I’ve watched (on FB) my PR neighbors go on road trips together,  discovering and enjoying local spots together.  It is wonderful that they come together in this way.  To my delight, they panned a special trip over labor day weekend with us.   Everyone could not join, but 11 of us in two vehicles was a nice group. It was a packed itinerary, I was not sure we could do it all.

First we stopped at Ponce, a city in the southern coast that was founded in 1692. We drove by or visited all of the following:

• The Lions Fountain in Plaza Las Delicias, which is the town’s main square.  I was enthralled by the magnificent trees which are called Indian Laurel or Chinese Banyan.  I had not thought of the banyan tree in a while, maybe not since my days in India.

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• Cruceta del Vigia is a ten story tower on a hill with a view on the city.  It sits on a spot that early settlers used to look out for merchant and pirate shapes.

• Museo Castillo Serrallés  is a Sugar Cane and Rum Museum.  The building was the home of the owner of  one of Puerto Rico’s largest rum distilleries built in the 1930 in the Spanish Colonial style.

• The Estadio Francisco (“Paquito”) Montaner is a multi-use stadium that is home Ponce’s baseball and soccer teams. 
• Parque de Bombas is an iconic symbol of the city and the first fire station in Puerto Rico. In 1990, the fire station closed and was converted into a museum.

• The Fox Hotel Lobby – fun (air-conditioned) atmosphere with pop art, classic pop music and refreshments.

Then we went to Yauco.  Just before the city we stopped and took pictures of the huge sign.  We enjoyed a snack made and brought Guzman family.  We walked through the town enjoying Yaucromatic – an effort to revitalize after Maria with colorful murals. It was hot, a quick stop for ice cold limber was refreshing.

Next we headed to a sunflower farm in Guanica.  Our first visit to a farm in Puerto Rico was pretty cool. There were other crops like plantains, pana and pomegranate. There was a fruit stall where we bought some delicious guava.

Finally we headed to La Parguera.  We stopped at a busy spot right next to the bio bay with a lot of small stalls and restaurants.  We did not get to see much of the area, I’ve since seen videos of its beauty. Once we had a lovely dinner, our car decided to head home (over 2 hour’s drive) since we were tired after a packed day.  Unfortunately, we missed the live music which the rest of the group enjoyed.