Days eight, nine, ten, and eleven! And conclusion thoughts!

Hello everyone! We’re officially home now :/ And both missing the island already! But, here is a recap on our last couple days on the island.

Day eight

On day eight we took a much needed break after a LONG week!

We had dinner at a mexican restaurant on our block, which I needed after having Puerto Rican food all week. Now, i’m not saying that I don’t LOVE Puerto Rican food, cause I totally do, but I am also mexican and need some spice and heat in my food sometimes, which is not in Puerto Rican food AT ALL! So, don’t judge me, but a girls got to do what she has to do. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Day nine

WE HAVE A 2319! If you don’t get this reference, we can’t be friends.

Sunday was really nice! We started our day in Piñones. This part of the island is known for its kiosks and street food. This was one of my moms “must-do’s”, and it was easily understandable as to why! We ate at Donde Olga. I know this may sound dramatic, but they had the best empanadas that I had eaten during my entire trip, literally sooooo delicious.

We then drove around Piñones and took in all the views. This part of the island has amazing views of San Juan.

We then returned to our apartment, and spent the remaining hours of sun at the pool.

After getting refreshed, we got ready to head out to do one last driving tour of Old San Juan. We blasted some J.Lo, Bad Bunny, and Daddy Yankee, your basic PR icons lol.

For dinner we headed to Lote 23 again, there were still a couple food kiosks that we hadn’t tried yet, and I couldn’t leave PR without going back. They also had a projector set up playing the Super Bowl, which I wasn’t planning on watching, but we ended up staying while we jumped from kiosk to kiosk…worth it. Visiting Lote 23 is my #1 recommendation to anyone visiting the island. If you love good food, good people, hip spots, and good Puerto Rican culture, this is the place to be!

Day ten

We started our morning by returning our rental car, then stayed for a delicious breakfast at the Marriott. The remainder of the day consisted of repacking my suitcase, and cleaning our apartment. Then for dinner we went to the highly recommended Buns Burgers for dinner which was right next to our building.

It’s kind of ceremonial for me to have my last dinner on vacation be where we reflect on our favorite moments of the trip.

And to be honest, it was hard for me to choose just one.

Puerto Rico has been my dream vacation for YEARS. And every moment lived up to, nay EXCEEDED, my expectations. I have made a lot of changes to my life within the last month or so, and it all led to making this the best trip ever. During every moment of my vacation I was thinking about how much I wanted to share this experience with the rest of my family and my best friends. I truly hope this blog was enough for now, and I can’t wait to bring everyone back there at some point.

Day eleven

Travel day!

We arrived at the airport at 9:00am PR time, and 5:00am LA time. And finally arrived home at 12:30pm PR time, and 8:30pm LA time. Lets just say next time someone asks me what I superpower I wish I had, it would be teleportation.

I am sooo happy to be home and in my own bed and with my little Annie, but I can’t help but miss the island and the many adventures. We are legit already planning on when we’ll be there next, so stay tuned!

CONCLUSION!

I really saw a change in myself during this trip. Over the last year or more, I have not been 100% myself. I was making choices based on what I thought was benefitting myself, but was really just benefitting everyone else. But in December I made a choice that totally benefited myself. Choosing to really hone in on my art, and using my skills to do things that actually make me happy.

Being in Puerto Rico, seeing the hardworking individuals that live there, knowing what they have been through, made me realize the type of people that I have come from. I am more motivated than I have ever been. There are soooo many moving pieces in my life, but for once I feel like I am actually succeeding at setting those pieces into place.

This trip was amazing for me. And it would not have been possible without my amazing Mother. Mum, thank you again for giving me this opportunity. If this trip has proven one thing to me, everything that happens is meant to be. There were many moments during this trip, or even the trip happening at all, that seemed like it was going in the wrong direction that ended up being the absolute best!

To everyone that has kept up with my vacation blog, THANK YOU! I had so much fun using this medium to share my photography and travel experiences, and I hope you did too! Please let me know if there was anything that you really liked, things I need improvement on, or what else you might want to see. I have some fun things planned, so stay tuned.

Signing off, love y’all!

-Ash