Sunday Desk | Skip the Beach, Take the Dramamine
A mountain guide to Puerto Rico, comfort food, and the first true-crime book
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas break! You’re probably thinking, Meseidy, I have been back from Christmas break for a week now—what have you been doing? Well, I was in Puerto Rico for the New Year, visiting family and attending a wedding.
Most people, when they think of Puerto Rico, immediately think of relaxing on beaches, but did you know that in the center of the island is “la cordillera central,” which translates as the central mountain range? Right in the center of this tiny island is an impressive mountain range. The highest point is called Cerro de Punta, which sits on the boundary between the municipalities of Jayuya (Ha-yu-ya) and Ponce, reaching 4,390 feet above sea level. Interestingly, it occurred to me how these two towns, which share the highest point on the island, also reflect the story of Puerto Rico.
Ponce is a large, historic port city on the southern coast and the most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the great-grandson of conquistador Juan Ponce de León. It was a major port during Spanish colonization. Jayuya is one of the highest—second to Aibonito—and most secluded towns on the island, named after Taíno chief Hayuya. In Taíno, Hayuya is commonly explained as meaning “lugar de guayo,” Spanish for “place of the grater,” likely referring to a site where cassava (yuca) was grated using a guayo.
All of that to say: if you ever visit the island and can withstand heights and curving narrow roads shared with oncoming vehicles, ditch the beach, and you will be rewarded with stunning views and delicious food. Also, if you’re prone to carsickness, take some Dramamine—you’re going to need it. This is an all-day trip. Don’t think you are going to drive up that mountain and be home a few hours later. This is a full-day adventure.
Where to Visit in Jayuya
Café Tres Picachos (Tres Picachos coffee roasters) is a coffee farm and café in the Saliente sector of Jayuya, Puerto Rico, that grows, roasts, and serves its own coffee under the Café Tres Picachos brand. Here we got breakfast, and the coffee was so good we brought a few bags home. Only open Friday–Sunday. Get here EARLY—it fills up, and parking is limited.
Coming from Ponce to Jayuya, you will pass El Chorro de Doña Juana, a roadside waterfall in Orocovis along PR-149 near kilometer marker 41–42, in the Toro Negro area between Orocovis and Villalba. There is a small area off to the left where you can pull over, take photos, and even bathe in the water.
La Piedra Escrita is a large boulder covered in Taíno petroglyphs located in the Río Saliente in the barrio Coabey of Jayuya, Puerto Rico. It sits just off PR-144 around km 7.3, at a small riverside recreation area accessed by a boardwalk behind roadside restaurants near Jayuya’s center. The boardwalk makes the boulder easy to access. If you have time, you can go for a dip in the river.
Visit Museo El Cemí and the nearby hacienda, Museo Casa Canales. They are one dollar each to visit.
Museo El Cemí (Taíno museum) – This is a small history/anthropology museum dedicated to Taíno culture, housed in a building shaped like a cemí, the three-pointed idol that represents Taíno deities and spirituality. Inside are Taíno artifacts such as pottery, tools, carved stones, petroglyph reproductions, and exhibits on daily life and beliefs of the island’s Indigenous peoples.
Museo Casa Canales (the hacienda) – A restored late-19th-century country house of the Canales family, founders and early political leaders of Jayuya. The house museum interprets Puerto Rican political and social history (including the 1950 Jayuya uprising) and gives a glimpse of rural hacienda life through its period architecture and furnishings.
When heading back, stop at Café Terra Vida on PR-531 km 1.6, Barrio Hoyos Planes in Jayuya. Enjoy the AMAZING view, a coffee, some wine, and order the sampler of mini “frituras” (fried foods) such as alcapurria, empanadilla, sorullitos, and tostones.
Puerto Rico has some of the most beautiful beaches, but take a day and venture into the mountains—you won’t regret it.
A Recipe
I have a whole archive of Puerto Rican recipes on my food blog, but my favorite dinner option is Fricasé de Pollo. It is my top comfort food on a gloomy day, and it’s easy to make for anyone. Enjoy!
Fricasé de Pollo
Ingredients:
3 lbs. chicken pieces, bone-in, skinned
3 teaspoons adobo spice seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons garlic, mashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup minced cilantro or culantro
1 cup red wine
1 (14 oz) can diced tomato
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
12 olives stuffed with red peppers, halved
6 petite golden potatoes, halved
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Combine chicken, adobo, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and garlic. Toss until well combined, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken and brown evenly on all sides. Remove from oil and set aside. In the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro. Sauté for 4 minutes or until translucent.
Add red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Stir in diced tomato and tomato paste.
Return the chicken to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Raise heat to bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cover.
Cook for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Uncover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Serve over white rice.
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Are you a reader when you travel, or a reader in general? While on my trip, I finished In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
If you’re unfamiliar with the book, it’s widely considered the first narrative true-crime work. Capote reconstructs the brutal murder of the Clutter family in small-town Kansas and follows the killers before, during, and after the crime. The murders occurred on November 15, 1959, in Holcomb, Kansas. Capote traveled there shortly after with his close friend Harper Lee and followed the case through its full investigation, eventually publishing the book in 1966.
What struck me most is that the book doesn’t read like a mystery to be solved. Instead, it lingers on the psychology of the killers, the fear that quietly spread through the town, and the loss of innocence—both personal and cultural—of that era. It’s less sensational and more unsettling for that reason.
It’s a classic for a reason. My only complaint: Capote’s enthusiastic use of parentheses, especially early on. I get what he’s trying to do—add context and detail—but for me, it pulls you out of the story. Enough already, Truman. Let the sentence breathe.
On the Reading List
The Technology Brothers Have Silicon Valley in Their Thrall. Now They’re Coming for You – Vanity Fair
Can the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ Make South America Better Off? – The Free Press
Erika Kirk Is Walking a Fine Line in a Glittering Pantsuit – WaPo
Creating
One of my goals for the new year is to have more purposeful, dedicated time and less doom scrolling with my coffee in hand. I actually started before the new year, slowly stacking new habits like journaling, bricking my phone, and dedicated reading time. With the new year, I’m adding a new habit I call the “Create Block.” Rumor is that we’re most creative first thing in the morning, so instead of “starting my day slow”—which is what I’ve done for ages—I hit the ground running, focused on creating. This is when I write, but not elegantly and not focused on errors or grammar or sometimes even specific facts. It’s just about getting it out on paper. Later in the day, I work on the details: editing, proofreading, fact-checking, and deciding “does that comma really need to be there?”
The news cycle is so wild that sometimes I get option paralysis and feel like I have to have it together before I can put words on the page. I am a perfectionist after all in my natural state. But by just taking the time to write down what I want to share or research, ideas seem to bubble up and take shape more naturally. It’s my first week, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
That’s a Wrap
And with that, welcome to the very first edition of Sunday Desk.
If you’re used to my news coverage and media analysis, think of this as the other side of the coin—the slower, more personal stuff. Sunday Desk is where I share what I’m reading, where I’ve been, what I’m cooking, and whatever else is on my mind that doesn’t fit neatly into a news cycle. It’s the newsletter equivalent of a long Sunday morning with a good cup of coffee.
My goal is simple: to create a space where we can step back from the chaos of the week and just... be. Talk about books. Share a recipe. Recommend a waterfall in the middle of Puerto Rico that you absolutely have to see.
If this sounds like something you want in your inbox, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next one. And if you’re planning a trip to Puerto Rico anytime soon (or just want to bookmark that Fricasé de Pollo recipe for a rainy day), save this post—you’ll thank yourself later.
Thanks for being here. See you next Sunday.
So I’m allergic to chicken…seriously…and I was wondering would the recipe still work with pork or beef? I was thinking maybe pork loin chopped up or stew beef…I loved the Sunday Brief. It’s a breathe of fresh air.