My limited knowledge of the history of Puerto Rico, an island located in the Caribbean, had left me convinced that it was worth visiting.
Christopher Columbus, the explorer, had discovered it during his second voyage on November 19, 1493 when the Taino people inhabited it. Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista after St. John the Baptist. He named the capital city Cuidad de Puerto Rico or Rich Port City. Over time, the island and the capital switched names.
Our flight to Washington, DC landed on time, but the flight to San Juan developed a mechanical problem during take-off and was cancelled. In two hours, we were bound on another plane to San Juan.
By the time we landed, it had gotten dark, and we rented a car and started driving to the hotel. The traffic was chaotic, with people changing lanes at will and driving at different speeds. It felt so very different from what I was used to. This was a reminder that I was in a territory of the United States and not in a state. To add to the confusion, the road changed its name without any warning. We were jet lagged, tired, and now lost. Just when I was beginning to lose hope of getting any sleep that night, the hotel appeared in front of us. We checked in and ate a light supper before retiring for the evening.
By the time we landed, it had gotten dark and we rented a car and started driving to the hotel. The traffic was chaotic, with people changing lanes at will and driving at different speeds. It felt so very different from what I was used to. This was a reminder that I was in a territory of the United States and not in a state
As the sun came out in the morning, it lit up all the historical buildings around the hotel. The architecture was Spanish mixed in with Moorish overlays. We ventured out after breakfast and admired the tropical foliage and the azure waters glistening in the sunlight. Our first destination was the Castillo de San Cristobal, a walled and heavily fortified citadel, the largest of the forts built in the Americas by the Spanish. It had a rich history. The sign said it had taken two decades to build once construction began in 1765. The famous English sailor, Sir Francis Drake, had attacked San Juan with his fleet in the Battle of San Juan in 1595 but failed to take it.
The views of the Caribbean Sea from the citadel were expansive, and the fort housed an impressive array of guns and turrets. We did not have time to check out the other citadel in San Juan. The Castillo San Felipe del Morro was built in honour of King Philip II of Spain and lies on the north western-most point of the islet of Old San Juan. The fortification is sometimes simply called el Morro or The Promontory and was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay.
We walked over to one of the many eateries in Viejo (old) San Juan partly to escape the hot and humid weather and partly to feed our hunger pangs. A colleague from Colombia had recommended gazpacho soup, plantains (fried bananas), and Pina Colada. We indulged in all three. Later, we spotted a sign advertising tours of the US Virgin Islands, and the island of St. Thomas in particular was highly recommended. We found a travel agent and got her to book a two-day trip for us.
A British Airways Concorde was parked at the airport when we arrived in the morning. Our plane was going to be a much more modest propeller-engine “Twin Otter.” It seated 19 passengers and a crew of two, and we had a clear view of the cockpit from the cabin. We felt the vibrations as the propellers began to spin. The take-off was very quick and so was the landing. We took a taxi to Frenchman’s Cove. The road into the resort complex was lined with Bougainvillea vines and Poinciana trees. The colours provided a strong contrast to the blue waters of the sea.
We rented a Jeep to explore St. Thomas. As we came out of the resort, I noticed a car was coming toward me. After a brief moment of confusion, I realised that in the Virgin Islands, they drive on the British side of the road. I quickly corrected myself and avoided the otherwise imminent collision. The expression in the eyes of the other driver was precious as he went past me.
We drove to the port area known as Charlotte Amalie. There were limitless shopping opportunities there and equally limitless shoppers who were coming from the big cruise ships that were docked in the harbour. The shops were filled with expensive jewellery, clothing etc.
Blackbeard’s Castle, named after the infamous pirate was a little farther away. It is one of five national historic landmarks on the islands. The Danes and Norwegians built it as a watchtower in 1679 to protect the harbour and Fort Christian. We spent the next day walking on the two most famous beaches on the island, Trunk Bay and Magens Bay. The following day we toured the harbour in a large sailboat.
The smallest of the three US Virgin Islands is St. John, sometimes known as the Beverly Hills of the Caribbean. We went there on a ferry and rented a Suzuki SUV to tour the island. We discovered that the National park occupies half the island. Its forests shelter a variety of birds, including cuckoos, warbles and hummingbirds, and it has mangroves, which support corals and anemones. Dolphins, hawksbill and green turtles inhabit the island’s waters. The experience of walking on the sands of Cannel Bay was beyond any possible comparison. Later, we drove up to have lunch at the Rosewood Resort, which was located on a hill. The food was great, and the views of the foliage and the waters even better.
I would return to the Caribbean a few years later to visit the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. Later I would fall in love with the islands of Hawaii. But there was something unique about the Caribbean. It went beyond the tropical rainforest climate, the architecture, the cuisine and the people. Was it the hypnotic voice of Bob Marley?
The writer can be reached at [email protected]. He Tweets at @AhmadFaruqui