Day 3 saw us leave San Juan for Humacao in the southeastern area of La Isla del Encanto (The Enchanted Island). We had three things that we wanted to do: visit La Perla in San Juan, have lunch at a lechonera and make our way to Humacao.

Despacito En La Perla

After giving our son his breakfast, we went to the La Perla neighborhood in Old San Juan (Viejo San Juan). The last time that we came, I remember seeing it from the balcony of where we stayed. Per San Juan’s website, in the 19th century, La Perla housed the slaughterhouse district and this was where slaves and non-white residents lived. While the wall still literally separates the two areas, people are free to go back and forth. We are huge fans of the original Despacito video with Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee. We had to find some of the spots in the video that were so vividly captured. Fonsi and DY intentionally selected La Perla for the video, so that it could be positively showcased.

Courtesy of José Rodríguez Translation: (We moved to San Miguel) — Courtesy of José Rodríguez
Translation: (We moved to San Miguel)

While we were there, we saw little activity, as it was still early. There were a few areas, where I could see some effects from the hurricane. A few houses were abandoned, while others were in various stages of repair. There was a building near the walkway by the water that looked like a school or school gym with the roof caved in. It was startling to see proof of how the residents were visibly impacted by the hurricane. Being right off the water, I couldn’t even imagine how things would have been like immediately afterwards.

Our experiences weren’t all serious. It was clear that La Perla is proud of its community. Last time in San Juan, we could see the basketball court built partly through the foundation of NBA star, Carmelo Anthony. This time, we passed by the court on our way out. Also, there were numerous examples of community art explicitly expressing its civic pride. Seeing the juxtaposition between somberness and joy, I was reminded of this contradiction that typifies Latino perseverance.

As we passed the Carmelo Anthony basketball court, we passed by a gentleman from Southampton, England, who said that he was looking to check out La Perla. We told him that it was definitely worth visiting.

Last Bites in San Juan

Just before leaving San Juan, we had to get one last meal to remember this great city. The choice was easy: Cafeteria Mallorca, which was about a 10 minute walk from La Perla. Mallorca breakfast pastries would do us well to hold us over until Humacao.

Once that we finished, we found Casa Cortés Chocobar, which offered everything from pastries to chocolate drinks, and coffee. We ended up purchasing these tasty chocolate candies that had colored swirls. Unfortunately, our son wasn’t fond of it, as his taste buds aren’t used to dark chocolate. We were more than happy to help him finish off his candy.

Last Views of San Juan

From El Convento, I called an Uber to take us to Charlie Car Rental in Carolina by the airport to get our car rental. We were blessed that we were able to walk around San Juan. The city is wide and narrow, so it’s extremely easy to get around on foot.

Traffic was heavy, so it was very difficult for our Uber driver to get around. In the area around El Convento, there was still the police presence because of the ongoing strike, so there were quite a few streets that were closed off. As we slowly made our way out, we were rerouted a few times. We were very patient and friendly with the Uber driver, but I think that he was more than a bit upset because the extra time with us meant that it would take longer to pick up his next customers. It seemed like we were routed really far south because we ended up over by the cruise ships. It took us a good 50 minutes for us to arrive at Charlie’s-a ride that should have taken 20 minutes. God bless that Uber driver because he worked so hard and definitely earned his tip.

Over The Mountains To Humacao We Go

From San Juan to Humacao, it took about 3 hours. It was a panoramic trip that took us from city to jungle and tropical.

While the geography is not the same, the long and scenic drive through mountains reminded me of driving to my grandmother’s house, when I was a kid. The similarity was in the awe-inspiring vastness. Growing up in the Detroit area, everything seems so close together. However, both in Mexico and now in Puerto Rico, this space made me feel like I could breathe.

For lunch, we had to go to a lechonera: a restaurant specializing in serving pork and suckling pig. Originally, I heard about them in the Puerto Rico episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Through it, we heard about the Lechón Trail, a whole trail of them. We heard about a specific one that still had glowing reviews, Lechonera Los Pinos.

It’s always gripping to travel on narrow mountain roads. It was remarkable how the locals were able to go at a pretty good speed, while we, tourists, proceed more cautiously. On the way, while using Google Maps, we ended up a little lost but quickly regained our bearings. When I heard “you have arrived at your destination,” the sight of the lechonera was well worth it.

Los Pinos had a decent sized parking lot, although we seemed to be the only customers. It was early and during the week. As we understood, it’s very busy on the weekend and, also, not all of the lechoneras are open during the week, so we were fortunate that Lechonera Los Pinos was.

It was hard to decide on what to order. My wife ended up getting ribs, while I ordered morcilla. We asked for some arroz con gandules for our son of which he had only a little bit. We ended up finishing it and we ended up getting another order. The food was tasty, satisfying and was great for holding us over until we arrived in Humacao.

Settling Into Humacao

Before we knew it, we arrived in the condo at a resort within Palmas del Mar, which I can best describe as a megaresort. Our condo had two bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms. It was spacious and had a nice kitchen with everything that we needed. For our use, on a tray, there was a fresh bag of coffee, some crackers and a few other tasty treats. There was a washer/dryer, which we used to wash our clothes that we tried to minimize, so that we could reduce the risk of an overweight suitcase. Through the sliding doors, there was a porch with an amazing view overlooking the beach. Humacao’s calm quiet provided a pleasant contrast from Old San Juan’s city bustle.

Once that we settled in, we went grocery shopping at the nearby Ralph’s. For anybody from California, this isn’t the same chain that’s out there.

We bought some food so that we could prepare some small meals back at the condo. I was shocked that, for the small amount of food that we bought, it came out to $80. Then, I remembered about The Jones Act intended to protect US shipping. Per Investopedia, goods shipped to places including Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska and other US non-mainland territory have significant restrictions as to what can legally enter. The relatively few number of US ships that are allowed to bring in goods can increase their prices, which the cost is then passed onto consumers.

Wrap, Wrap, Wrap It Up

After a good, but long day, it was great to wind down and digest everything that we experienced. We saw a variety of geographies contained within San Juan, Cayey (Lechonera Los Pinos) and Humacao. We were able to see where one of our favorite videos were filmed and learn more about the area. Lastly, all of these adventures were punctuated with some delicious food. Fortunately, we were blessed with some great accommodations, so that we could get a good night’s rest before getting to see more of Humacao.