There might be Aliens
Driving from San Juan in a rental car to Rincón on the other side of the island felt surreal. After all it was only a mere ten and a half months after hurricane Maria, the worst natural disaster in the islands history. At the same time I had nothing to compare the scenery to. Locals had told me that much of the island was still without power and even water, but I wasn’t prepared for the amount of damage still spread out throughout the countryside. Our voyage kept us on the expressway (route 22 west) along the northern coast of Puerto Rico until it changed to Route 2. Route 2 is more like a business highway. As we drove past communities and businesses it was evident many businesses had bounced back and communities were rebuilding but even almost a year later, the storm damage was still apparent. I could only imagine how bad the devastation must have been immediately after the storm.
I only wanted to make one stop along the way before we made it to Rincón and its famous beaches. As a kid I was fascinated by science and that fascination has never really left me. Some of my best memories were the books I read as a child and young adult. Many had involved fantasy and science fiction. I remember reading Chariots of the Gods when I was maybe ten or eleven years old. It had blown me away. So many light bulbs went off in my head when I read it and although many of my ideas were probably completely incorrect it still felt important to open my mind and consider so many possibilities. For me religion never really made sense but science usually always does. I was that kid in Sunday school that asked all the hard questions that always got the pensive smile and short faith based answer. Even though it was easy to detect the teacher’s impatience with me it never stopped me from asking the questions. My mind was like a sponge back then. These days it sometimes feels more like a brick than a sponge. I think that’s why it’s important for me to write. It adds a little water back into the sponge.
Shortly after we landed on Route 2 we came to our first major town called Arecibo. From there we turned off. I had brought my electronic GPS device with us fearing that some cell towers may still not be operational and our phones mapping system might not work everywhere. I had made sure to download the appropriate maps for Puerto Rico before we left. Our side adventure would take us up into the mountains.
The thirty-minute drive, after we turned off Route 2, took us past some small towns that clearly hadn’t recovered from the hurricane. Homes with no roofs dotted the landscape and downed powerline poles were still visible along the way. I couldn’t imagine being without power for over ten months. It’s worth noting that with everything going on, we still never met one person who wasn’t friendly or helpful during our entire trip.
As we came to the end of our journey the now winding road sharply climbed up in elevation. Once we reached the end of the road, a colorful sign read “Bienvenidos” “Welcome to the William E. Gordon Telescope” and visitors center. After all these years on the planet, I had finally made it to the Observatorio de Arecibo (The Aricibo Observatory). Not only was it the climatic scene of the 1995 James Bond Film “GoldenEye” but it was also written about in so many books and articles over the years. It’s truly one of the most significant scientific accomplishments in mankind’s history. Construction began on the giant radio telescope in 1960 and completed in 1963. It was the largest radio telescope in the world at just over 1000 ft across for over 60 years until China built one in 2016 that’s 1600 ft across. Since 1999 it’s helped scan the universe for SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) in hopes of finding transmissions from intelligent civilizations. At the observatory you’ll find a visitor center that has refreshments and an informative walk through science center that explains some of the important discoveries the observatory has been responsible for. There is also an auditorium that provides a short documentary on the Observatory. Once that’s over they will escort you out to the actual radio telescope where guides provide additional information and answer questions. The scope and the size of the telescope is something to really take in.
I was happy to knock another bucket list item off my list. As for my entourage, they probably just wanted to get to the beach before the sun went down. It’s entirely possible that the science geek in me isn’t for everyone.
ALL PHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
The Tree House
From the observatory we still had about an hour and a half until we reached our final destination. It was easier to head back to route two and follow that toward our AirBnb than take a chance on driving directly west across the mountainous terrain. The mountain crossing would have been a shorter distance but slightly longer time wise. With the storm damage still evident in those areas there were just too many unknowns to risk going off the beaten path. Route 2 still took us along some interesting scenery and through several towns. The drive helped to give us a better feel for the island and the people.
By the time we got to our AirBnb we had had enough of being in the car all day. The directions our AirBnB host sent us were decent and we found it without too much trouble. When we pulled up, large (and small) lizards scurried as if we were interrupting something important. If the home we were staying at suffered any damage from the storm they must have repaired everything before we arrived because no damage stood out that was obvious. The home was a rustic styled tree house built up on stilts. It sat back off the ocean and high up on the hill. Because of its stilt design and expansive deck it offered incredible Caribbean views. The deck was perfect for breakfast. The sounds of the birds every morning while drinking coffee and the clean smell of the air made everyone feel rejuvenated. The ocean was somewhat of a short walk from our tree house but we chose to drive down the first day instead. We wanted to get some food and spend some time on the beach before the sunset. For us, this part of the trip was intended to be all about relaxation. The cost of the AirBnb was $155.00 a night but with cleaning and fees it took it up around $225.00. It wasn’t cheap compared to many other AirBnB’s we’ve stayed at but considering we had our own mountain retreat only about a ¼ mile walk from the Caribbean Sea, it was priceless.
ALL PHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
Sandy Beach and Rincón
We weren’t staying directly in the town of Rincón but instead were just outside of it and north. We’d need to drive to reach the actual town because it wasn’t in walking distance. The beach by where we were staying was called Sandy Beach. The beach was beautiful and incredibly clean. After Maria the Rincón community had struggled. The damage had been extensive and it was simply hard to just find clean water let alone have access to electricity. The community really had pulled together. The affects of Maria were not overtly apparent by the time we had arrived there.
Just off Sandy Beach Angela, her son and I had settled on dinner at a place called Tamboo. The food there was good but nothing fancy. We weren’t really looking for fancy though; we were looking for the view. Tamboo boasts a deck overlooking the Caribbean. We were not going to beat that view and atmosphere. The restaurant wasn’t very busy since tourists were still not really coming back to Puerto Rico yet. The staff was friendly. The bar sat right out on the deck and although we weren’t drinking it would obviously be a great location to hang out for a night by the beach. After the sun finally set we went out in search of some breakfast items. The store shelves appeared to still be struggling in this area. Not enough goods were making it to the stores that needed them. The choices were slim. We kept our wish list simple and mostly down to breakfast items, snacks, water and other drinks. We managed to put enough together.
We eventually got to explore the actual small beach town of Rincón. Again, there wasn’t much damage directly in town that was apparent. The FEMA office was open there but quickly shooed us away when they seen I was attempting to photograph the office. In the town most of the stores were open but the tourists just were just not visiting yet. Angela and I found an unexpected Irish Pub Restaurant there called Finn and Ollie’s Pickle Barrel. The food was quite good but again nothing fancy. Our waiter was from the states and said he really loved it there in Rincón. He was looking forward to things getting fully back to normal. Money was tight with fewer tourists.
After dinner we stretched our legs around the town stopping at one point to grab some great ice cream that we could walk around with. Where the two main roads come together we found an outdoor bar that the locals seemed to be hanging out. It was apparently karaoke night. We hung out long enough to listen to some good singers and laugh at the bad ones. Watching the locals have so much fun when not long ago they were struggling to just find clean water was enough to anyone some gratitude and hope. Clearly the people of Puerto Rico are fighters that take a lot of pride in their communities.
Overall, a known surfers paradise with its clear blue waters and sandy beaches, Rincón is high up on my list of places to visit. Our lodging, the people and the service we received there was first rate. If you feel like just relaxing and being lazy for a week or two or 5 years… Rincón would be a great place to do just that.
ALL PHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
