In February 2006, Shelly and I traveled to Puerto Rico.  This was mostly a "relax at the beach" vacation, but we did a few site seeing excursions too.

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We stayed at the Caribe Hilton Hotel near San Juan.  We hung out at the beach and did a few day trips.  Of course, we played a bit of blackjack at the casino too.

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We toured Old San Juan and saw the island's massive fortresses, El Morro and Castillo de San Cristobal.  We walked along Paseo La Princesa, a broad promenade that stretches from near the docks at the foot of the city and leads to the Raíces Fountain.  And we went shopping and browsed the numerous art galleries.  

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We rented a car a visited the El Yunque National Rainforest.  It is one of Puerto Rico’s and the Caribbean’s most precious natural resources…a thick emerald green forest covering 28,000 acres with peaks that rise up to 3000 ft.  We hiked along the stream to the waterfalls and just enjoyed the experience. 

 

After we left, we suddenly felt really hungry.  While in the rainforest, someone had recommended we eat at "Kiosk #2".  He said the food was great.  So we drove a bit and eventually saw a whole row of kiosks.  We found Kiosk #2 (it was named La Parrilla Bar & Grill).  It's entrance was not extraordinary.  We walked in and found a small restaurant with maybe 10 tables.  We were the only customers, and the chef and owner seated us in the very back.  There we had a gorgeous view of the Caribbean Sea.  The chef didn't give us menus, instead asking if we would allow him to prepare us a number of special courses.  We said sure!  And we got an immense sampling of authentic, delicious Puerto Rican dishes.  It was an amazing experience.