In my research of Puerto Rico, and things to do, I signed up for a very Puerto Rican, and very fun excursion. It is called Chinchorreo. It is a Puerto Rican tradition of hopping from one roadside kiosk to another and enjoying food, drinks, music, etc together with friends and family. We were transported around town in a decorated party bus with music where we stopped at various kiosks for snacks and drinks. I loved every second of it. Here’s what our Chinchorreo looked like!

Here I am enjoying our welcome drink, which was like an alcoholic juice pouch. It was parcha (passionfruit) flavored.

There were small groups of people who signed up together, some from Puerto Rico, New York, Texas, etc. I was sola (alone). We all started off very shy. I ended up sitting down by a Colombian family consisting of cousins, moms, girlfriends, uncles, sons, etc. It is two of their birthdays this week! On the first leg of the Chinchorreo, I got to talking to the mom, Norma, and her son’s girlfriend, Carolina. We made fast friends! I am so thankful! During the Chinchorreo, everyone on the bus got to know each other well and we enjoyed dancing and hanging out together!

The Chinchorreo took was from 1pm-6pm on Sunday and would only run if at least 10 people were signed up. Luckily, they did! There are cold winter storms in most of mainland USA, so our group was a missing about 15 people, but we were about 20 people.

We went around greater San Juan, San Juan, and Old San Juan. Here are some pictures and videos.

We danced and sang along to Bad Bunny songs, Reggaeton, and other fun Spanish party music. I knew some songs, and some were new to me! All of them were fun to dance to! A cowboy hat decorated with the Puerto Rican flag was passed around, and who ever was given the hat just started dancing like crazy and showed off! The rush of everyone cheering for you when the hat is placed on your head was next level. I danced up and down the aisle and put the hat on someone’s head and then danced back to my seat. The hat kept coming back to me, and everyone cheered, so I felt like a dancing queen!

Chinchorreo is about food, too, and not just drinks. Our first stop, we were recommended to try the Cuajito Guisado, which is stewed pig stomach. It was actually really yummy, but I didn’t have time to eat very much of it before it was time to get back on the bus. Also, although it was delicious, my picky eater brain was a bit shy to eat this whole thing and then go drinking anyways.

Here’s the view from our stop in Caracol. It was right on the beach. Medalla Light is the typical light beer of Puerto Rico. It was refreshing.

Ok back on the Chinchorreo!

Here’s a view from our stop in Cataño. If you look closely, you can see our Chinchorreo bus on the street.

And again back on the Chinchorreo!

The party continued into Old San Juan and then later to the T-Mobile district that night. I was a couple drinks in and was craving pan de ajo (garlic bread), but the closest they had was loaded curly fries.

Casa Bacardí

I really bonded with the family and even spent the next day with them. They were so kind and picked me up! We went to Casa Bacardí and did a tour and cocktail making class. Casa Bacardí is the world’s largest premium rum distillery and is located in Puerto Rico. Bacardí was originally produced in Cuba, and still today they use the yeast that originated from the same strain of yeast from the 1850’s in Cuba. The bat is the logo because a colony of bats settled in the rafters where it was being fermented because they enjoyed the smell of the molasses fermentation. In Taino and Spanish culture bats are considered spiritual and thought to bring good health, fortune, and family unity. Also, marketing-wise, it was easy for people to remember Bacardí and asking for “el ron del murcielago” (the rum of the bat).

In the cocktail class, we made a mojito and a daisy de Santiago. They both tasted fairly similar to me, although the mojito was a built cocktail where everything was added one by one into the glass, but the daisy de Santiago was a shaken cocktail that also contained a light green colored liqueur.

Here’s me, Carolina, Carlos, and Norma!

After Casa Bacardí, the family adopted me for the rest of the day as well. My parents were stuck in Miami, with their flights getting delayed again and again. I was eager to see my parents, but also having a great time in the meantime.

Bonus adventure to Aguadilla

The Colombian family was headed to Aguadilla after Casa Bacardí, and they invited me to join them. It was on the west side of the island about an hour and a half away. I said I couldn’t go because that’s so far, and how would I get back to San Juan tonight? They assured me that they would be more than happy to drive me back tonight. Once I heard that my parents’ flight was delayed and they were stranded in Miami, I decided I might be able to go to Aguadilla. We all joked that I was being kidnapped. I felt very safe. I love a road trip. It was fun to share life stories and deep talks, talking mainly in English, but also listening some in Spanish.

In Aguadilla, we shared a nice meal together on the boardwalk. The sun had already set. I wished I could see the view during the daytime. I wasn’t sure if my parents would arrive tonight. I contemplated crashing on the couch in Aguadilla if they weren’t going to fly out til tomorrow. But then I received word that my parents finally had a working flight that was fully staffed and had a captain. They would be arriving at 12:30am. So it was time to head back to San Juan.

We had a great car ride back as well, although I felt super guilty for them having to drive me back to San Juan and then drive all the way back to Aguadilla so late at night! Luckily, I was able to get my luggage out of the hostel storage, and they even stayed and drove me to the hotel in Old San Juan where I would be staying with my parents. I wished we all could have met up later in the week! My parents would have loved meeting everyone. When I got out of the car in San Juan, I offered to pay for gas money and the inconvenience, but they wouldn’t accept my offer. Such kindness! I miss everybody already and am hopeful for a reunion soon.