April 13th, 2010
Puerto Rico, The Mountains, Hacienda Pellerano
It has been 13 years since I last visited the island. I was visiting for serious personal reasons; not on holiday.
I flew from the Philadelphia airport. The airport was so quiet at that time of the morning; but not for long.
I heard noises coming from my gate; loud voices, kids screaming. Oh, how can I forget that some things never change!!
Latins are loud but Puerto Ricans have a Master’s Degree in Loud Speaking. I am including myself in this group. There have been times when I have had to tone myself down; just a few notches.
Spending almost 4 hours in an airplane will get you to meet the person next to you. I met Christina. Her parents were in the plane, as well. By the time I got to Puerto Rico, I knew her whole life story. I started to get a little worried when she asked for a bag in case she needed to throw up. She was pregnant and morning sickness was tugging at her. I just told her to please throw up to the other side. She was presented with a trash can bag. Can you imagine me landing in PR after all these years looking like, oh, well I am not getting into it.
Hey, I am kidding; I was ready to help her. She made out fine and full of happiness and with plenty of aspirations for the baby. She herself was one of 11 children from the same parents who were 47 and 53 years old. Yikes!! I wish her the best.
It was a smooth ride all the way until we hit San Juan; I missed the clapping upon arrival. I was surprised because it was a bit shaky.
I cannot imagine anyone contradicting me on the following. This airport has never been able to handle a smooth retrieval of luggage. Single file through just one revolving door for all the planes arriving that day. Then on to the actual waiting of luggage.
But, everything was forgotten as soon as I saw Sonia, Guiso and Margie; my welcoming committee.
I thought about leaving my blog quiet for those days but some time ago, when I started writing this blog, Roxana pointed out that Puerto Rico has beautiful beaches, as well. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to write my experiences in La Isla del Encanto.
One thing Puerto Ricans do well is find the perfect places to eat. So lunch, drinks, catching up and a quick tour of my old stomping grounds; the Condado area, Ashford Ave., and on our way to Old San Juan; one of the oldest, most beautiful and romantic cities in this hemisphere.
I found some areas have remained untouched. Others, I wish they would have left them alone. This island is in economic chaos but building is still going on in Old San Juan. I love its cobblestones in the Old City and the narrow streets, the balconies, the vendors and the Port of San Juan.
Even though I have rated the Piraguas (snow cones) in PR as the best in the world, I did not have one. They really are the best.
The new Convention Center is strategically located taking advantage of its views towards Catano, home of the Bacardi Distillery.
Ahh…the sounds of the island; not the Coqui; that little green frog indigenous to Puerto Rico; but the horns, the loudspeakers on top of cars, announcing I don’t know what. I don’t think there is a political election yet.
The driving experience. Only when you go through it, you realize that it’s time to give thanks for being alive. Sonia went against the traffic, but who cares? Just another “Puertorriquenada.”
Finally, we arrived at “Hacienda Pellerano”, my home until Monday.
Hacienda Pellerano is in the city of Guaynabo, but you would think that it is in the middle of the rain forest. You can actually see, El Yunque (rain forest) from their house, at a distance, and on a clear day. My room was great. I had short and long robes embroidered with its name, slippers, candy and flowers.
Freshly squeezed juice every day, black espresso made by Mr. P; you were ready to face the day. The sounds of the parrots and the sights of the guacamayos passing by made you feel that you were certainly on an island. Iguanas and maybe an occasional monkey, as well.
The thing is that Hacienda Pellerano is private and by invitation only.
And, that’s how my stay began….
Talk to you later…
Tags: Accommodations, Caribbean Beaches, Caribbean Island, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Things to do at the beach, What to do at the beaches
I love this article. Hacienda Pellerano….Tus experiencias con el caos de cosas que hay en la islita del encanto.. . Te lo vuelvo a decir You are a great writer. Just waiting for your next blog….
Stick around Rosarito. I still have to write about Daniel in Punta Santiago, Don Tello in Catano, and about a few alcoholic beverages also only found in this island. Thanks for your comments on the blog.
Gloria no sabes la alegria que me da que despues de 13 anos de ausencia de la “Isla del encanto” tu visita haya sido tan placentera (a pesar de los motivos que te trajeron)y te hayas llevado tan gratos recuerdos.
Volviste a sentir el calor,la hospitalidad, el carino, las “boricuadas” de los puertorriquenos.Nuestros olores, sabores y el calor humano y la hospitalidad de los Boricuas.La Hacienda Pellerano esta hermosa y sabes que tienes una reunion pendiente con los igualitos.
Hola Cuca: Me alegro hayas escrito al “blog”. A la verdad que lo pasamos bien. El sabado en casa de Jose y el domingo en la Hacienda. Ya me dejaran saber la fecha de los igualitos. Nos vemos a fines de mes.
Can’t wait to hear about the rest of the visit. The hacienda looks beautiful. Welcome back !
Stay tuned. Thanks so much, as usual, for the comments on the blog.
Ja, ja. Besides enjoying your writing you made me laugh. Certainly, some things never change. I am a little concern however, with the fact that nobody clapped after the plane landed. We must rescue some of our traditions and that one should be at the top of the list. At least, people at the airport’s gate were loud, yyyeessssss!
Bueno, un poquito seria ahora. Me alegré mucho de verte. Lamento mucho que fuera por estas circunstancias. ¡Qué bueno que, dentro de todo, lo hayas pasado bien!
Oye, your writing is so great that you can turn into another Carrie Bradshaw and write for Cosmos or another magazine. The only thing is that “Sex at Delaware” does not sound too attractive and I don’t know if you want to name your column as “Sex at the Beach”. Ja, ja
Un abrazo y que estés muy bien.
Me encanto verte tambien. Sabes que? Cuando llegamos a Philadelphia si aplaudieron, Go Figure. Muchas gracias por tus comentarios. Nos vemos. G
Hello again, the pictures of the Hacienda look beautiful and the stories are priceless.
Espero que sigas escribiendo en blog, pues es muy entretenido e informativo.
Saludos,
Anita
Thanks for the comments to the blog. Hasta luego…
Hey, great blog you have there. Nice pics. Gusto haber compartido aunque haya sido un rato.
Gracias. Me encanto de conocer tu esposa y el bebe esta chulisimo. FBI esta anunciando que quieren admitir bilingues. Thought you might want to know.
I’ve been @ Hacienda Pellerano and is one of the greatest Boutique hotels in the Island… Don Arturo makes great garlic olives and Dona Sonia is one of the greatest chefs of Guaynabo… but the best part is that is a DOG FRIENDLY hotel…. and a great place for post operatory recovery…
I agree. Hola. Those garlic olives used to be made by Abuela Sonia but he uses the stuffed olives instead. They are great. Dog Friendly? No se diga!! Don Arturo keeps the hotel in top shape. He cleans so I hope Dona Sonia keeps him. Nos vemos.