Living the Caribbean life : A week in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is one of the Caribbean Islands popular among tourists in the US for a relaxed beach vacation. It is actually a part of the US, and you do not need a visa to go there if you have a US visa (which was quite a welcome surprise for me!!). I always thought PR was a separate country, but somehow its a part of US itself. It seems a bit complicated actually, as they have their own flag and leaders but are still a part of America, but I don't mind! One less visa to take!! We went for a week in September to Puerto Rico and stayed at two places on the island: San Juan (the capital) and Vieques Island.

The weather in PR remains almost the same throughout the year! Temperatures stay mostly between 20-30 degrees always. Therefore the tourist season is in the winters when temperatures are much lower elsewhere, but it was good even in the off season: just a little bit of rain to deal with. Renting a car is also a good idea while on the island, it gives you the flexibility to go wherever and whenever, though taxis are also a good and convenient mode of transport apparently.

SAN JUAN 
On to the trip, we landed in San Juan on a Saturday and stayed at a hotel in Old San Juan, El Convento. I think the hotel was also one of the highlights of our trip:).

Old San Juan was as expected, the old and rustic part of San Juan. The city was set up as a settlement by the Spanish people who inhabited the island for the initial years. Therefore, this old part of town has a very European feel to it, with cobbled and narrow roads, multi-coloured houses, numerous outside seating restaurants and lot of squares for people to get together and have a nice time. The feel of the town is marred by the cars lined everywhere on the roads as well as the overhead wires, but I guess thats what you pay for modernisation?

Our hotel El Convento was also part of this old town. It was a 300 year old convent which had been converted to a hotel some years back. It was right in the heart of the old town, with the San Juan cathedral just in front. The hotel has retained its feel of being of a different era, and that was what lent it the romantic feel its so famous for!

Just outside the hotel, in the square, a singer would sit and sing romantic songs all evening. Another great thing about the hotel was the wine and cheese they have every evening, where you come and sip on the wine, taste the cheese and enjoy the sunset and the singing below. Totally surreal!

I would advice anyone traveling to San Juan to stay in Old San Juan. The other option is the Condado region which though closeby is just a long line of modern resorts with a nice beach, and I think staying there doesn't really give you the real feel of being in a different place. We did visit the La Concha resort in the Condado region, to enjoy the beach and beachside pool, as well as the casino. But still preferred staying in Old San Juan only!!

It is so so lively and pretty, you can see people out on the roads having a good time dancing to latino music even late at night! Also, on the weekend, there were some cruise ships who were docked at the marina nearby and loud jarring music playing there for all to party hard. Guess the Caribbean weekend spirit showing itself:). 

Another place we went to in Old San Juan was a cigar house, a shop which sells only cigars. But the interesting thing about the place was that every evening people in the town gather there to smoke them! Quite an interesting thing must say! Also if you are fond of casinos, the Sheraton Old San Juan on the marina in Old San Juan does have a casino too, in case you don't want to go to the Condado region to win or lose money!! 

THINGS TO SEE
Forts in Old San Juan
Old San Juan has a lot of historical buildings all over the place. The main ones of course are the two forts, Sant Christobal and El Morro. They are majestic forts on two tips of the island and surround the Old San Juan area. They have an interesting history and of course great views of the town below. A must visit.

El Yunque: the only rainforests in the US 

The El Yunque forests are about an hour plus drive from San Juan, and a good trip outside of town. At the forest, they have a watch tower to get a birds eye view of the jungles around. And some trails to take in the feeling of the forest. There are a couple of waterfalls there too, like the Coca Falls and La Mina falls.



THINGS TO DO
Zipling: We went for ziplining at Toro Verde which apparently has the best zipline, even though there are a couple more places on the island where you can do it. Toro Verde is a national park located around the center of the island.

It took us about 3 hours to reach there, rather than the expected one hour! And that was because the GPS was taking us to the wrong location!! Anyways we did drive through the gallis of PR, the narrow winding roads along small hills, just after the rains, through small villages. The delay actually turned out worth it, it was a very green and romantic drive through the interiors of the island.

At Toro Verde, there are couple of different ziplining options available and we did the 'Beast' one, which is 4745 feet long and at a height of 853 feet. The whole 'journey' from the top of the first hill to the second takes about 1-2 minutes, unless you are light! In which case you can get stuck in the middle and then need to be 'rescued'!! Which I did. Anyways it was a nice experience, zipping across mountains, with a view of the forests and rivers and paths below. And believe me, it WAS scary like hell! When I was stuck at the middle, I could barely move my head to take a look around! It was just like, get me out of here, till then I refuse to move, lest it make me fall:)).

Hang gliding: There is an option to do hang gliding in El Yunque which seems quite a lot of fun! We couldn't do it as it got cancelled due to rains but its something I would definitely recommend by the sounds of it!

Diving: Our diving trip also got cancelled once because of the rains, but then I guess going in the off-season has its disadvantages! The best diving locations are at the south side of the island and around Fajardo. We did our diving at two locations off Fajardo. The sea life there was good, though not the same as the Andamans (the only other place have dived). The colourful corals were very limited here. We did spot a lot of turtles though, which are a pleasure to watch swim. Also there were a lot of jellyfish there, which seem so graceful and unreal swimming around you at a very slow motion speed. Other than that we also spotted a lobster and barracuda and lots of fishes I can't name!

EATING OUT
Our first experiment with food was at one of the local restaurants in Old San Juan, think it was called La Danza. It was terrible and expensive. Thereafter we decided to go only to places with good reviews online! El Convento itself has a tapas restaurant, El Picoteo which serves tasty fare. Tantra is a restaurant near El Convento serving excellent (but expensive) Indian fusion food! A must must try, especially with the Indian music playing there! BarraChina is a garden restaurant in Old San Juan where apparently the Pina Colada was invented. It has very very tasty food, including the mofongo which is really yummy and a must try if you go to PR ever. And then there was an Italian place Al Dente (I think) next to Sheraton which was again very good.

Other than the Old SJ area, we had dinner at La Concha's tapas fusion restaurant, called Perla, which surprisingly is not at all expensive given its in a 5-star resort. The food there was really really tasty. Another recommend!

VIEQUES
Vieques is a small island just off Fajardo with a size of 6km by 34km only. Its about an hour by ferry from Fajardo and the location of the 'best bio-bay in the world'. The bio-bay is a phenomenon where there are small micro-organisms in the water which luminesce when there is movement in the water. Its an amazing phenomenon but getting to the island isn't! The ferries are highly unreliable in their timings, so taking a flight from San Juan might be a better idea. Getting back from Vieques was an adventure too, the taxi from the ferry at Fajardo to San Juan costs about $80 irrespective of the number of people . Its a good idea to talk to other tourists on the ferry to be able to share a cab.

Anyways in Vieques, we stayed at the 'Inn on the Blue Horizon' which is an amazing property located on a cliff next to the sea and near the town of Esperanza. The Inn again is rated as a romantic resort and it surely is. With small cottages separated from each other. The pool and the cottages facing the sea. A nice seating area and a restaurant within the Inn. Wild horses grazing in its grounds. A truly isolated and relaxing feeling it gives.

As an aside, there are only two 'towns' in Vieques: Esperanza and Isabel II and both are more like villages than towns. So be prepared for the island being very remote and getting the feeling of being away from the modern and busy world as we know it!

THINGS TO DO
Snorkelling: In Vieques, you can snorkel at many if its beaches like the Red Beach, Green Beach, Black Beach etc.. They are all isolated beaches with rarely any people there, so it does pose a problem finding the right place. We snorkelled at the Red Beach which did have some interesting fishes there. Spotted tons of Sea Urchins there which was something new for me. Other than that, there were lots of colorful fishes but I don't remember their names!! You can also snorkel at the Sun Bay apparently but we didn't really see many fishes there, so not sure we were at the right spot!

Bio-Bay: The bio-bay was honestly an experience out of this world. The bay is huge and you are taken there in a boat. (There is the option of kayaking too, but frankly, its too scary to kayak at night with no lights around!). What you see there is surreal though: with any movement in the water, the water lights up! So if you put your hand in the water, its fluorescent around that. Any fishes swimming in the water, you can see the movement through the water.

Its just so difficult to explain it (and difficult to capture on camera either!). You also have the option of swimming in the bay, which apparently is good since as you swim, the water around you lights up. We did not do that either, as it seems too scary swimming in the open bay at night, with no lights around. But if you feel adventurous enough, you should try it out.

Just one warning though, the route to the bio-bay is bad, a kuccha road with huge water puddles in between, lots of ups and downs and the bushes on both sides coming on the way. So not a good idea to drive there in your own vehicle.

Horse Riding: Its organized by one of the resorts and even though we couldn't do it, by the sounds of it, 'horse riding over the cliffs with a view of the sunset over the sea' does sound fun!

EATING OUT
We did not try out too many eating places in Vieques somehow. Of those, one was the Carambola at the Inn which itself which was frankly just about ok. The other was Duffys in Esperanza itself. They serve American food which is quite tasty. Plus the place has a very fun feel about it.

So all in all, turned out to be a fun and relaxed trip, with multiple activities to do plus of course being in the water most of the time. A definite recommend!

My Travel Map

A little bit of showing off:)

  

Canadian sojourn: Thunderbay and around

This summer we took a one week vacation to the town of Thunderbay in Canada. Thunderbay is a town in the state of Ontario close to the US border, and on the banks of one of the Five Great Lakes: the Lake Superior. Our week long trip there was more a family trip, visiting relatives but we did some touristy stuff there too. And it turned out to be such a delightful place! Was quite a welcome surprise!

Thunderbay is quite a small town, with a population of about a lakh or so. So with so few people around, you can imagine how much untouched beauty there would be, specially given how much Canada is known for its natural beauty? Huge pretty houses with well maintained lawns, just staying there is an undefinable luxury.

Just next to where we were staying was a ski trail through the jungles, which during winters is used for cross country skiing, and in the summer is good for walks in the woods. The jungle was dense, with some small wildlife like jackrabbits, bears, hedgehogs and different types of birds. The walks in those woods were the best part of the days, Quiet walks with just nature around..

Stunning views of the jungle and around. And scary too, especially if you hear about how dangerous the bears there could be! We many times did find the bear paw prints too, but managed to avoid any encounter with them:)!

Of the places to see nearby, we visited the Kakabekka falls one evening. (A lot of the names in this area are the original Red Indian names itself, and sound quite different!). The falls were not huge, but so pretty and calm. (I think after the lack of calmness in the last falls we had seen, Niagara, this place seemed like heaven). The area around was green and the pleasant weather added to the perfect ambience! The water in the falls was yellow in colour due to the minerals flowing through them. Here are some photos.. showing the surreal ethereal beauty of this area...

Our second touristy visit was to the Ouimet Canyon. It is a 100 feet deep canyon and the interesting fact about this Canyon is that the vegetation at the bottom is Tundra vegetation which is found at much higher latitudes, in the Arctic region. This is so because the plants at the bottom of the canyon never get sunlight and so have the characteristics of those growing in the Tundra region without sunlight.

Within the canyon also is this natural rock formation, similar to a human figure and was formed over the centuries by water and wind.

We also went to see the Mount Mckay Lookout, which is one of the highest mountain in the area. It is also an Indian reserve where the Indians are allowed to stay as they want without interference from the Canadian government. It was interesting to know how the reserve functions: the Indians who stay there don't pay taxes, and are not governed by the normal laws of the state. They are even allowed to run casinos in the reserve! The view from the top of the mountain was pretty, you could see the entire city from the top, as well as the Sleeping Giant park and the Lake Superior. The Lake Superior is near the city, and apparently there are lot of water based activities to do there which we were not able to do.

Other than that we also visited a cheesefarm, which was a normal Canadian animal farm. The whole visit was very relaxing and fun. And am definitely impressed with Canada, such pristine beauty at every turn! Am sure a lot more Canadian trips are to follow soon:)

Niagara and Finger Lakes region

The Niagara Falls are the largest falls in the world, and located on the border of US and Canada, on the Niagara river. The drive from New York to the Falls is about 7-8 hours, while its much closer from Toronto, about an hour or so. They are one of the most popular places visited by tourists who come to New York and we also saw the falls this summer, from the US side of the border itself.

We drove till the Falls from New York, passing through upstate New York and the state of Pennsylvania. The drive was pretty, especially because it was summer. Lush greenery everywhere, mountains covered with a carpet of green, in varying hues and shades. If the sun is out, the drive becomes a bit too bright, but on a cloudy covered days, its just wonderful to drive through this area. You pass small lakes and drive next to rivers and so on.. The drive sometimes gets too boring and sleepy, but that I think would be true of any long highway drives in western countries. To be truly attentive and awake at all times, you need to drive on the Indian highways I guess, where you don't know when a cow or a goat or a child comes on the road, you do not know:)

Once at the town of Niagara, the place to go is the New York State Reservation on the US side or the Queen Victoria Park on the Canada side. Apparently the view from the Canada side is better, but we did not get a chance to see the Canadian side.

So once at the Reservation Center on the US side, the first realization you have it that it is a proper touristy place! People, shops, eating places, hotels, high rises everywhere! Its just all around you! And the second realisation is the number of Indian tourists there! My guess would be that more than 50% of the tourists there are Indians! Anyways the park is well maintained, green and covered with flowers: good to sit around in the park and view the falls from.

There are a couple of good view points in the park to view the two falls: the Horseshoe Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.  One from the park itself, one from a viewpoint tower and another from the Goat Island. The falls look regal from each of these viewpoints and are a pleasure to see (and hear!). Here are some photographs of how majestic the falls look from these places!

There are two activities which are popular here: the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds. Maid of the Mist is a ride in a huge boat which takes you near both the Horseshoe falls as well as the Bridal Veil Falls.

Its soo surreal there, under the falls where you see the full force of the water falling from above you! The whole region is misty here, the sounds are loud and the feeling dreamy! The boat feels so small in front of the huge falls, and while there you also see multiple rainbows along the falls. Other than that, you can walk upto the bottom of the falls and in some caves there, to get a more real feel of the water falling from above: this is called the Cave of the Winds. We did not get a chance to do that though.

After the stop at the Falls, we drove towards the Finger Lakes area and stayed there for the night. This area has a couple of big and small lakes, shaped like fingers.. The area is very very pretty, with small villages here and there, holiday homes on the lakes and a true vacation spot. The whole area also has a very English countryside feel to it, with many old British bungalows in this area.

We stayed in an old Victorian house here, with gardens and flowers all around. We also drove around the Canandaigua lake, a huge elongated lake running for miles. The drive next to the lake took us through winding narrow roads, lined with summer homes of the rich and the wealthy! There was greenery around, with cattle grazing here and there, the typical idyllic English countryside... Sublime and relaxing.. totally serene and calming..! We also visited one of the small villages around for a short stop to see a local town fair and then the pretty drive home!

Fairy tale world at Disneyland

Disneyland is one place which since a kid I have had dreams of visiting, and somehow it always felt just too far away, in a different world altogether, unreachable... And even though I had the opportunity to visit the Disneyworlds in Hong Kong or Paris, it always never happened. Guess for a reason! 

So that I could see the real thing, even if too late in life:). And there it was, the place we've seen in countless movies and photographs, and imagined ourselves there..Finally.. I was there! For real!! Seeing that fairy tale world in brick and the cartoon characters of those childhood days walking all around you everywhere.. What an out of this world experience it was!

Disneyland in Orlando is a world by itself. There are some five-six differently theme parks all spread out in a huge area. 

And all these Disney Parks are linked with Disney's own personal rail and ferry system. There is also an area called Disney Downtown, which is the perfect place for the evenings; to spend time at the shops and restaurants relaxing after a long day at the park! 

And then there are multiple Disney Resorts also located nearby, where you can stay near the parks themselves and enjoy a Disney theme based environ. 

When you approach towards the Disney area, you get an idea about how huge this whole project is and why everyone who comes to the US does end up visiting this place! The Parks are just so huge, and amazing! You can spend many many days just enjoying all the different kind of fun and entertainment they offer. It makes sense to go to more than one of these parks if you have the time. And of course try to spend as much time in each as possible.

Anyways we had just one day, so we went to Magic Kingdom. So let me just start with how the experience of that day was. Disneyland is slightly out of the city. You drive there and park in a massive parking space giving you enough of an idea how many people to expect! You then take the mini train to the ticket counter. Beyond that, you have the option of taking the ferry or the overhead train to the island which is the Magic Kingdom. The first view that you get of the island is of the castle and what an impressive view it is. The whole buildup feels so fantasy-like, you are already at a high by the time you land in the park!

One thing to remember of course when you go there, is that this is a theme park for children, not for adults! So no hair raising scary rides, just plain old-fashioned good fun! Initially we did make this mistake, expecting phenomenal rides, but slowly we got into the mood and once we were fully in the fantasy childhood they had created, we had a blast.. Like children who enjoy the small and fun things around, anything new is enjoyable!

Anyways, once in, you will be bombarded with different sights everywhere, with you trying to take in as much as possible. The moment we entered, a musical show was being shown on the stage in front of the castle. All the Disney characters were there, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Daisy and Donald Duck, Cinderalla and her Prince, Snow White and her Prince and Aladdin and his princess. They all sang and danced and performed, and mesmerised us. And this was just the beginning...

Thereafter we started walking around the compound, through colourfully decorated roads, as if out of a fairytale, characters walking around and rides and experiences everywhere. Most of the rides are fit for kids, so they are not really scary. And many of those rides are based on a  different cartoon character. 

The whole park is divided into 6 main areas, all based on different themes:

Main Street, USA : This is the first street that you walk on when you enter. They have grand buildings on both side, which houses shops to buy Disneyware. There are also multiple restaurants in this area, as well as the Disney rail to take you to the different parts of the park.

Adventureland: You can walk around a sample treehouse built in this area. We also went to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which takes you in a boat through scenes from the movie, and tableux of various characters of the movie. Outside, you also have a person impersonating Jack Sparrow and giving out tips on how to be a good pirate!

Frontierland: The Splash Mountain was the best of the rides we did in Disneyland. The boat takes you through Brer Rabbit's place, and then splashes you into water from a height! 

In the same section is also the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, similar to a mine train through the old west. Its a rickety ride, and scary for kids probably. 

Liberty Square: The haunted mansion was a bit of a let down though! There are some 999 ghosts in this mansion, and all different types. Some moving in paintings, some appearing out of thin air and then vanishing away.. This house is quite well designed, So worth a look still but not at all scary:)!!

Fantasyland is completely for kids, with Snow Whites adventures and Cinderalla's world and so on. We skipped this section entirely:) but I guess with children around, you do have an excuse to see those kiddy rides too:).

Tomorrowland: The Space Mountain was an indoor rollar coaster, where you zoom on without being able to see anything! The Spaceranger Spin was part of toy story, where you shoot some of the aliens. Both rides were just ok.

As I said, the rides were not really out of this world, but the whole experience was! Other than the rides, you have the cartoon characters walking around here and there. We saw Winnie the Pooh and also photographed ourselves with Mickey and Minnie. There was an all day party happening where Goofy and Pluto were on the stage teaching the crowds dance moves from the 40s to the 90s! 

There is generally a long line for all the major attractions, but you can use the Fastpass to  work out your rides more efficiently. We went on a weekday and the place was still full. So I guess whenever you go, you will always find crowds there. Filled with children and the adults trying to keep them under control!!

There are also two parades which happen within the park, one in the afternoon and a lighted one in the evening. They were both mesmerising, with singing and dancing and music; and definitely not to be missed. All the characters walking past you on decorated trailers. It was just so mesmerizing to see all these childhood characters dance and walk past you all dressed up! Here are some snapshots from the two parades....

The castle in the center is the main spot of all these activities. In the evening you have the fireworks just behind the castle and the place looks like from another world. They also have a musical show where they showcase photos on the castle from all day long. 

The whole Park is lighted up at night, like a dream.. By this time, the whole world around you becomes so fascinating and lovable.. Its just amazing, how this place transports you to your childhood.. You are just dazed by this time.. in a different zone... 

The whole day was so tiring but still at the end, you still want to see a little bit more, experience a little bit more! I enjoyed every bit of my time here.. What a day it was, something to remember forever.. As they say at the Park, 'Let the memories begin...'.