Cabo Rojo and the Southwest Coast

During the last week of my stay in Puerto Rico, my Mom came down from Gainesville to visit me. She was very excited to see all the places and people I had written about in the blog. And on the first couple of days she even came out to watch me surf at Maria's and Wilderness. But after those two days, she figured that she would enjoy herself more just hanging out and swimming around the local beach by the apartment instead of trying to pinpoint me in the lineup at a surfing beach with her binoculars - plus those surfing beaches are extremely unhospitable places to try and take a leisurely swim.

On the last weekend, we went down to the Southwest tip of the island around Cabo Rojo. Before we got there, we made a quick stop in Puerto Real where the annual Fish Festival was in full swing. Lots of people out and about, all locals and we made our way to an authentic fish restaurant where the front of the restaurant faced the street and the back of it was right on the water where its fishing boat was conveniently parked. In the restaurant, the waiter comes out with a big tray loaded with fresh fish and you just point at whichever one you want to eat. Then, about 15 minutes later, that same fish comes back out to your table on plate, deep fried, in its entirety - head, tail, etc... pretty tasty!

After eating, Mom and I drove to the extreme Southwest corner of the island where the landscape changed dramatically from the usual lush jungle/beach/mangrove setting we were used to. Instead, this area looked rather desolate and rugged, accentuated by the salt flats. At land's end, there is a small lighthouse, some precipitous cliffs and a nice quiet beach called "La Playuela" which is excellent for swimming. A nice calm and picturesque setting indeed!


The lighthouse at Cabo Rojo

The cliffs of Cabo Rojo

"La Playuela"