supercaleroman

Many of us miss the charm of being in Latin America but can’t afford to really go back to our mother lands. Well…$800 will buy you a great time in Puerto Rico.

If you are in San Juan, I recommend staying at El Covento; a 300 year old carmelite convent in the heart of Viejo San Juan. From there you can walk anywhere you want around there, eat, shop. Don’t eat at the hotel (very pricy); rather, walk around the block and you’ll find plenty of good food at reasonable prices. Also, make it a priority to try coquito (it has replaced eggnog as the winter drink, he he) and bring back a few bottles of Don Q (the local rum; Bacardi sucks).

Ask for a guided tour of Viejo San Juan. My favorite guide was a guy that El Convento hooked me up with: it was a walking tour of the area, thousands of times better than a van, and worth every penny (I think it was $45 for 2-3 hours).

Remember that when you travel, your attitude stays at home.

There’s just something about a vallenato…it’s most likely a true story about a guy who lost a girl and wants her back, but damn, the rhythm, the sounds.

Most importantly, if I learned how to play vallenato, I’d take a bit of Colombia with me wherever I go