A drive with my brother-in-law (*Unedited* video)

*PULLING OVER*
Love pulling over to the side of the road to see what people are selling. They were selling local honey and homemade sauces, elixirs and home cooking syrups, all from his land. Stopping like this allows you to speak to and meet people, try new foods, support a local, and enjoy a unique and very usable gift. (Always carry cash for transactions like this)

*PORK HIGHWAY* (Guavaté, Cayey)
Hungry, and indecisive on where to go, Although a Saturday, (a great time to go to Piñones for fried *everything* 😂), I asked instead to go to Guvaté.

Guavaté in the municipality of Cayey which is only 45 min from San Juan/Condado area. Also known as ‘Pork Highway’, this area is literally lined, (right off the exit) with outdoor, cafeteria style restaurants, all specializing in roasting Lechón (Whole roasted pig) with the staples of traditional Criollo dishes from our culture.

 The food is unreal, so good. It reminds me how far away Puerto Rican food has changed in the states from how it used to be. It all looks the same, but it isn't. A sad but inevitable advent of change and fusion.

In the video, I’m having Morcilla (Blood sausage- it’s best not to think about how it’s made 😂) YUM ♥️ and I even gave it a go with ’Cuajito’, pig stomach and ears 🐷. I don’t ever do cow tongue and pigs feet which is popular with chickpeas, so stomach and ears has been on the “No” list as well, but it was good! You just have to stop thinking about what it is. LOL!

Note:
Not all Lechóneras are equal. Generally you can’t go wrong by going to one where it’s crowded, but there are some doing a better job than the others. A bit of research can pay off.

*DRIVING*
We were lost, he was lost 👀😆. To me, it was nice to not have the GPS on, just driving, turning at will. Because in the end, go in any direction 1-3 hours away, you’ll hit the ocean and a major route.. so, enjoy the ride.

Great twists and turns on the road. You see the homes, the communities, and the forest, overgrown, and mangled.

You’ll also see the damage, still from the storms. Trees torn from their base, and the municipals still fixing from the landslides on the roads, carving more distance from the mountains to help create safer dynamic.

- You’ll see how friendly people are, waving gestures of “hello” just from driving past them.

- You’ll see the volcanic made mountains, souring steep, jagged- and thick with vegetation. everywhere, green.

Hopefully you’ll catch the modest white home that’s also a radio station, perched on top of the road, and a ledge. Its view is overlooking a massive vista of tall mountains flanking right and left, with a valley bellow, carved between then… the entire ocean lays just across, blue. Incredibl!

*COQUITO LIMBER*
(That’s right Coquito LIMBER 🙌🏽🙌🏽)
A person can’t come to PR without eating something sweet, ESPECIALLY during the holidays.

We randomly pulled over to check-out a local bakery. Didn’t know anything about it, nothing to Google or Yelp. Turned out incredible!! We ate a really good Tornillo with the right level of flakiness and sweet vanilla cream. THEN!!! We had Coquito Limber!! Ohhhh man! YUM! Traditionally it’s a coconut ice cream that’s between an icee and ice cream, always sold in a plastic cup. So so good.

*THE SHORE*
Rounding out into the southern part of the island, the waves are calm, much more than the north where I’m at. The palms, the cliffs, and the ocean, beautiful. Really incredible ride with the best company ❤️

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