Ponce was one place we perched for a few nights. An old, classically Spanish town, where noble buildings still are crumbling whilst streets are being made anew with major government funding, we wandered freely to the beautiful, rather new, elegant and eloquently assembled art museum. The paintings of a guest German artist David Schnell took our breath away. Stunningly skilled in the huge scale use of paints that give the impression of light, depth and architecturally fascinating spaces, he also includes what appear to be towers from concentration camps in many pieces. It was the first art we’d seen in years that engaged our imaginations with in-breath of awe and out-breath of oh. The message I took away was of a new Germany with the past increasingly far behind it in a bright and healthy way. Hope so!
El Junque, the rain forest region lived up to its name. All night sheets of rain alternated with the music of frogs found only in this eco-zone, nine species, each louder than any cricket you ever had in your bunk at camp. Owls punctuated the night too, it was like trying to sleep in New York City your first day back in town, impossibly fascinating just to listen to the soundscape. We were intrigued to learn the rain forest is destroyed by nature on a regular cycle of cyclones for as long as anyone can remember. This causes seeds of short-lived trees to germinate; they provide shade for longer-lived ancient palms and other trees to renew. These latter will gradually provide so much shade that the shorter lived trees will die, and on and on. The colorful snails were 4-6” wide. We didn’t do off trail hikes outside of the formal rain forest area after seeing our host return covered in mud over his waist, he thought we might have some trouble out there in the seasonal and rather junglish climate and terrain. We’re not writing the name of our B&B here in order to avoid lashon har-ah [unethical speech] since all things change. Let’s just say the breakfast was great, but with massive construction scenes underway on the property, the ambiance and personality of the owners were impediments to the manuscript work we have underway on this trip.
We have a food recommendation, eat the regional cuisine from food kiosks and food trucks in Puerto Rico. The “Puerto Rican” food in major city restaurants was a kind of bland bean/plantain scene, not really the Mexican Spanish Americans tend to like. The cuisine in Ponce at the restaurant at the Melia Hotel was particularly memorable - we give it five stars. Our hotel room there (ask for one’s in the older section, they are lovely with high ceilings and romantic courtyard-like overlooks) was lovely - large room, lovely large shower too. First they gave us one that was like a motel room in another wing, bleh - be sure to specifiy.
The kiosk row on the high way near the glorious beaches atLuquillo offer yummy indigenous fast foods – plantain is made into a kind of starch container for meats (if you eat that out), fishes and veggies, there are varieties of these and they are yummy, albeit deep fried. The fish is super fresh in the villages of Puerto Rico and definitely stop in the little fishing villages for just caught meals if you like we, reluctantly do eat food with a face. (I once had a dream that a fox went by driving a jeep, he leaned out the window and pointed at the bumper sticker which read: join the food chain, eat meat. I then wondered if my lack of energy might be resolved by ending 10 yrs as a vegetarian – yes, amazing how my skin and spirit began to improve over three weeks of renewing animal proteins in my diet. Guess I’m an aminal, as my kids used to say, after all, no denying it.)