I love traveling especially to remote, off-the beaten path places, which offer me an opportunity to learn something I can’t find and read on a book. Even though most of the places I travel seem to be a one-time experience, there is one place in particular which I often seem to be coming back again and again even after a few years have passed.

Puerto Rico or Borikén, which is the name given to this island by the Native Taínos who inhabited this land before the arrival of the Spaniards, will always have a special place in my heart.

It is here where my love for coffee was born when I experienced first-hand the difficult process that coffee beans go through before it is delivered to a commercial store.

It was also here where I was first inspired to visit all the archeological sites in this beautiful Caribbean island to learn more about the Taínos and other indigenous groups who called this island their home.

This is my first post on the Taínos

The pictures on this video are a collection from my various visits throughout the island from 2008 through 2015. The type of music in this video is called Jíbara or folk music from the mountains. The music derives from Spanish traditions and the songs are almost always related to the pastoral lifestyle of the mountains.

Its music, coffee, warmth of its people, history, breath-taking beach hide-outs, and mountain sceneries are not all but a few reasons why Puerto Rico will continue to be my special getaway retreat.