I woke up early again, and headed to my recurring work spot, one of the hammocks on the front porch, to get as close to inbox zero as I could before we headed off again. Once the girls were awake we swung by Jakes Java again for our morning fill-up and eventually made our way to my favorite beach in Rincon so far. Corcega beach sits just past the downtown area of Rincon down a few side streets lies the most peaceful, serene beach in Rincon. The waves lap gently against the shore and a small wooden swing is suspended between the ocean and a little bog from a tall palm tree. By this point I had almost finished my morning g&t so the liquid courage and soft demeanor of the ocean invited me in, Cece leading the way. I dove, headfirst into the ocean, for the first time in 2 years since the last time I almost died while attempting to swim on a beach that was clearly more for surfing near Cabo. After diving in, the exhilarating rush of being in the ocean and not drowning and/or getting eaten by a sea serpent kept me (literally & figuratively) afloat until it was time to head back to land. Danielle created another epic sand castle (she is after all, the newly annointed sand castle queen).
We headed back while stopping off at Playa Bowls for acai bowls. That night we drank and partied and decorated the house for Ceces birthday, even featuring the “IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY” banner from The Office.
Our last day in Rincon was spent similar to the first few, lounging by the pool, soaking up rays by the ocean and another epic sand castle by Danielle. That night, however, we met up with Peter and watched the sunset from the top of Domes beach. We then headed to La Estacion pub with $1.50 Medallas and the most delicious little taco stand out front. It was early so the taco stand was busier than the pub, but totally worth the wait. The girls fried up our tortillas with cheese on the grill before filling with the most delicious fillings I had tried thus far.
We ended the evening back at the house with more drinks and a rousing game of “keep the balloon off the floor” with some of Ceces leftover birthday decorations. It was actually the perfect ending to the trip, I polished off the bottle of Rioja I had snagged on our grocery store run and slept off the sun.
The next day we drove East back to San Juan and explored old San Juan, it’s brilliantly colored buildings, fun art installations and rum houses for a bit before taking Danielle to the airport. We then headed to a bubble tea spot, followed by empanadas and medallas at Pa’pical, a little spot near the beach before we dropped off the rental car and began our journey home.
I didn’t know what to expect from Puerto Rico but I can tell you at least partially overcoming my fear of the ocean and savoring those warm sandy beaches and tropical water made me feel like maybe, in fact, I might be a beach person.
