Good Morning Humacao

We couldn’t have gone to Puerto Rico at a better time. Literally. As I found out, Puerto Rico is on Atlantic Time. I can best explain Atlantic Time as Eastern Time but without Daylight Savings Time. Daylight Savings Time had only happened the day before we left, so there was literally no “adjusting to the local time” needed, as we never adjusted to our time change.

I took advantage of this by waking up early to get some alone time. I was unable to do this in Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan), as we shared sleeping quarters. However, in Humacao, my wife and son were able to sleep and I could wake up by myself.

One of the things that this permitted me was watching the sun rise off of the ocean horizon. I have to admit that the sight was something to marvel. In the morning back home, I’m usually helping to get my son ready for school or getting ready for work, so I don’t really have the opportunity to stop and see such a brilliant sunrise. It was a true blessing to have that time to take in such an awesome sight.

Exploring Palmas Del Mar

After the rest of my family woke up and we made ourselves ready, we ventured out to check out the Palmas Del Mar complex. Talk about an incredible experience!

We weren’t able to check out all of the amenities. However, we were able to see that it had its own school, Palmas Academy. We, also, passed through the Palmas Del Mar Beach Club, which can offer daily admission to outside visitors. We ended up not going in, as we had other plans. There are a number of restaurants in the complex catering to various palettes.

One of its most fascinating features that we were able to check out was its own shopping center. There were a number of business ranging from a party store/small grocery store, ice cream shop, various restaurants and even a BJJ (Brazilian Jujitsu) school.

So whether Airbnbers like us or residents, it seemed to have something for everybody. This doesn’t even take into account off-site places to go and things to do.

Lunch At Kiosko El Limón

In case that you weren’t aware, we absolutely love kioskos. My wife did her research and found Kiosko El Limón, located in nearby Punta Santiago, that had numerous glowing reviews. From Palmas Del Mar to El Limón, it was only a brief, picturesque 20 minute drive.

The menu had straightforward Puerto Rican food had everything that I expected, but leaning towards seafood, which was great with me, as I don’t eat it as often as I would like. As I had my food and tasted some of my wife’s, I could see how Kiosko El Limón had its great reviews.

Life After..

After lunch, we checked out more of the area, before returning. All along the water, we could see effects of Hurricane Maria. We passed by the Balneario Público de Humacao that appeared to be abandoned and overgrown. From what I understand, at one point, it was a vacation destination with villas and cabanas to rent.

As we drove some more and I could see more stretches of beach, I could see standing palm trees with sheared off tops. There was another stretch, where we pulled off, that offered a really good view onto the beach. A few yards away from our rental car, there was an abandoned yellow building with no roof and, at the moment, I didn’t think anything of it. However, later, my wife explained that it used to be Kiosko El Amarillo, one of the most popular kioskos in the area. An article in The Miami Herald explained that its unfortunate owner was uninsured. I couldn’t find a date on the article, but it said that he was operating out of a tent in front of the kiosko’s remains. We didn’t see it, so I don’t know if he no longer has the tent or if we came at the wrong time.

Winding Down, As The Sun Goes Down

I was very glad for our day because of the literal food that we had, as well as for the food for thought. For the sake of both Humacao and Punta Santiago, respectively, I am glad that they somewhat recovered from the hurricane. However, some of the lingering effects were undeniable. I couldn’t help but think about the marked contrast between Palmas Del Mar and Punta Santiago. While each place had its notable differences, each had its own beauty that we were fortunate enough to experience.