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Speaking of cowboys, I got a little taste of Texas at the Wild West restaurant The Ranch, situated on top of the high-rise Wyndham El San Juan Hotel & Casino in San Juan’s Isla Verde area — a marvelously beautiful, world-class hotel. The Caribbean’s first Country-Western bar and restaurant, The Ranch gives the feeling of being on the Texas/Mexico border in a time warp — not knowing if it’s1890 or 2090.
Under a barn-shaped canopy, Western-clad cowgirls/waitresses swing overhead in their gingham and checks and boots. Every so often, pardner, the entire wait staff (and anyone caught accidentally) would perform an amazing C&W-choreographed line dance and stomp. In one corner, you can ride the mechanical bull. In an open-air area, I played a few games of (rubber) horseshoes in sand pits with the hotel manager. This is one hell of a place to get rattlesnake and sarsaparilla, but it’s yours for the askin’. Buen provecho, y’all. My favorite hanging-out experience was at Pamela’s Caribbean Cuisine in the beautiful San Juan’s Ocean Park area. Pamela’s is a restaurant downstairs and a rental suite upstairs located right on the beautiful Ocean Park Beach. This was the quintessential beach with coconut palms, soft white sand, and amazingly blue waters. Inside the glassed-in dining area, we sat amongst wonderful floral displays with a open view of the beach and ocean. The rental accommodations were very clean and simple and made one feel at home. Did I mention the food there? This was clearly the best I could hope to find on the island. The chef then visited our table and received applause! The excellent and varied salads and entrees were followed by world-class deserts and specialty coffee drinks made with premium Puerto Rican coffee. I simply didn’t want to leave. Besides my own beautiful experiences, Puerto Rico also offers many sport/recreation opportunities: surfing at world-famous Rincón Beach; wilderness camping; caving; diving and snorkeling; rock climbing; wind surfing; sailing; kayaking; caving; hiking and more. Known as the Island of Enchantment, it is full of beautiful mountains, rainforests, coral reefs, emerald blue waters, cliffs and caves, offshore islands, mangrove-covered cayes, wildlife refuges, sugar-sand beaches on 300 miles of coastline which face both the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, 50 rivers, and numerous waterfalls. Located just east of Hispaniola, 1,050 miles southeast of Miami, and 550 miles north of Caracas, Puerto Rico is the smallest and easternmost of the four major islands in the Greater Antilles. Two miles north into the Atlantic, the sea floor drops 600 feet. Further north by 45 miles is the Puerto Rico Trench where the continental shelf plunges 28,000 feet. There are also two bioluminescent bays, one on the southwest coast near La Parguera, and the other at Mosquito Bay off the coast of the small island Vieques. On a moonless night in these bays, you can swim among the large colonies of dinoflagellates and watch them light up like fireflies when any type of movement occurs — creating a natural phosphorescent phenomenon. A wonderful island paradise, Puerto Rico actually feels more like a part of the United States than I ever imagined. There is an overwhelming sense of pride, intelligence, friendliness, and heritage everywhere I travelled. Though it is perhaps the most popular destination in the Caribbean, it is not covered with tourists — just culture and history. On my final day, I took a walking tour of Old San Juan and toured the back streets and older buildings. I was completely taken with the feeling of being in a European city — all of the signage is in a foreign language, the street names are marked (sometimes beautifully painted) on the buildings as they are in Europe, the passages are all narrow, and plazas and walkways are lined with statues and vibrant flowers. Until next time, if you don’t see me, just send my mail to Pamela’s. This article was produced for publication in March 2005. Travel details may have altered since then. Check with your travel agent or destination prior to booking any trip. puerto rico tourist company www.prtourism.com |
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