By Lucy Ward

El Yunque National Rainforest.

The river water below the rock I’m standing on flows swiftly, ready to cool me off after a long, muddy hike on a hot, humid day. I watch as my sister Sarah Ward (‘24) disappears into the cold water. Then it’s my turn. I walk on the edge of a rock about six feet above the water and jump.

Over winter break, my family had the privilege of traveling to Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Rainforest. We began our journey in El Yunque with a lengthy walk on a mud-covered trail. I had brought my brand new tennis shoes on this trip, unaware that I would be ruining them for the sake of adventure. After the hike, we eventually arrived at a river in the forest packed with people waiting their turn to hop in, along with a line of people waiting to go on a natural water slide. Further down the river, rocks lined the edge of the river, providing the perfect place to jump in. This was a Puerto Rican paradise.

Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean and a territory of the United States. Before being a territory of the United States, it was a territory of Spain. Because of this, there are many Spanish influences and buildings left over from the Spanish reign, including forts built by the Spanish. One of these forts is El Castillo San Filipe del Morro, also known as El Morro.

El Castillo San Filipe del Morro.

El Morro, located on the outskirts of Old San Juan, the capital, was built in 1539, but it took about 250 years to fully finish its construction. It was the second fort built on the island and has been used in many wars, both by Spain and the United States. This fort points north toward the Caribbean Sea, which allowed Spain to protect the island from invasion. However, after the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a United States territory in 1898, and El Morro was used in the First and Second World Wars. In the late 20th century, El Morro became a National Landmark and is now visited by over 2 million people each year.

Despite it being the end of December when we visited, El Morro warmed up throughout the day, reaching about 85° Fahrenheit. My family walked around for about an hour, going through all of the levels and seeing all of the nooks and crannies that soldiers had previously fought in. For a day at El Morro, comfortable shoes are recommended, and fans are set up in the entranceway to allow visitors to stop by on their walk to cool off.

A street in Old San Juan.

El Morro is not the only place where Spanish influence is present. The city of Old San Juan has many rows of colorful buildings and blue cobblestone streets. The blue cobblestone was originally brought on Spanish ships to help even out the weight of the boats during the lengthy trip from Spain. They were then used to build the streets of Old San Juan. Since then, many of the streets have been redone, but a replication of the original stone has been used in the renovation to preserve the historical design of the city. Old San Juan is very lively and during the day, there are countless people walking the streets, popping in and out of stores, or sitting in cafes to drink a cup of coffee.

Puerto Rico is also known for its food, including the local specialty: mofongo. A mofongo is a mash of plantains in the shape of an upside-down bowl, typically served with some form of protein, such as shrimp or pork. The mofongo is traditionally made with green plantains for a more savory and salty flavor; however, the mofongo can also be made with ripe plantains for a sweeter flavor, or yuca, which has a similar flavor to the green plantains. 

A pork mofongo made with ripe plantains from Orozco’s.

We visited Orozco’s Restaurant in Condado, a district in San Juan. This restaurant, which opened in 2004, is known for its famous mofongos and has appeared on the food TV series Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The mofongos were served covered in butter and were perfectly warm. The shrimp mofongo was delicious, but the star of the show was the pork mofongo. The soft pork paired well with the sweet flavor of the ripe plantain mofongo. There is a reason these mofongos are so famous. 

Along with Orozco’s, I ate at El Refrán, another restaurant in Condado. There, I had queso frito, croquetas de jamón, and empanadas de camarones. Queso frito is fried cheese served with guava sauce. The savory flavor of the cheese, along with the sweetness from the guava sauce, made for a delicious appetizer.

Tapas from El Refrán.

Croquetas de jamón are ham croquettes, a traditional Spanish tapa that is popular in Puerto Rico. They were fried on the outside and soft on the inside, without being mushy. Lastly, empanadas de camarones are shrimp empanadas, which are fried pastries in a semicircle shape filled with shrimp. These empanadas come out steaming hot, but the butter-garlic flavor from the shrimp inside, along with the fried dough on the outside, tasted like heaven.

Puerto Rico has a vibrant culture that shines through with their architecture, food, and the preservation of nature, evident in places such as the beaches and forests. In just four short days, I created many memories in Puerto Rico that will keep me wanting to go back to explore what I might have missed the first time.

All photos by Lucy Ward.