Back to El Yunque
We know we’ve discovered a good spot when the boys wake up asking if we can go back to Carlos’ place. There really isn’t anything else we have left on our must see list, so after some breakfast, we pack up a bag and head back towards El Yunque. Since it’s a weekday, the place is even more deserted than it was the last time around, and after a short hike in from the road (passing a work crew of convicts on their way out, which gets Ang all squirrelly), we find it completely deserted. The rope swing, the calm pools for swimming, and acres of boulders for scrambling, all for us.
We spend about 4 hours in pure tranquility before finally tearing ourselves away to find some cell coverage (who keeps scheduling these conference calls?) and then a late lunch. As with La Mina, our timing is once again perfect, and after spending a huge chunk of the day in complete solitude, we pass not one, but two tour groups heading down the trail to overrun our tiny slice of paradise.
Ultimately, we make our way back to Luquillo Beach, this time not for the food shacks, but to actually check out the beach itself, which our guide book says is one of the best in Puerto Rico. It is an amazing bay with calm water and wide stretches of sand, but sadly, seems poorly maintained as there are plastic bags, empty water bottles, and other pieces of garbage everywhere. Maybe we just picked a particularly bad time – after the weekend horde but before the clean up crews arrive – but from what I see here, the beach in front of the Hilton kicks this one’s butt.
Speaking of our hotel, at the top there is a restaurant called Brother Jimmy’s that serves barbeque. The boys have talked about it pretty much every day since we arrived here, and are fascinated by the all you can eat wings they have on the menu tonight. Nick, in particular, figures he can eat his weight in wings, so why not? It’s a vacation after all and it’s almost over, so we pile in the elevator and head on up.
60 minutes later, we’re riding back down with a full on case of the meat sweats. I wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near the best food we’ve had here (in fact it probably doesn’t make it much beyond average), but I’m all about the value, so once the money is committed, success is measured purely by volume, and I think we held our own there.
On a positive note, there is surprisingly little resistance to laying down and going to sleep. As tomorrow is our last full day, it’s probably all for the best as a good night’s rest should make rallying the troops in the morning a little easier (pre-teen boy aside).