When it comes to deciding which place to visit in the world, the first thought that comes to mind are the world’s many beautiful islands. We have Hawaii, The Bahamas, and many more. However, a great gem that people need to visit more often is Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a Caribbean Island with a wonderful culture that blends African and Afro-Caribbean influences.Â
As a Puerto Rican woman, I will be biased and say that Puerto Rico is one of the best places to go visit. There are so many reasons to go visit the island, not just because of the beautiful sites that you can see. People don’t realize all that you can do in Puerto Rico when it comes to exploring the island, learning about the culture, eating traditional foods, celebrating holidays, and even going to carnivals and festivals.Â
When it comes to Puerto Rico, there are so many places to go sightseeing, especially when it comes to nature. Not only does Puerto Rico have many different beaches and tourist areas, it has such amazing rainforests that you can explore, waterfalls that you can swim in, and bays that you can explore by boat. Not to mention all of the Puerto Rican animals you see when visiting these nature spots, like a frog called the coquĂ. The best part of all is when going on tours to explore these places, you can get a full education on the parts of Puerto Rico you are exploring. So, you get to enjoy the beautiful sites while learning about the history of Puerto Rico.
It’s very important to remember that as a Caribbean Island, Puerto Ricans make sure that they cook their food with perfection. Of course, us Puerto Ricans have our own traditional foods like any other place in the world. One well-known dish is pastillos which is described as a deep-fried savory turnover with a thin crispy dough. Pastillos is the Puerto Rican version of an empanada. One traditional food that is underrated has to be pernil. Pernil is a slow-roasted, marinated pork shoulder dish that is from Latin American culture, however, mainly popular amongst Puerto Ricans. In the Latino world, pernil is a symbol of celebration and community, along with showing our cultural identity.
One of the best parts about visiting Puerto Rico is all of the festivals and carnivals that you can go to. In the Caribbean world, it’s a party every day, and us Puerto Ricans sure know how to party. The holidays are definitely the time to visit, if you really want to go to festivals and carnivals. In Puerto Rico, we have a second Christmas called Three Kings Day, which involves having a huge parade and party. You get to hear all of the music, everyone speaking Spanish, enjoy the delicious food, see all of the different cultural dances, and the traditional clothing that people wear, etc. Puerto Ricans are so well-known for parties that even in New York we have a parade and festival that lasts for two days. If Puerto Ricans are able to get two whole days of celebration dedicated to them, imagine how much bigger the celebrations are when you actually visit the island. Â
Take my advice, if you want to take your next vacation and don’t know where to go, Puerto Rico is the best place. So what are you waiting for? Go book your trip to Puerto Rico and see for yourself how wonderful it is.