This will be the last post about our Puerto Rico vacation. With it, I share a few more photos from our trip.

Enjoy.

***All pictures taken by Justin Edwards.***

Our week in Puerto Rico consisted of sightseeing, some family time, and a lot of driving back and forth from one spot to another. But, we had a great time and the kids were wonderful. Considering we were dragging them around with no regard for their normal routines and schedules, they behaved really well.

And my daughter? She’s the awesomest explorer ever. She was a real trooper and was up for all our “adventures,” as she called them. She was like our own little Dora and even made up her own song as we hiked in El Yunque.

So, what did we see and visit? It was a mix of must-see tourist spots, some nostalgic visits to towns dear to my family, and a couple of new places we’d never visited.

Places to Visit in Puerto Rico

West Coast of Puerto Rico

We took a little ride up the west coast from the southwest corner where we stayed in Cabo Rojo, up to the northwest corner and into Isabela. Along the way, we made a few stops.

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse & Cliffs

Rincon Lighthouse

Aguadilla

This is the birthplace of my parents and where they grew up. We had to visit with them and hear the stories of “I used to play there” and “If you look up that mountain, our house used to be up there.” Highlights in Aguadilla include:

• Crash Boat Beach – Where it was way too busy both times we passed by for us to find parking and actually stop. I did get a shot of the sign before we left though.
  
• Parque de Colón
  
• El Parterre
• La Plaza

Isabela

We only made one stop in Isabela as we passed through. And that was to take a picture of the Taíno face sculpture on the side of the road.

La Parguera Bioluminescent Bay

This was a first for us and we took the boat ride at night to see the bio bay. Somewhere in this water there are sparkles.

Visits On the Western Half of the Island

Moving more inland, we made sure to make our way to these landmarks.

Cavernas de Camuy

Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana in Utuado

Lago Dos Bocas

Mountain Scenic Route

East Side of Puerto Rico

Of course, we made our way back towards the east side of the island.

El Yunque – Caribbean National Rain Forest

La Coca Falls

La Mina Falls

Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan)

Amazingly, we did not get many pictures as we walked through San Juan. Probably because we had lots of us to keep track of, including small children, and the streets are narrow and were crowded. It was pretty hard to do anything but just walk. We did get this shot of what I think is a house (can’t remember).

Parque de las Palomas (Pigeon Park)

That's me fearing for my life trying to feed the pigeons.

El Morro

Levittown

After visiting the birthplace of my parents, I made everyone take a drive through the neighborhood where I lived for the first 8 years of my life. I was able to show my husband the house where we lived, though it and the neighborhood looked very different. And with all the excitement over seeing my old house, friends’ houses, and even my old school, I did not take any pictures.

***All pictures taken by Justin Edwards or Melanie Edwards.***

Want to visit Puerto Rico? Check out the guide on UpTake, with information on lodging, things to do, and more.

There are some very essential ingredients when it comes to cooking Puerto Rican food. They make up what’s called sofrito.

Now…the term sofrito is used a bit interchangeably because it refers to both the overall mixture of these ingredients as well as a specific item.

Either way, we use sofrito (the overall mixture) for just about everything we cook. It’s used in yellow rice, beans, stews, soups, and pretty much anything that is cooked in a sauce.

It’s a staple.

5 Ingredients for Cooking Puerto Rican Style

Sofrito or Recaito

Like I said, sofrito can also be a specific item. Many people make their own sofrito by blending various peppers and herbs in a food processor. However, us modern mamis buy the bottled or frozen version. Goya sofrito comes in both. At least in the supermarket.

Sometimes I buy recaito instead of sofrito. It’s basically the same thing and many of the ingredients overlap. They serve the same purpose. Again, Goya recaito comes both in a bottle and frozen.

Sazon

Sazon is a blend of different seasonings and spices and also has achiote in it. Achiote (or annatto) is what gives our food the orange-y color. Sometimes half a packet is all you need.

Adobo

Adobo replaces the salt and pepper combo in a Puerto Rican kitchen. We do not season our meats with salt and pepper. Instead, we use adobo. And, please for the love of all that is right, DO season BOTH sides of the meat. I can’t for the life of me understand why you would want to eat meat that tastes good on one side only.

Tomato Sauce & Tomato Paste

Tomato sauce adds some more coloring and gives a great flavoring to the gravy/sauce. It also helps to give texture, along with…

Tomato paste goes right along with tomato sauce. You can’t really have one without the other (which is why together they count as one item). The tomato paste definitely adds a thicker consistency to the sauce.

Green Olives

I was told by a former co-worker once that she loves to eat olives, but would have never thought to cook with them. Just a couple of olives in the rice or beans adds a great flavor.

And there you have it. Five ingredients that are used in everyday Puerto Rican cooking and make-up our base seasoning for nearly all dishes.

*Please note that you don’t have to get Goya; there are other brands out there. I just couldn’t find them to showcase.*

Have you ever had or cooked any Puerto Rican dishes? Which are your favorite(s)?

P.S. Don’t forget today is also Family Eden Wednesday! Help me figure out how to use my slow cooker!

All images from Amazon.com.