one or two o'clock, his mother took us to have one of the best tacos I've ever had. We went to a little restaurant in Cayey called Ramonita's Tacos. There I tried their chicken and pork tacos, the chicken is my favorite. As well as inhaling the wonderful tacos which I drenched in their hot sauce, I tried the beer of Puerto Rico, Medalla.

These two did in fact brighten up my day as well as fill my belly. Highly suggest this restaurant to those wanting to grab a quick and filling bite to eat.

We also grabbed a bite to eat after the funeral at the restaurant next door to Ramonita's. La Hamburguera Tropical Bar and Grill was equally as delicious as its neighbor. They also had music and a dance floor set up. Along with our drinks my boyfriend and I danced a little and ate with his family who came from their locations to Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico

I sincerely apologize for my leave of absence from this blog, The last five days I was in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Unfortunately this was not a vacation, I was morning the loss of one of my boyfriend's family members. But we also sought out the opportunity to go not only to celebrate her life but to see the sites where a part of my boyfriends family originated.

Puerto Rico, a Caribbean Latin American Island, not that far from Florida and a US commonwealth, felt like I stepped into another county. I have never been to Puerto Rico before, this was my first trip and I can say I loved it there. We arrived around 6 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, our flight was a two hour trip and went through smoothly... Sorta. Let's just say I found out I do not like flying on a plane. I have nothing against the mode of transportation but its like a roller coaster simulator and I get highly irritated of that feeling. I almost broke my boyfriend's hand when we took off in Florida and landed in PR.

First thing I was told about Puerto Rico before going there wasn't that it was a beautiful country nor was I suggested places to visit. I got the negative first and was told of the high amount of Zika cases present in the country. Hell on the way to the airport, I saw a giant condom billboard ad promoting safe sex, because Zika is sexual transmitted as well. A friend of mine was like "Don't catch the Zika!" So my boyfriend and I packed travel size bottles of military grade bug spray in our carry on bags. I was also told before leaving how the country is practically going bankrupt and how their taxes is higher than those in Florida. Oh not the mention the driving! The driving was worse than a drag race through congestion of the I-95, for those who live in Florida, you know that is hell. My road rage couldn't handle getting behind the wheel.

But I will say I saw many beautiful scenes while I was in Puerto Rico, the mountains, beaches, and the unique community of people made my experience a good one. Not to mention the drinking age is 18 and up, so almost every night I had an alcoholic beverage in my hand. The food, although most of what I had was fried, made me gain a few pounds while I was there. The pork, although I do not eat pork often, was to die for. The crispy skin and the Hispanic seasoning we all know and love made the food there amazing. One of my favorite things to eat while I was in PR was Bacalaítos, fried cod fish in like a pancake batter. My goodness! God bless the Puerto Rican Momma who made this, I had it almost everyday I was there. Each day at Puerto Rico brought me to a new experience to another Hispanic culture besides my own. Learning of their legends, stories and Catholicism traditions in the island has brought me closer to my boyfriend and his family. Stay tuned for each day of my adventures in the beautiful island that is Puerto Rico.

This was taken from my hotel room.

Hollywood Beach

As I prepare for my upcoming trip to a Caribbean Island, I find myself thinking back to the beaches I have experienced within my own life time. One of my favorite beaches here in South Florida, is Hollywood Beach. I have mentioned Hollywood Beach before in a previous post, but I figured I would elaborate on why it is one of my favorite beaches.

Hollywood Beach, a 2.5 mile long stretch of oceanfront restaurants,shops, and resorts. It is a place that I consider a piece of paradise at home. Located between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach, it is a place that is within a reasonable distance from what is considered suburbia.

There are many things to do at this beach besides swim, There are several volleyball courts set up in the sand, as well as playgrounds located at two locations on the boardwalk. There is also an amphitheater were local bands perform and bring crowds together with the sound of music.One of the newest resorts, Margaritaville, has been bringing more tourists to the area, making Hollywood Beach more popular.

While conducting my interviews for the locations I met two wonderful women from Texas on vacation. Their names were Gloria and Veronica, they were told by Gloria's brother that Hollywood beach "is one of the most beautiful beaches in the South." To me growing up here, I didn't realize the growing popularity of my hometown beach.

I met a man named Glenn, he was a New York resident who recently moved down to South Florida. He told me he has been living in Florida for 14 days, and he has been at the beach 10 out of the 14 days. Very unique, he told me the people here were very different than those in New York.

I have also spoke with the owners of the Surf n Spray Ice cream parlor. Store owner Tom and Kathy, were very nice and open to the thought of an interview. When I interviewed them, they mentioned that they have been in business for 17 years. I grew up with this ice cream parlor, it was a tradition for me to get pizza and ice cream on the beach. Kathy, told me that they serve thousands of people every week and they meet people from all over. People like Tom and Kathy really inspire me, they love their business and love what they do, they seem to be happy serving and meeting new people.

There are over 50 different shops and restaurants at the beach. As I mentioned in one of my previous post, Florio's is my favorite place to eat at Hollywood Beach. For this article I chose to also broaden my horizons and try some of the other restaurants that are on the beach. My friend and I took a trip down to Nick's Bar and Grill and give it a try. Nick's Bar and Grill is very popular and has been around a good few years.

I had the chicken wings and a side of fries, my friend had the seafood salad and fries at Nick's Bar. I was completely satisfied with my dish. My Russian waiter and waitress were very friendly as well, striking up conversations with my friend and I as well as recommending dishes. I'd say I would definitely go back and visit again.

I also tried the Taco Spot on the Boardwalk. I would always walk past the Tikki styled building never giving it a second thought until that day I went with my boyfriend. The food was delicious, I never had a better chicken taco on a corn tortilla with a side of rice,beans and corn until I went there. The service was nice, the food was amazing, I scarfed the food down in under 10 mins. The drink I had was also satisfying, a Miami Vice, I almost never have alcoholic drinks on the beach but this was one of the best, it had me feeling loose and less stressed after I finished my drink.

Not only are there several places to eat and shop at but I like seeing the people and the unusual stories one can tell at this location. I met a man named Lester who told my friend and I one of his experiences at Hollywood Beach. "I was eating at Florio’s pizza joint, and my waitress and I saw a guy walking fully clothed. He looked normal until he turned around, the man has a huge rip in the butt of his pants, and he had no underwear on. My waitress almost threw up," said Lester.

The only problem I see with the beach besides parking is the trash build up at the beach. Litter is a problem at most beaches in South Florida. As a kid I would find cigarette buds, plastic cups and wrappers, as well as other forms of trash on the sand and water on the beach. I have actually participated in a beach clean up and I feel the need to attend again this year. Hollywood Beach is very strict with litter, if caught littering one can be fined up to $500.

Luckily I found a organization that comes together to clean up Hollywood Beach and others nearby. Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer organization, hosts annual events to clean up Hollywood Beach, the next scheduled cleanup event takes place Saturday, September 17 2016 from 9 a.m. to noon. To register email coastalcleanup@broward.org, include your name, contact information, which site you would like to participate, and number of attendees. I highly recommend to those who want to do something for their community to participate.

All of this started in the 1920’s when John W. Young came to what is now City of Hollywood to create his “Dream City in Florida,” between 1925-1926, Young built the Hollywood Board Walk to visitors to the oceanfront and to entertain them. Young referred to the City of Hollywood as “Hollywood-By-The-Sea.”