The Best Beaches of Puerto Rico?

Being an island, there are, of course, lots of beaches in Puerto Rico. Quality varies, but the geographical location is the greatest determining factor. North and east-side beaches touch the Atlantic. Most of these beaches are decent, but in general are nothing particularly special. The most outstanding include Luquillo, Loíza (so I've heard), and a few around the city of Fajardo. Also in Fajardo are ferries to Culebra and Vieques, both tiny islands known for the beautiful beaches. On the other hand, tourists will be disappointed with the beaches in San Juan--most are small, overcrowded, ugly, and even dangerous. There are some where swimming is prohibited because currents have caused various deaths. My suggestion is to head outside of the city if you want to find a nice one.

The west and south of the island touch the Caribbean Sea and thus are known for the better beaches. Anywhere from Mayagüez to Aguadilla have pleasant beaches, probably the best in the island. Of note is Rincón, not only an ex-pat hangout but a popular surfing spot as well.

I personally don't have much experience with beaches on the island--while this may be a surprise for some, Puerto Ricans don't go to the beach every day, or even at all. Each time I've been it's a special trip and I gather that it's the same for many other families. However, you've probably noticed that I do have a photo of the beach as a header for the blog. If you've ever wondered, it's a picture of the beach Seven Seas in Fajardo, which I visited a year or two ago. I would highly recommend this beach, since the water is slow, shallow, and crystal clear, and the beach in general is beautiful. It does, however, cost 3 dollars to park there (I don't know about entering in general, though... I'm pretty sure you could at least sneak in for free).

Anyways, for those who have spent more time on the beaches, which ones are your favorites? Any secret gems?

Exploring Puerto Rico's African Heritage, Part 4: Bomba

Bomba is a dance created by African slaves in Loíza, although it is danced all over the island, especially in the West (like Mayagüez) and South (like Ponce). It is a beautiful dance, with strong beats and irresitable movements. It also is one of the roots of Salsa and most of Puerto Rico's music.

The general outfit for both men and women is white: men white suits (or at least a white shirt) and a straw hat, women in a white shirt and skirt (usually). Colors can be added to this but the white is expected. The pivotal part of the outfit is the woman's skirt, which must have multiple thick layers in order to create the desired effect.

The dancers in turn are accompanied by a variety of musicians. Percussion is crucial. Usually it's a trio of barriles, large drums, along with a single maraca and other instruments. There are also singers, either a soloist or a group (or both). Click

Bomba is, overall, a dialogue between the musicians and the dancer(s). With her skirt (or possibly a shawl or scarf), the dancer directs the percussion. I can't think of any way to describe this but with videos.

First off, here is a short video with one of the most important figures in Bomba today, Tata Cepeda. Her family has been a huge part in the survival and growth of Bomba. This doesn't really show off the "dialogue" per se, since I'm pretty sure it's choreographed, but it is a tribute to her talents as well as an amazing dance.



This other video is longer and not as fast, but if you are still interested I highly recommend it. It takes a moment to get ready, but the dancing is really interesting.



I hope somehow I've managed to share my affection for this dancing with you... it's kind of hard to express the feeling while watching it. Still...

Exploring Puerto Rico's African Heritage, Part 3: Loíza

Loíza is a city just east of San Juan, touching the Atlantic Ocean. The name Loíza purportedly comes from a Taíno cacica (female cacique, chief), who chose the name Luisa when baptized by the Spaniards. There is a variety of mythology surrounding the name and origin of the city, however. During colonial times, Loíza began to harbor escaped slaves not only from Puerto Rico but from all over the Caribbean. Because of this population, Loíza today is considered the center of African-derived culture in the island, bringing the popular bomba and other activities to the island which now form part of its identity. On the other hand, Loíza is one of the most impoverished parts of the island. Largely because of its black population and bureaucratic racism, Loíza has been slower than most municipalities to receive financial help. Drugs are a big problem, along with crime. However, I think some of these claims are a bit exaggerated and it is not as horrible as some say. I don't have much experience there, though, so I can't say.

Anyways, one of Loíza's greatest contributions to Puerto Rico's identity is the fiesta de Santiago (Saint James). This holiday is celebrated during July in the streets of Loíza with parades depicting the battle between the Spaniards and the Moors. While it is known for its strange creatures and caricatures of people that seems as though they have stepped out of an abstract painting, the real show-stealer is the vejigantes, the bizarre demons with paper-mache or coconut masks and giant dresses made in every vivid color that exists. While they're supposed to represent the Moors, they have become so much more. They are dancing, mischievous characters that have captured the affections of the island.

A great account of this festival can be found here, and a fascinating video (in Spanish and produced by the University of Puerto Rico) from 1949 is here.

(By the way, the picture here was drawn by my good friend. I've asked her to do a few drawings for the blog, hopefully we'll see more soon!)

Photos of Puerto Rico and Its Beaches

I know, I know, I've been silent. I thought instead I would share some of my photos of the island. I don't really have a nice camera but some of these photos are all right anyways (and I should be upgrading my camera soon, in time for the next trip... whenever that will be).

I hope that by looking at these it'll make the cold easier to bear for those of us in North America!

This photo and the next few are both from Condado, a popular beach for tourists in San Juan.

So blue!

And these are from Seven Seas, in Fajardo.

You should recognize this picture.

You could see through the water, it was really nice... and absolutely no waves!

2 Articles: El Yunque and Fights in Schools

Sorry for the wait, I took a much needed thanksgiving vacation.

Here are two quick articles while I prepare a larger post.

This first one is about El Yunque, the rainforest park and popular tourist destination. I'm not going to pretend this is a well written article or that the pictures are outstanding, because they aren't. But it made me smile.

The second article is in Spanish about fighting in schools. I thought it was interesting how they're concerned more about people putting the videos up on youtube than about the actual fights, it seems. Oh, the first link they have up doesn't work, because that's how El Nuevo Día is. Here's the video. It seems pretty intense.

I'm not judging, since almost all high schools have fights. I just thought I'd share (and it's good Spanish practice, for those learning Spanish).

A few things you should notice about the video: they refer to the fight as motín, literally a mutiny. Also, they're outside. In high schools on the island, classes are "outdoors" (by that I don't mean that there isn't a building, but rather there are regular classrooms and covered walkways outside) and students (as far as I know) are allowed off of campus for lunch and might also hang around the front of the school before and after classes. And the final thing you should have picked up on: all the students are dressed the same. In public schools the students wear uniforms, unlike most of the U.S.

The island

Sorry if I update kind of sporadically. This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend though, so I'm sure I'll post a bit.

I thought that a quick guide to Puerto Rico's geography would also serve as a good introduction to the island (and really, is kind of important). I hope in some future posts to expand on different parts of each region and what there is to do in each.

This is Puerto Rico:

Sorry for the... low quality map, I was looking for one with all the regions divided up and this was all I could really find for the moment. I also think the "Metro" area is too big (Caguas is in it! Seriously?).

Anyways, a brief introduction to each...

"Metro" is (obviously) San Juan and the surrounding municipalities ("municipios"... it doesn't quite roll off the tongue in English but it's not so bad in Spanish). Big cities besides SJ include (well, at least in this map) Carolina, which is where the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and Isla Verde are located, Río Piedras, where the University of Puerto Rico's main campus is, and apparently Caguas. I'm not really sure how to explain Caguas except that they have a web site talking about how great they are even though Caguas is in the middle of nowhere. I understand that they have a lot of industry going on there. I'm not sure. The only time I was in Caguas it was about 1 in the morning on Three Kings' Day (to be explained later) and we drove completely out of our way to try to see some house that supposedly was decorated with Christmas lights to some kind of record-breaking extreme. Of course, by the time we got there, there was nothing to see. I wish I were making that story up.

"Este" (East) includes cities like Loíza, the center of Black culture for the island, Luquillo, which has a nice beach (haven't been but I've seen it), Fajardo and Puerto Rico's smaller islands, Culebra and Vieques, and Humacao. There's also the famous park el Yunque here (in the Río Grande municipality).

"Sur" (South) is known for Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico after San Juan. It's drier and hotter here in comparison to the rest of the island.

"Centro" (Center) is mostly mountains. It includes Utuado, Lares, where Puerto Rico's failed revolution, el Grito de Lares (the Shout of Lares), took place, and a few other smaller cities like Jayuya and Aibonito. It still hangs onto its Taíno and jíbaro roots.

"Oeste" (West) is a popular spot for tourists, particularly in Rincón, a gringo enclave and a surfing spot. It also has Mayagüez, a fairly large and pretty city, Cabo Rojo, which has a lot of beaches and the "Los Morrillos" lighthouse, and Aguadilla, which has some more nice beaches.

"Norte" (North) has Arecibo with its famous observatory and the world's largest radio telescope.

Keep in mind that this is just a very rough guide to the major cities. Puerto Rico, with a population of 4 million people in a tiny island, has a lot of interesting suburbs and rural areas that should be seen as well.