MONDAY 15 AUG 2022
A Service of Casa Clara Vista Guesthouse Since 2019
About Casa Clara Vista Revista
Puerto Rico you, lovely island, Island of tropical breezes. Always the pineapples growing, Always the coffee blossoms blowing... Puerto Rico, you ugly island. Island of tropic diseases. Always the hurricanes blowing, Always the population growing, And the money owing, And the babies crying, And the bullets flying...
With these glorious lyrics from the 1950's, Stephen Sondheim perfectly captures the dichotomy that is Puerto Rico: Stunning beaches, beautiful weather, historic architecture, vibrant night life. And right beside all this: Interminable lines, cars stopping out of nowhere to chat or buy produce, an infrastructure as vexing as it is amazing, and weather that can change from fair to foul and back again--faster than you can say "juepa!"
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Since the triumph and tragedy of Hurricane Maria (and despite the ongoing opinion of the national press it was both-- a triumph and a tragedy) much has been said about this island. Its odd political status, its debt, its corruption, its incompetence. All these things are true to some extent. But true with caveat. Enter ClaraVistaRevista!
By combining elements of an online magazine, blog, travel guide and resource directory, we hope to shed light on the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its plight, assist those wishing to visit or live in Puerto Rico, and try to have fun doing it. This is Puerto Rico, pure and unvarnished and ClaraVistaRevista wants to help.
Horses riding in a pick-up truck; a common scene on Puertorican roads.
Especially since hurricane Maria is not uncommon to see packs of stray dogs
Especially on weekends, horse travel is very common with folks bar hopping horseback
A stunning flamboyan in bloom along a country lane on the island
Across the bay from San Juan lies Cataño and its breezy boardwalk or "malecón"
It's not just sun and surf coffee is an important industry here. Check out a plantation
A peaceful rally for Statehood in Old San Juan. Protests are generally very peaceful here
Huntsman spiders come inside when it rains and can move very quickly. Leave them be
People tend to think of wet tropical Puerto Rico but the south is quite arid desert-like
Folks enjoying themselves at a chinchorro, or roadside tavern, a popular pass time
With hundreds of beaches, you can be discerning. Some can be deadly so be aware
Puerto Rico has 78 "counties" , all of them unique. Try to see some of them they're worth it