Tourist Town: According to the Urban Dictionary with minor changes from yours truly, a tourist town has a relatively small population that seems to grow exponentially during certain seasons due to tourists. More often than not, these tourists keep temporary homes—they've got jobs elsewhere or sound investments to survive the rest of the year.
What attracts tourists, "snowbirds," and weekenders to Rincon, Puerto Rico may be the same things that attract people who live here all-year round: the surf, natural beauty, local goods, the "Simple Life." Interestingly, while some tourist towns double their population in the summer months, Rincon is the complete opposite. Winter is when the surf really happens—witness 6-15 ft. sets that even an intermediate surfer has no problem riding.* And every ex-pat who lives here surfs. We've met 80-year-old surfers, 10-year-old rippers, surfing moms, men of all ages, girls who shred...Everyone in Rincon surfs.*Note: Winter in Rincon is about 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some locals hate The Invasion of The Winter People: the increased traffic, the noise at all hours from people who don't have to get up early to go to work, the parked cars littering the already narrow streets, the demanding customers who get cranky when there's a shortage of water, frequent blackouts and worse of all—weak (or no)—Internet connection.
For those who are still thinking about visiting us and actually want to see us, I've outlined the best times when the "Invasion" doesn't happen:
Best times: Late May-early July, September-October, early November. Unfortunately, the "dead" months (July-Sept) are also hurricane months.
Busiest times: After Thanksgiving to Easter weekend, July 4, Labor Day
Life in a tourist town has its perks: Business cranks up during the winter months and owners rest up for several months thereafter. But resting doesn't mean the work stops—it just means now there's time to do maintenance: paint, build, landscape...Some restaurants and guest houses have already announced their closing during Sept and Oct and every business has excitedly posted their "Summer Hours." On top of that, Puerto Rico celebrates several holidays during summer and it's normal to see 3-day weekends every weekend. Work? What work?!? See pictures of us parasailing. Every day, we wake up knowing that we live in a surf mecca. One that brings the invasion of thousands of people every winter—some who've arrived over the years to buy into the locals' quality of life, some who just want to escape "drama," some who've lived out their dream of owning land and being entrepreneurs. Generations of surfers and nature lovers arrived before us and have stories to tell about the advancement of Rincon—from dirt roads and horse buggies to grandiose hotels and condos popping up like weed.
Back in Cali, I thought I would miss my 50-meter lap pool—but nothing beats snorkeling after a hard day of work. It's only a 5-minute drive to any beach here: We've swam with schools of 100+ fish, schools of Tuna, tropical fish, lobster and turtles near underwater caves in the clearest of waters.
After all, one of the best things about living in a tourist town is acting like a tourist.
