From The Beginning

Thinking back to those mornings in Humacao, I still marvel at having looked out to those strokes of bright colors that fractured the early morning sky. It was one thing to see the palm trees sway and feel the waves’ serenity sounds wash over my eardrums. However, it was something else to watch the sun rise at the start of a new day and wonder what adventures would come.

We decided to visit Luquillo Beach, which we visited on our first trip. Located off of Camino Balneario, it was about 50 minutes away from Palmas Del Mar, just passing Fajardo.

Early in the morning, I began writing the first piece of the series of posts on the Puerto Rico trip. It wrote itself, as I was sharing my intention to write a piece for each day of this trip. Not only would I share my affection for Puerto Rico but I would be able to bring attention to the places that we visited, the things that we did and the restaurants where we ate. In the same way that certain YouTube videos and the episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations were tremendously helpful, I hoped to pay it forward.

Out To Luquillo Beach

Luquillo Beach had spacious parking. From where we ended up parking, we could see the concession stand. While we packed some snacks to hold us over, we never knew what kind of treats we would try.

We arrived just before 9 AM. We wanted to enjoy ourselves as much as possible, before the sun would be high and beating down on us. I didn’t want to underestimate how strong the intense tropical sun could be.

My wife and son spent the most time in the water. One of the first things that I did, when we arrived, was to publish my first Puerto Rico piece. Squarespace, the service which I use to design and run this website, has a great mobile app that easily permits publishing and doing some basic tweaks to posts. I marveled at how with my cell phone I was able to publish my piece and write a few quick social media posts! It wasn’t that long ago that to run a website, it was necessary to have someone with coding experience to edit the site, someone to make it look amazing and then use a computer to interact on social media. No longer true!

While we were there, my wife returned from the concession stand with a piña colada served in a cored pineapple. Along with the drink, she had the pineapple core that made for a slightly sweet, slightly tart snack.

El Jefe Burger Shack

Once that we wrapped up at Luqillo Beach notwithstanding some slight sunburns, we decided to make our way towards the nearby kioskos. I remember that, for awhile after the first trip, if I were ever daydreaming, one of two “happy” places would come to mind: either my grandma’s house or los kioskos de Luquillo.

The half-kilometer stretch housed the kioskos: the variety of restaurants and shops. The specific one that we sought was a burger place that we remembered from last time. After making the first pass to see what was available, we stopped at a burger place that was open. We hoped that it was as good as the one that we visited before.

As we sat down to look at the menu, we realized that El Jefe Burger Shack & Mojito Factory was the exact same place as before! My wife and I both had stuffed burgers, while our son had a cheeseburger. Since we were near the beach, my wife and I needed to have appropriate drinks: my wife a pineapple mojito and I had a mojito, since we were at the mojito factory.

We sat at a table near the rear that had some additional outdoor seating. Not too far from us, I noticed that there was a man with a ponytail painting. Also, I happened to notice a small tool box and a modest amount of construction material, but didn’t think anything of them either.

We talked to the man with the ponytail and came to find out that the he was Carlos Vélez Orlando, El Jefe’s owner. He told us about how, when Hurricane Maria came, that his location was the only one that was wiped out. After losing almost everything, he took what scant insurance money that he received and put it back into the restaurant. Despite what happened, he said, “Hey…I’m still here.” This was just like the slogan on his business card, “Keep Calm & Let Carlos Handle It.” Talk about total tenacity that many people can’t even imagine.

Then and Now

I feel, as if countless times on this trip, that we were reminded of how fortunate we are. Also, by returning to Puerto Rico, we were able to reinforce our love for the island. Now that our son is older, he would be able to craft his own memories that would develop his own love for La Isla del Encanto rather relying on our stories.

Besides San Juan, Luquillo was another location that bridged the gap between trips. My wife and I remember what it was like before Hurricane Maria and we saw what it was like afterwards. While it seems that a lot of the areas that we visited have recovered considerably, it is undeniable that there are still lingering effects. Some people and places recovered, while others never did.

I think about people like Carlos at El Jefe Burger Shack and admire them tremendously for their firm determination. They are still there living their lives, even after everything that they experienced. It is in moments of transcending unthinkable odds that people are defined. They are able to discover what they’re made of, see what they can endure and identify how they can rise above.

Truthfully, I have never experienced anything of that magnitude, so the best that I can do is to put myself in their shoes through this piece. My hope is that, when encountering future challenges, I can channel even a small amount of that courage. While I can empathize, even better would be shedding light on the places that I saw, the experiences that I encountered and the people that I was fortunate enough to meet. Most importantly, I can show people how easy it is to go to Puerto Rico and see for themselves the beauty that it has to offer and want to explore it for themselves. These are the ways that I can pay tribute and do justice to these great people and this amazing place.

Photos: Renée Rodriguez Photography