Puerto Rico

By Wander with Jill

June 30^th, 2020

My urge to travel and explore the world started in 2014. I consider myself a true Sagittarius, who are known to be the adventurous wanderers. I love to get lost in cities and discover different cultures and foods. I travel because it ignites something in me. I have been documenting my travels with storytelling and photography for the past few years which became the catalyst to start this blog. As of now I can say i've been to 32 countries and I want that number to keep growing until the day I die.

Last summer, I decided to take a break from traveling to focus on a new business. I knew I actually had to stay still and be grounded to really focus and get my business going. This was actually one of the hardest things Ive done because I went from traveling about once a month to not going anywhere for 7 months. It was hard on me but it all paid off, and I successfully launched my business in Bushwick, Brooklyn known as The Oracle Shop.

I had done 6 months without traveling out of the country and once the new year came along I had a plan to restart my monthly traveling adventures in 2020. My first trip was set In January to Tulum Mexico which was a great start to my year with two of my best friends. While there I had already began to start planning out the rest of my year of travels with hopes to finally get some new cities and new countries off of my bucket list. I had planned to go to Paris for the first time in March, which eventually I had to cancel because the Covid-19 Pandemic quickly came in and changed the world as we know it. So my traveling break got extended not by choice, but because the world was shut down. Its now been another 5 months since I have been able to fly anywhere out of the US and although Puerto Rico IS considered part of the United States it does not quite feel like it, so once I found out it was open for travel from non - residents I booked my first flight out.

Ive traveled to Puerto Rico about 4 times in the past few years, but never had enough time to truly explore different parts of the Island. Since Im also half puerto rican, I think its important to learn more about my culture. Unfortunately, I do not know anyone from my family who could have ever showed me the island, but I am lucky to have a few friends who have been able to show me around.

Upon arrival at the San Juan airport they make you either take a Covid-19 test OR you have to provide the government officials with a location of where you are staying on the island. Most stores and restaurants/bars are open with the restriction that you must wear a mask and most check your temperature. Most Beaches are also open, but I did happen to get kicked off of One beach by Police officials while there. I saw many people out on the street drinking and playing music from their cars. It looks like things are slowly going back to “normal,” although the previous normal of the world will never really exist anymore..

Here are a few places I got to visit and enjoy while here...

Gozolandia Waterfall

This waterfall has two levels. Upon arrival I had read that the upper falls was usually less crowded so we decided to go there first. The upper path is slightly uphill, mostly built of poured concrete with large platform steps through the jungle.

The trail to the lower falls includes a steep staircase down. We decided to save that for after we checked out the upper falls. The Lower falls was considerably more packed with people just hanging out and swimming. Many people were also cliff jumping from behind the waterfall.

Manantial Tortugero Spring

The pool of this spring is relatively small, but the water is crystal clear. Not big enough for more than a few people to get into it, and it is not as cold as I expected. The water was so clear it had just the slightest blue tinge. It is beautiful, but small and not really somewhere to spend the day, but it is pretty to see.

Charco Prieto Waterfall

Id say the hike to this beautiful waterfall is moderate with lots of climbing. Expect to get your shoes wet as there are many pools along the path. Upon arrival, we ran into a dog that actually led us to the waterfall which was surprisingly a lot bigger then I expected.

La Rambla

One of my friends knows I love exploring abandoned places so she told me about this cool spot to take some photos. This spot known as the Levy Mansion or La Rambla was built in 1932 by engineer and architect Don Francisco Levy González. The original goal was to open it as a hotel and casino, but such plans never came to fruition.

This place was absolutely beautiful and a great choice for a photoshoot.

My time in Puerto Rico was pretty short but very relaxing. There is something truly special about being in nature that really gets my creativity flowing. For anyone who is seeking a place to stay on the island or want to be shown around by locals, Please feel free to message me directly if you need information.

Since traveling out of the country is not much of an option right now for US Citizens, it looks like I will be exploring more domestically as the States begin to open up again. So Im sure ill be back on this beautiful island again soon because there is so much more to see.