Our friend Daisy invited us to a last-minute getaway into the mountains of Maricao and we are so glad she did! We quickly did all of our chores so we could head up to this secluded, hidden waterfall and yet it was not too hard to find in the jungle. One of our favorite waterfall areas is Gozalandia, but it has become a tourist trap and just too popular, especially on a Saturday in summer. This trip was just perfect with just our group and a couple of other people there. The pond was deep enough to swim and jump into and the water was soo refreshing. This time of year, the ocean water is almost too tepid warm and so the rivers and ponds start to beckon to us to cool down.
Fun in the water
Beautiful (au) natural setting
Aeden seemed to enjoy playing in the water
After how hot it’s been, we are already thinking of going back!
The group. It’s really not a long walk from the road to the waterfall
Stone petroglyphs (maybe old maybe not)
Super refreshing!
Apparently there is another smaller fall up a little higher as well as a waterwheel (molino) just down the way, but we just enjoyed this amazing spot. We brought down some drinks and snacks and enjoyed a much-needed break from the heat. We WILL be back!
We took a last minute trip up the mountains to the Maricao Coffee Festival (Fiesta del Acabe de Cafe). Along the way we stopped for the beautiful vistas and some wild plants. We had gone up in years past and things seemed to have been revived since Maria. It’s about an hour drive from Rincon along very curvy roads. We took longer because we made several stops.
Me and Aeden at the Festival
Mountain views along the way
Lots of people
Some info on coffee types and growth
Along the way we met this friendly man who wanted to meet Aeden
He had on a shirt from the coffee festival 30 years ago!
People selling bags of local oranges
Kids playing the traditional game of “gallitos” or little roosters with the seeds of the Algarrobos tree. They hit the seeds at each other until one of them breaks. Sort of a pre-cock fight game for children in the countryside
Family fun!
Vendors selling traditional art
Bomba music and dancing
Beautiful flowers
It’s always a nice change of pace to go up into the mountains of Puerto Rico!
We stopped and briefly checked out Hacienda Juanita, an old restored hacienda turned resort
Overall it was a fun little day trip and we recommend you check out the local festivals if you come to Puerto Rico!
Driving through the mountains with gorgeous views lined in coffee plants
We went up to celebrate our friend Papo’s birthday in Maricao. He had a similar party in December for Christmas but instead of lechón, the main meal this time was sancocho de conejo – a very delicious rabbit stew.
Backyard pelea de gallo
We learned from the last party that we needed to have something to do otherwise we would end up milling around aimlessly since we don’t bet on the roosters or dice. Papo set up a domino table for us, but we ended up finding the perfect station for us: bartenders in the little cantina.
I tended to the customers and served up the drinks of Coors Light, Medalla Light, Busch, and Heineken and made change while Britton juiced the fresh oranges for the Finlandia and OJ tragos. The pineapple pitorro and sancocho were free.
Britton on the exprimidor
We are definitely still the exotic guests of Papo and I overhead quite a few comments about the “Americanos” from Rincón. I also got a lot of questions, attempts at English, “oye rubia” and even a request for the change to be in besos instead of pesos. So of course I had to ask… how much is a kiss worth and they told me…maybe $3? I thought that was pretty funny. When it got really busy even Britton worked the bar passing out drinks using his broken Spanish. His Spanish has really improved since we arrived! He can have a passing conversation fairly easily!
¡La rubia a la orden!
One thing I noticed as the bartender was that no one paid any tips (besides the requests to buy a kiss). Not even when the total was $4.50 and they handed me a $5. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong but Papo said that it’s just not the custom to tip. He said that these people are too poor to tip (but managed lots and lots of beer and gambling!). I wonder if tipping is just not very common in other service industries like restaurants. We continue to tip when we go out, but it made me question what the cultural standards for tipping are in general here in Puerto Rico (and partially why there is an assumption that all gringos are rich -sort of a hey they just give their money away feeling?).
It’s such a different world especially way deep in the mountains like this but we are starting to get more accustomed and comfortable. In addition to the sancocho we also loved the homemade pasteles and Britton told me he thinks pasteles are one of his favorite foods now! We really enjoyed our short foray into Puerto Rican country bartending and our time at the party. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new about my new homeland.
Rooster ready and waiting with his plastic spurs and partially plucked body (not sure why they pluck them like this)
We thought we’d round out Summer’s first time in Puerto Rico by doing something in the interior mountains. The beaches get much of the fame, but the mountains and what they contain are hidden gems. We asked if she would rather check out a cave or a waterfall, and the choice was emphatically: waterfall! So we decided to try a new one to us: Salto Curet in Maricao.
Salto Curet and me (for scale and fun)
It wasn’t easy to find, however. We were able to make it to the end of the road that it was supposed to be on and then down a very rocky dirt road. But then it crossed the river again and we weren’t about to get the truck stuck, so we set off hiking to find the waterfall.
Britton, Summer and I were walking and walking through bamboo groves- up and up!
We walked and walked, hauling our food, water and clothes. And we kept hiking until both Summer and I had to take a pit stop in the woods (not so easy for women as it is for men). So Britton kept walking ahead to see how much further it was. He was able to move much faster without us and all the crap to carry. Summer and I waited and waited and waited. Finally he came back and said that the road ended at a small house but that there was no waterfall. We ate lunch from the cooler in the middle of the trail and thought about what to do.
Finally, we walked all the way back to the truck and then backtracked but we didn’t see anything. We were just about to leave when we saw another truck full of young guys jumping out. I asked them if they would mind us walking with them to the waterfall since we weren’t having any luck finding it. They were happy to walk and talk (in Spanish) with us. They showed us where the hidden sign was that we had missed along the way.
Salto Curet- Oh, that way!
This is a very hidden waterfall. To access it, you actually have to walk in the river! How cool is that?!
Walk straight down the river
And you will eventually find this:
It was so beautiful and tranquil. When we got there it was raining which made it even more slippery to walk but it also amplified the scene with the rain falling along with the water from the fall. There were shallow parts and deep parts to jump into. The helpful boys hung out and cliff jumped for about an hour and then they left. We had the waterfall and pool all to ourselves, it was pretty amazing. We enjoyed jumping, swimming, climbing and taking photos. It reminded me a little of gorgeous Gozalandia, but not quite as well known and much more off the beaten path.
At one point in the day we didn’t think we would ever find it, but we didn’t give up and that lost and long hike made the crisp water of the cascade even more sweet. A fantastic day.
