Ponce "The Pearl of the South"

I took my first road trip today and headed to Ponce, the seconded largest city in Puerto Rico. They have a bit of a rivalry with San Juan. In Ponce they say "Ponce es Ponce" meaning Ponce is Ponce the rest of Puerto Rico could be a parking lot for all they care.

The drive was beautiful. I took the main interstate through the central region of the island. The foliage and terrain throughout the drive was amazing to see. Sugar cane fields and bright green rolling hills all meeting at the Caribbean Sea.

I wound my way through the hills of Ponce to arrive first at La Cruceta del Vigia. This is a huge cross that overlooks the town and the sea. Originally a hut was built here and then a cross tree where watch guards would raise flags to send alerts if ships were entering into the proximity of their port. In the 1980s the cross was resurrected and made into an observatory. The views were great however I think I got a little sick from the heights. I didn't stay at the observatory very long before descending down to solid ground.

From there I headed off to Castillo Serralles. This "castle" was the home of Don Juan Serralles and his family. The Serralles family own the distillery that produces Don Q rum. They also helped revolutionize the sugar cane industry in Ponce. Many of their practices were adopted across the island and are still used today. The home was amazing. There were several rooms with original furniture and the views were awesome from the terraces. Unfortunately during the tour they would not allow us to take pictures until we got to the terrace were part of a Disney movie called "Princess Protection" was filmed. Apparently I'm hip for visiting this location and didn't even know it. Part of me wonders if I'm going to have to check out the movie now just to say "I've been there!"

After spending two and a half hours at Castillo Serralles I finally found Las Delicias Plaza (Plaza of Delights). I toured around the tree lined square and did some people watching. Unfortunately the main cathedral was under construction and I could not go in. It was one of my recommended places to see in Ponce. I did however get to see Parque de Bombas; although with this paint job it's hard to miss. This is one of the most photographed buildings in Puerto Rico aside from El Morro. You can now tour an old fire truck inside and see some of the history. I stopped briefly but the building was not air conditioned and it was 90 plus humidity so I snapped some photos and kept on walking.

Overall my adventure was great. I only ran into a few situations where speaking Spanish would have been essential. Usually the blank stare on my face tips them off that I don't speak Spanish and they will mutter in English back what I need which is typically how much I owe them for parking or a bottle of water. I do have to admit there have been times I have been intimidated that I don't speak the language and cannot read the street signs, but I am slowly catching on. At least I know salida means exit and pare means stop.