My parents are visiting enchanting Puerto Rico right now, and I'm not. My only consolation is the fact that my parents are merely visiting to attend a very important Quinceañera celebration, they're not visiting to go sight-seeing. My mom and I are collaborating and planning a get-away where we can sight-see and see everything all the way at the highest peak of the island.
Taken in our home town of Ponce, Puerto Rico.
I hope this excursion is in the near future, but for now I'll share some of my favorite pictures from my last visit to Puerto Rico and pretend I'm there with my family.El Yunce Tropical Rain Forrest
Imagine yourself immersed under a canopy of lush green. Refreshing cool mist hydrates and panoramic views from moss and tree covered mountain tops dazzle. From the gentle flow of abundant water falls to the chorus of tiny coquí frogs, there's nothing you can't love about Puerto Rico's Tropical Rain Forrest. I could live here, it's fresh and alive.
My Grandparent's House
One pitfall of my Puerto Rico visits is being limited to my grandparent's home with a tropical paradise out of my reach. But I never get tired of arising early, meandering outside, and enjoying the diffused light shining through glistening, waxy tree leaves in the morning. I love to harvest fresh fruit from their numerous fruit trees for breakfast.
I also like meandering down the streets and taking pictures of the houses and daily life- though it's not really a safe Barrio to meander in alone.
Undiscovered Treasures
Gentrification is changing Puerto Rico rapidly. Who knows how soon the quiet island lifestyle will be completely eclipsed by growing American consumerism? But even with the changes, if you meander just a little you'll find the “Real” Puerto Rico.
Abandoned buildings and structures rapidly disappearing into a lush tropical landscape, empty tree-lined beaches, they are all begging me to unravel their story and capture their quiet presence.
Until I can visit Puerto Rico again I'll bide my time with some Puerto Rico-themed crafts. Starting with a shadow box and a carnival mask!
My grandparent's home, colorful gymnasium across the street; horses roam everywhere
I write briefly about the "Real Puerto Rico" here: So I Have This Fantasy...
My neighbors are from Puerto Rico. They just returned from visiting her mother. She tells me of the same woes that afflict all of my beloved Latin America; poverty, want, drugs, corruption. Anyone else would listen to her and believe Puerto Rico is lost. HOWEVER, along with those topics, I heard about her brother-in-law's huerto, where he grows all manner of tropical fruit and all manner of vegetables. She tells me of all the beautiful colonial stuff and of all the beautiful beaches. I am Mexican and in my mind's eye, I was there. I would love to visit Cuba. I know people who visit and tell me it is a jewel in the rough.
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit Cuba as well. The increase in crime is no joke, two people that lived on my grandparent's street were murdered in the week that I was there. Rather heart breaking.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I hope you will visit Cuba soon. You need to see it by yourself. Cause no matter what people say to you it's different when you experience it all.
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