Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tio Pepe's
CARIBBEAN $$
(Hwy 723 Km 0.3; dishes $12-25)
This traditional Aibonito favorite is stuck a few miles
to the west of the town on a wooded knoll surrounded by trees and flowers. There's a sun-
deck, function room and regular musical entertainment from passing troubadours and trios.
The decor is casually elegant, but nothing too fancy, and the menu is a greatest hits of good
old home-style mountain cooking. Pass the
mofongo
.
La Piedra
CARIBBEAN $$
( 735-1034; Hwy 7718 Km 0.7; dishes $10-25; 11am-7pm Wed & Thu,
11am-10pm Fri-Sun)
Situated next to the Piedra Degetau Park, this is a long-time moun-
tain institution that also accommodates the recording studios of Radio Cumbre. Yes, that
guy at the next table behind the thick pane of reinforced glass isn't a waiter wearing ear
muffs; he's broadcasting on the airwaves on 1470AM. The plant-filled restaurant serves
up decent food - chicken in a tamarind sauce and chicken broth and
mofongo
are popular.
Thanks to its prime Ruta Panorámica location it also acts as a nexus point to chicane weary
motorists, Federico Degetau pilgrims, and local walking groups setting off into the Cañon
de San Cristóbal. Regardless of what you order for dinner, end with the amazing ginger
flan.
Getting There & Away
Públicos will take you to Aibonito from Cayey or Caguas for about $4. These cities have
connections to the Río Piedras district of San Juan for another $5.
Barranquitas & Around
One of the most quintessential of Puerto Rico's lofty mountain towns, Barranquitas is a di-
minutive, picturesque settlement clinging to the muddy slopes of the rain-lashed Cordillera
Central. Lying on the north side of the Cañón de San Cristóbal, about a 20-minute drive
out of Aibonito on Hwy 162 (or an even shorter detour off of the Ruta Panorámica via
Hwy 143), the town is known locally as the Cuna de Próceres (Cradle of Great People)
for its historical propensity to produce poets, politicians and governors of national (and in-
ternational) distinction. Most notable in this list is the legendary Muñoz clan (see boxed
text,
Click here
), Puerto Rico's substitute 'royal' family whose evocative mausoleum has
made Barranquitas a pilgrimage site for both local patriots and curious visitors.
