Puerto Rico on 35mm film
❃ Shot on Kodak Gold 200, Kodak UltraMax 400 & Kodak ColorPlus 200 ❃
I recently embarked on my first solo trip to the beautiful archipelago of Puerto Rico.
My itinerary consisted of three towns and a tropical island: San Juan, Luquillo, Fajardo, and Culebra— so for my geography minded people, think North and the Northeast coast.
This trip was very special to me. Spending my 24th birthday in a foreign yet inviting place was exhilarating, and allowed space for my creativity and curiosity to flourish, something I had not felt in a while. Traveling alone introduced me to a new perspective in life. One where it pushed me to slow down my thoughts and take in moments for what they are rather than rushing to be in my solitude. When you realize everyone is longing for authentic human connection and depth, you come to appreciate interacting with people of such unique backgrounds and life experiences. I formed so many wonderful connections; Luis: a friend of a friend (turned into my partner in crime) who graciously showed me parts of the island and its history, leading me to hidden beaches, popular salsa dancing spots, and top tier seafood. Elisabeth: who spoke with me outside of her home, through my broken spanish, with her 92 year old mother who offered me passionfruit straight from their tree to snack on as I continued my walk. Maya: the once stray dog now taken in by my Airbnb hosts, who accompanied me in my stay in the rainforest, when I started to feel a bit lonely. I never understood the meaning behind “A man’s best friend” until I met her. Johnathan: A kind soul who went out of his way to offer me a ride to a restaurant when there were no Ubers around, only to find out he would be my horseback riding instructor the following day! No matter how minute or significant an interaction was, I will never forgot how much kindness was felt on this trip.
Day 1 and 2 started off in Miramar/Old San Juan, cloudy and sprinkling but still nice enough to explore. I was giddy to take my new film camera out for a go. There’s so much life and color everywhere you turn and it made me happy to be surrounded by such character. Miramar is a neighborhood with many Spanish-style homes (one of my favorite types of architecture) so I made sure to take in my sights there… and pet some kitties on the way.
Forewarning: There are a lot of cat pictures, scroll as you wish ;)
Wrought iron detailing, rounded arches, porch columns and bright colors are just a few characteristics that speak to the stunning Spanish style. I love the use of tropical plants here to make it feel like an oasis.
Now I’m not 100% sure when this building was built but it gives me 60’s Retro Futurism. Let me know what you think!
Old San Juan is a place where you can just lose hours in the day. I loved exploring this romantic, charming city. There’s so much to see — cats (biased or not they’re irresistibly cute), the old blue cobblestones called adoquines, the array of colorful bright buildings with their decorated balconies, the traditional callejóns (alleyways), street musicians— and all just a walk away to some incredible historical landmarks. As someone who does not live in a walkable city and dreams of one day being able to, it was a breath of fresh air to finally ditch the confines of a car. Not knowing where the next street would take me was actually the fun part of it (wouldn’t recommend that mindset everywhere but I felt incredibly safe here).One place to the other led me to The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery, a one of a kind sight. I actually didn’t realize it was a place of rest as I was so mesmerized by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crashing in the background. How fascinating is it to stumble upon a piece of history dating back to early 1863. The cemetery is bordered by Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro), one of two forts built on the islet in 1539 for military functions and La Perla, one of the oldest neighborhoods on the island, established in the 18th century. Families actually lay out, fly kites and enjoy picnics on the grounds of El Morro, which I find heartwarming. Taking a moment to sit, I found myself enchanted by the laughter around me, the gentleness of the ocean breeze and the enjoyment of the simple things in life.
I was a bit shutter happy and ended up shooting 7 rolls of film even though I initially only came with 2 :P On day 2, the film rewind lever on my manual camera got caught on my bag, unknowingly opening up the back of my camera. I was devastated, mainly because this was my first time using this particular film stock (Kodak ColorPlus 200) and I was excited to finally test the wonders of it. Film is highly sensitive to light, so any exposure, even 1/30 of a second could completely wipe out the negative. The only thing I could do was roll the rest of the film into the canister, shoot on my point and shoot camera and pray there was film being sold in stores. Luckily (I mean a bit TOO lucky) I was able to find rolls of Kodak UltraMax 400 so my adventures of picture capturing continued!
One (of many) things I loved about my time on the island was the presence of salsa music playing almost everywhere— on the streets, in cafes, from houses. I picked up so many new songs to add to my library. I found a love for Latin & Afro-Cuban music through its liveliness, danceability, and unique use of instruments. Even after returning back home, I found myself gravitating towards this music, to remind me of my amazing time, plus add a bit of spice to daily life. I’m thinking of creating another blog post on the music I discovered/listened to while there, so if that is of interest, comment below :)
Day 3 was when I made it to Sabana, Luquillo. To my sweet surprise, I was greeted upon by THE cutest barn cat. She jumped on the windowsill while I situated myself in the shack and hung out with me for the remainder of the afternoon. Now that I think about it… I never caught her name (if she even had one) but I was blessed to have her calming presence around since I was missing my own cat. The views from the shack were absolutely incredible. I couldn’t believe how immersed into the rainforest I had become and took the time to explore in the few hours of daylight I had left. By nightfall, feelings of uneasiness started to creep into my mind. It was pitch black (there was only a limited amount of dim string lights inside) and the thought of being alone became daunting, as there was barely any signal or nearby establishments. The feeling soon dissipated when I began a meditation and slowly became one with the sounds of the rainforest. The buzzing of insects, the Coquí— a species of frog native to PR, making its cute (in my opinion, maybe not to others haha) signature sound, the rustling of the trees coupled with a steady flow of rain had me quickly drifting off to a peaceful and comforting slumber.
I woke up to torrential downpour on my birthday; A sense of gratitude and contentment poured inside me for waking up on this day. I figured my whole day would be inside, enjoying the comfortable sound of the rain and entertaining myself in ways of yoga or reading. As beautiful as the rain was, I could only wish for the sun to kiss my skin and wrap me in its warmth. The universe had a plan for me as the sun started to peak its way through mid afternoon. I was elated and decided to spend the rest of this magical day connecting to my roots, so I hiked a trail right by the shack. Pineapples lined the path, banana trees flowered below a cluster of unripe bananas and plants I’d never seen displayed their striking color combinations. Did ya’ll know pineapples actually grow pink and with natural enzymes they turn yellow? All the pineapples I encountered were this bright fuchsia pink and certainly made me wonder if I was seeing things right. If you haven’t seen a banana tree flower, I suggest looking up a picture of one. For starters the flower is enormous, and a deep rich purple. Packed with nutrients such as fiber and antioxidants, it’s commonly cooked in savory dishes, steeped in water to make tea and used as supplements! Nature continues to captivate me with the surprises and wonder of its beauty and human uses. As I began venturing out into the neighborhood Maya, appeared out of no where, running to join me. We explored in this childlike wonder, bonding in the discoveries of this vibrant island.
Upon further research, I discovered this tree is called a Breadfruit! It produces starchy fruits, that when roasted in fire resemble freshly baked bread in texture and aroma.
There’s no better way to start a new day than with a relaxing yoga flow in front of beautiful views of the mountains, blissful wind and birds chirping. I was actually able to position myself in the Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One Legged Wheel) pose I’d been practicing for a few months which I was ecstatic about. That release of dopamine set the tone for the day so I was ready for anything.
I didn’t have a rental car and Ubers were pretty inconsistent in the area but my friendly Airbnb host drove me to Hacienda Carabali where I’d be horseback riding for the day. I’ve only gone horseback riding once before in North Carolina, about 10 years ago so I was eager to try again. I was paired with a beautiful white horse named Bebe and soon the group tour was off. It was so serene riding through El Yunque National Forest, with open fields of cows grazing, lush flora, birds singing and the sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze. Bebe started to trot at one point, which for a novice is pretty entertaining. I found it so cute that a black lab accompanied us on our ride, splashing through the mud, with his tongue hanging out and in that moment, I truly felt a rush of what I wanted my future to look like.
After my horseback riding adventure, Luis picked me up to head to Fajardo. I had yet to have a beach day so we knew our next plan for the day. Seven Seas Beach was a classic. A perk of being friends with a local means being led to hidden beaches, but of course not without some rocky terrain that nearly had me twisting an ankle. What I was to come across, was a tranquil beach day, filled with groovy music, good reads, sweet passionfruit and a fantastic sunset.
View of my Airbnb in Fajardo on Medusa St.
I took an early ferry to Culebra on my 6th day and spent most of the morning strolling around the quaint town. Eventually (after a 45 minute walk, probably turned into more than an hour after pausing for pictures) I found myself at Flamenco Beach. Walking up, I was just stunned by how postcard-esque it was. The energy was so blissful and the water was crystal clear and perfectly turquoise. If you know me, you know I can be at the beach ALL day, normally 8+ hours but this time I only stayed about 3 hours as the sun was scorching and there wasn’t a drop of shade available. My “European” ways (towel, book, hat & sunscreen) of going to the beach was no match for the strength of the sun here. Honestly, this just showed that it’s time for me to invest in a travel size umbrella. I caught a quick taxi back to the main land, grabbed some much needed food and a piña colada and waited for the ferry back.
I highly recommend taking the ferry back to the main island around sunset time. This was my view.
Nearing the end of my trip, I grew nostalgic for a place I hadn’t even left yet. I was going to miss the culture, the everlasting salsa music playing in the streets, the traditional food, island time (aka piña coladas at 11am & an easy going attitude) and the connectiveness felt between the charismatic Puerto Rican people.
I couldn’t have thought of a better place to not only have a solo trip, but spend another solar return. Muchas gracias Puerto Rico for the love, for the light, and for the adventure. Volveré pronto.
Ciao for now!
xx,
Alexis ( ˘ ³˘)♥
p.s. Leave a comment below if you got this far, mwah!
