This week’s travel dream: Puerto Rico’s mild west

Ever since I was a little girl, I’d been traveling to Puerto Rico, said Margaret Ramirez in the Chicago Tribune, and I always left in awe of the “rich diversity of its landscape.” I’d explored the Caribbean isle from the rain forests to the coral-studded reefs; from the Camuy River caves to the “leatherback turtle–nesting beaches of Culebra.” Yet, for all the times I’d visited, I had never explored Puerto Rico’s western coast. When I finally did, I found a picturesque landscape and laid-back way of life that was, to me, a “new kind of wonderful.”

As I cruised along Highway 52, I marked three towns on the map that would offer glimpses into western life. The highway led past “rich green vistas with splashes of red flamboyant trees,” then turned into a ­country road, alongside which vendors sold sweet quenepa fruit, lechon (pork) sandwiches, and cold drinks. I had arrived in Guánica, the first stop on my “western adventure.” Unlike Puerto Rico’s north coast, with its wet forests, Guánica is “arid and rocky, with cactus and desert vegetation.” Steep mountains stave off clouds coming in on the tropical wind, causing rain to evaporate before reaching the south coast. As a result, Guánica not only “boasts the best weather on the island” but also provides a home to 700 types of flora and half of Puerto’s Rico’s bird species.

At dusk, I drove 30 minutes to La Parguera, a former fishing village. People drive from the other side of the island to dine on mofongo—a dish of mashed plantains saturated in garlic—and then take in the show at the phosphorescent bay, where billions of microorganisms “emit a magical glow.” The next morning I set off for Mayagüez, whose “newest claim to fame” is being home to the family of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. I discovered a Spanish colonial town with “houses painted in picture-book pastels” and a tree-lined plaza honoring Christopher Columbus. Before heading back to San Juan, I grabbed a box of brazos gitanos, jelly rolls whose long, thick shape earned them the name “gypsy’s arm.” They would be my souvenirs until I could return west once again.

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Contact: Gotopuertorico.com