Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico – land of sun and rain, ancient cities and rainforests, large caves and huge radio telescopes (now gone unfortunately), beaches and bioluminescent bays. We intended to visit it for quite some time and did a lot of research to understand what is a must see and what isn’t. When we finally visited it for a week we enjoyed it quite a bit even though the trip did not go exactly as planned.

A few tips from our trip:

• Expect a party atmosphere with loud music and lots of young people especially in San Juan and especially on Saturday. We found this quite exciting and interesting except when we wanted to go to sleep:)
• If you see a police cruiser with lights on, DO NOT PANIC. All police cruisers go with their lights on all the time. The reason behind this is either to scare criminals or to make sure they never encounter them – there are different explanations out there. Even though it might be a bit difficult (it was for us in the first couple days) just follow the well known saying “When in Rome do as the Romans do” and take the lead from the Puerto Ricans – simply ignore the police cruisers. However if they also start the siren it is time to move out of the way.
• After reading about the crazy drivers and ignored traffic signs we were a bit cautious with our driving in the beginning; in our experience however most islanders drive slower and more careful than people in major cities in the US
• When driving in the mountains be careful, careful, careful. The lanes are narrow, there are a lots of curves and you never know when someone is coming from the opposite direction
• Do not expect English to be spoken widely outside of San Juan, not even at tourist destinations, hotels and restaurants. Do expect however that if you don’t speak Spanish there will be at least a friendly person in your proximity who will help to make yourself understood.
• Do expect opening hours to be flexible especially at less visited attractions and contact them in advance to make sure that they are really open

Map of Travels

Trips

• 
  One last visit to Isla Verde beachNovember 26, 2011
  On our last day we explore the beach next to our hotel, Isla Verde beach, which is quite impressive
• 
  A visit at a lechonera near GuavateNovember 25, 2011
  We end the day with a dinner from a lechonera near Guavate which is quite good and worth the interesting experience
• 
  Ponce, the colorful cityNovember 25, 2011
  We spend a few hours exploring Ponce with the famous Bombas fire station and historic downtown
• 
  Guanica Dry Forest, a rare dry bosqueNovember 25, 2011
  First stop today is at a rare dry forest in Guanica to see some rarer plants and maybe some birds
• 
  Bioluminescent Bay, finallyNovember 24, 2011
  After a missed chance earlier today we finally have the opportunity to see a Bioluminescent Bay one of the three in Puerto Rico
• 
  Playa Sucia, the scenic oneNovember 24, 2011
  Next we explore the headlands of Cabo Rojo with a scenic lighthouse and the beautiful Playa Sucia which is popular with the locals
• 
  Easy start of the day at Playa CombateNovember 24, 2011
  We start the day with birdwatching and swimming at Playa Combate near our hotel
• 
  The locally famous Rio Camuy CavesNovember 23, 2011
  Besides Arecibo a major sight in this area are the Rio Camuy Caves, huge grottoes that are worth visiting
• 
  Arecibo Observatory, the first point of contact for ETNovember 23, 2011
  While passing it we have to visit Arecibo Observatory made famous by multiple scifi movies and books as the point of origin of the Arecibo message
• 
  Rain in El Yunque rainforestNovember 22, 2011
  We spend the day exploring and getting wet in El Yunque rainforest while looking for elusive parrots and enjoying waterfalls
• 
  Reserva Natural de Las Cabezas de San JuanNovember 21, 2011
  We end the day at Las Cabezas where we get rained out so we check in at our accomodation and have dinner at a mall
• 
  Time to eat at the Luquillo kiosksNovember 21, 2011
  Next stop is our lunch place at Luquillo kiosks a famous row of kiosks with a variety of local specialties
• 
  Exploring the Laguna del CondadoNovember 21, 2011
  Today we leave San Juan and stop first at Laguna del Condado at the outskirts of the city for some short hiking
• 
  Evening exploring the south of San JuanNovember 20, 2011
  We spend the evening exploring the beautiful San Juan downtown and the many stores and end the day at the impressive, for us, Parque de Las Palomas
• 
  San Felipe del Morro Castle, the second castleNovember 20, 2011
  We walk past La Perla to the second major Unesco WHS San Felipe del Morro Castle an imposing castle at the tip of the peninsula
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  Castillo de San Cristobal, our first fortress of the dayNovember 20, 2011
  The first attraction of the day is Castillo de San Cristobal, a beautiful Unesco WHS with lots of interesting places to visit
• 
  First steps in San JuanNovember 20, 2011
  We start the day in San Juan by exploring the downtown area and trying to find something to eat