Chinchorro Tour

Have you ever been on a Chinchorro Tour? Or, have you been to a Chinchorro?

A chinchorro in Puerto Rico is a usually a small, simple bar where you can find inexpensive food, beer and drinks. You will also enjoy good music, great conversation with locals and probably a pool game. While I lived in Puerto Rico I had my days where I visited really good chinchorros with my friends. Although I never went on a Chinchorro Tour. So, what is a chinchorro tour?  It is a gathering with a group of friends or family to go on a road trip and visit various chinchorros the same day. This is an activity locals love to do on weekends.

In my most recent trip to Puerto Rico I went on a chinchorro tour with the best company ever, my family. I was visiting Puerto Rico at the same time as two of my cousins. And one of my uncles, “Tio Willy”, told us that he would take us on this adventure. Our friends Ledys, Pito and Maria joined us, as well as my brother Joel and my goddaughter Wilmaris.

Pito and my Tio were in charge of creating the route. Their plan was to start in Caonillas (Utuado) and end up somewhere in Jayuya. If you follow my uncle’s advice you are supposed to start the route no later than noon. But we were not as organized as he wished. We started maybe mid afternoon but it was a blast.

I loved every part of it, the new places we discovered, the food, but most of, the company. We had an awesome time catching up, remembering old stories, laughing and making new memories.

The first official stop was at Lake View, Utuado. We enjoyed a spectacular view of the Lago Caonillas and the dam. The Lago Caonillas was built in 1948 by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority as a reservoir from which to source hydroelectricity. In times of drought the water level can go down to such a level that parts of a submerged church in the lake are left uncovered. This has happened only few times, the last one in 1994, I remember a lot of people from other towns visiting the lake to see the Church.

Our next stop was at Luis los Pinchos, this place is well known for its pinchos. We were excited to try them, but we didn’t make it on time. You see, Tio Willy knows what he is talking about, when he says you have to start the chinchorreo at noon or before. Anyway we had a great time here, played some pool and danced bachata.

While driving to our next spot “Braza Sport Bar” we found on our way amazing views of the mountains. We made it to Brazas and it was fun there as well. In this place I got to meet some of my relatives from my Mom’s side. We also meet a craftsman (artesano) who kindly showed us some of his pieces.

It was time to eat, everyone in the group was hungry so we headed to Campo Viejo. We decided to eat here and the food was amazing. We ordered a huge plate with some of the Puerto Rican favorites. After we ate, all of the sudden Tio Willy says, hey that’s Landy!. Landy is one of my cousins who lives in Jayuya and happened to stop here with his wife to buy food. Everyone in the group started calling his name, to get his attention and finally he saw us. It was like the cherry on top, we were all so happy. We talked for a little bit and then Landy said to please stop at his house when we were done there.

Yes, our very special stop in our chinchorro tour was at Landy’s house. Him and his family welcomed us with drinks and offered even more food. It was great to spend that time with them and definitely something to be remembered.

Our final stop was La Casona in Jayuya.  A few years back this place was one I used to visit when I was in Puerto Rico. We didn’t stayed long at this place, it was late and we were tired but we had to include it because it’s a very popular place in this town.

This will definitely be a day that we will all treasure forever. Full of fun, beautiful routes, good food and the best company.

If you are visiting Puerto Rico please go on a chinchorro tour. And if you live on this beautiful Island, please don’t wait as long as I did. Explore new places, enjoy the views and try the amazing Puerto Rican food. There’s different options to do this tour, you can plan with family and friends, go on your own car or you can book a private bus to do a predetermined route. Both are great options, but the second one might be the best is your planning on drinking few beers or drinks. Better be safe!

Do you live in Puerto Rico? Tell me your favorite thing to do, maybe I can try it next time I visit La Isla del Encanto.