09/01/2024
Here is an article written by a recent guest at Casa Pura Vida Aguadilla.
Topsail Post and Voice
Vacacion
Puerto Rico was calling, and so I went. Although hastily planned within a span of three weeks, my family and I landed in the energetic city of San Juan, Puerto Rico a few weeks ago for an eight-day post-Christmas vacacion. I wanted to tuck this beautiful island in my back pocket-a secret only mine to keep. Although my international travels are quite limited, it’s hard to imagine a more idyllic and authentic place on Earth.
The sights and contrasts boggled my already over-stimulated mind as our daily road trips provided as much enjoyment as the destinations themselves. Brightly colored homes with Spanish influences stood in stark contrast with the clean, geometric lines which suggested a mid-century modern feel. The lush landscape displayed layers of monstera, palm and banana leaves. Standing on the flat expanse of Jobos beach in Isabela, located in the northwest part of Puerto Rico, I marveled at the mountainous landscape which seemed to rise dramatically from the large fields housing cows (not the friendliest) and horses. The town of Isabela is home to popular surfing and wading beaches, as well as the Aymamon Mountains, where mansions sit precariously atop these towering formations.
Bits of geological history were tucked among new construction and served as a visual contest between the gifts of the past and the push for economic growth and change. Caves carved into stoney cliffs displayed trilobite fossils-extinct marine arthropods that predated dinosaurs.
A slight pang of guilt came over me as I considered myself an interloper, with no rights to share in the offerings of this beautiful island and the people who call it home. Of course, these feelings didn’t stop my leaving with bags of sea glass, but I gladly picked up trash as a give back. Except for the largest iguanas I’ve ever seen, I kept hands to self when exploring the many tide pools formed along the reef. The urge to form relationships with the local iguanas, however, was too difficult to resist, although they didn’t share my enthusiasm for soft petting. I quickly discovered that, despite their heavy, thick appearances, iguanas are quite fast. Disappointments aside, I appreciated their grace in allowing me to share their spaces.
Following each day’s adventures, my family and I would make our way home to the Ramey neighborhood in Aguadilla, a town on the northwest side of Puerto Rico. Aguadilla is home to 32 beaches, more than any other town in Puerto Rico, many of which are considered the best surf breaks on the island. Although traveling to some of these beaches involved driving through densely forested areas and rutted dirt roads, the scenery added to their rustic charms and my rarely tapped sense of adventure. Beaches such as Wilderness, Ruins, Crash Boat, and Surfer’s Beach delivered consistent surf, even on calmer days.
Our villa, Casa Pura Vida, was tucked at the end of a narrow street lined with charming, colorful homes situated closely together. Overlooking Survival Beach from a cliff, the gorgeous gardens filled with native plants and trees felt like a tiny slice of Heaven. We wanted for nothing as Casa Pura Vida’s owner, Jill, ironically a North Carolina neighbor who lives only an hour from here, made us feel so welcome. I briefly pondered the consequences of staying behind and hiding when the cleaning crew visited, extending my stay indefinitely until I was nabbed by the Puerto Rican authorities. However, I chose to stay out of Puerto Rican jail and in Jill’s good graces so that we can visit again.
There seems to be a genuine, joyful countenance among the locals, with an atmosphere of friendliness not simply conjured for the tourists. While our eight-day trip was not nearly long enough, the time spent in this beautiful place with such kind people was a much-needed reminder that life is good when we dwell on the blessings. Happiness should be a state of being rather than an endgame, and we each have a duty to confer it more often than it’s received. During the rough times which seem to be my constant companion as of late, I’ll mix myself a large Pina Colada, close my eyes and imagine myself and Ricardo (the iguana not the man) under a Puerto Rican palm tree without a care in the world.
