Puerto Rican culture is a mixture of Spanish, African, and Taino traditions topped with a
centurythick layer of American influenceand consequently nothing in Puerto Rico is
onedimensional, from architecture to political identity. Spanish is the island’s main
language, but people also use English, Amerindian, and African words. Roman
Catholicism reigns, but is infused with a spiritualism and folkloric traditions. The music
keeps time with African l
a bomba and also “Nuyorican” salsa that hails from émigrés in
New York. Puerto Rico is uniquely a part of, and apart from, the US and the rest of the
Caribbean.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
To avoid crowds and inflated prices, come during hurricane season (MayNovember)but keep
an eye on weather reports! u hm I would prefer NOT hurricane season o.O lolnot that this
matters anymore, hehe i’m glad we avoided this… but we are going when it’s spring break. my
coworker said there’s activities on the east side but mainly for locals.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCES
Drinking café con leche (I know this means coffee with milk!!!) n ear dawn after a night of
dancing (LOL Zumba???) yes to coffee, ehhhh to dancing. i hear salsa dancing is popular in
puerto rico, but i’m prob not going to dance unless downright drunk. i ’m dancing sober or drunk!
i am ready.
Taking sunset walks at El Morro when the evening breeze picks up yes
Enjoying the lush rainforest at El Yunque ( would love to do this!) seconded! s
ites recommend
renting a car for this. i saw some taxis but have to make sure they have a permit to drive to
national park. a trip can cost up to $50.. i forget if its one way.
[Link] → hiking!! waterfalls!! :D o
hh! of course we gotta hike!
add hiking shoes to list.
Swimming in the bioluminescent bay at Vieques ( would also love! My coworkers said they offer
kayak trips too!) h ttp://[Link]/islandbioluminescentbay/ i
need to read more but this one
caught my eye the most. would love this too! w e can take the ferry to this i think! i’m packing my
swimsuit!
Lazing in a hammock or dipping in the crystalline waters on Culebra c ulebra…another ferry ride!
Sampling fine rums native to Puerto Rico heard about rum is popular in PR too. hmm. i’d try it. i
read about bacardi! we can visit! ahaha. you can become a rum person! T he free tour (every
30 minutes, lasting about one hour) includes two free drinks and a tram tour explaining
the history of the distillery. t ours 9am4:15pm MonSat, 10am3:45pm Sun T o get to the
factory from the ferry terminal in Cataño, take a público (about $3 per person) or walk 15
minutes along the waterfront on Calle Palo Seco (Hwy 888). At Km 2.6 north of town, look for
the factory buildings to your left. (when i did google maps directions from san juan, it says no
public transit. :/)
[Link]
rumfactory
Winter whalewatching or surfing in Rincon ican’t surf distance.. it is also on the east side.
Wandering through Ponce’s historic district brimming with c rchitecture (
riollo a I googled images
and the area looks super cute!!!) o
hhh!!! o
oo cool. this is south.
[Link]
[Link]
Also thought this would be useful. San Juan → Ponce is 1.5 drive. I guess we can discuss later
how we’ll get around the country, if we need to rent, etc.
[Link]
GETTING UNDER THE SKIN
READ: Rosario Ferre’s revisionist stories in S weet Diamond Dust.Christina Duffy Burnett’s
Foreign in a Domestic Sense is an examination of American imperialism.
LISTEN: to coquis,Puerto Rico’s native frogs; the infamous souds of Tito Puente and Willie
Colon; the compilations Viva Salsa a nd Salsa Superhits b y Fania Records
WATCH: W est Side Story,which represents stateside Puerto Ricans of the day.
EAT: plantain dishes like mofongos a nd ostones,
t nd a
sofrito a sopao de pollo (traditional
arrucho (
meals), c embleque (
conch), t coconut pudding)
DRINK: pina coladas, C uba libres, mojitos o r any other run drink, b
atidos (
milkshakes) made
amey (
with m uanabana (
sweet, fragrant fruit) or g soursop)
hmmm food and dranks!!!! Of course we must try it all!!! OMG those milkshakes sound
amazing!!! jaja! And I’ve always wanted to watch W est Side Story!lol batidos? heheheh.
coconut pudddin!!!!!! i
think K doesn’t like coconut? i am ready for food and drinks. i have not
watched west side story. hmmm music.. can you translate it for us, k?? coco frío
(icecold coconut milk)
IN A WORD
Ay, bendito! (
Poor thing/What a shame/Oh dear!) l
et’s practice. and say it at all times.
PLUS
No passport needed, can use the USD to pay
Other things to do (Keilin)
visit old San Juan h ttp://[Link]/wiki/Old_San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico yes! please. i
think there’s forts? i read there’s two. another coworker said if we go early.. theres a $5
pass for two forts
san felipe de morro h ttp://[Link]/saju/photosmultimedia/[Link] a
nd light
houses!
camuy river cave park h ttp://[Link]/riocamuycavespark/ y
aa!
looks hot.
parque de bombas. It looks like a cool building h ttp://[Link]/nr/travel/prvi/[Link]
yaaa. fire station. bee boo. bee boo. from minions.
visit the parrots of Puerto Rico! Actually, at work we have a book on it LOL!
[Link] yes. polly wants a cracker!!!
Gathered Suggestions/Opinions/Tips (some of which is helpful IMO):
● If you're there for a week you can spend one day touring the forts, one day
just hanging out and walking around Old San Juan, one day hiking, one night
kayaking the bay... but Puerto Rico is generally mainly beaches (day) and
clubs (night), so there's not that much to do beyond them.
● Old San Juan is very nice to walk around, small shops and places to eat, you
can find places fairly cheap. If you want a bit of history you can buy a pass
for 2 forts in OSJ for about $5.
● Rent a car and drive around the perimeter of the island. On the west end are
the Mayagüez botanical garden. Surf spots like Tres, Marias, Domes, Table
Rock, Gas Chambers, Wilderness are located between Rincon and Aguadilla.
Driving back to San Juan from the northwest corner of PR over the back
roads will take you by the Arecibo dish. It looks like Washington Monuments
placed on top of mountains with massive cables strung from the monuments.
Call to see if they are open for tours.
● The Old San Juan is gorgeous and has pretty decent nightlife, during the day
there are plenty of museums and places to check out too. There's also decent
nightlife in El Condado and club Brava in the San Juan Hotel is great. I
suggest you check out places besides San Juan though. I'm fond of the
country side and not so much of the Americanized tourist hotspots of San
Juan. You can head up to G uavate if you want a typical (delicious) meal and
the views heading up are extraordinary. My favorite place is El Cuñao, which
is a bit further, but any of those places would be just as good. You should
also check out El Yunque and if you're up for a long drive the lighthouse in
Cabo Rojo is nice and the
beach next to itis even nicer and won't be as
packed as the beaches in San Juan
● There are a lot of touristy street patio bars around Old San Juan. But if you
want one of the best meals you will ever have, go to Marmalade. It is pricey,
but worth it, to try the White Bean Soup ($10) and the Gnocchi ($16). If you
can only afford the soup, get a cup. It is amazing. The whole street around
Marmalade is also full of good restaurants and bars. There is also a nice small
area, Plaza Colon, at the east end of the street. This is right in the Old San
Juan area. I cannot stress enough how good this White Bean Soup is
● During the day, the fort (north east in OSJ) or Explanda (north west in OSJ)
are mustsees. The explanda is a large park where people hang out, fly kites
and such. It is a short, but hot, walk between the two. There are other places
to check out, but I'm assuming you don't want to waste too much on cabs.
This past winter I went surfing, to a cock fight, hiking in the national forest,
zip lining (oh?!), a
nd other stuff.
● Get where you're going by nightfall. The crazy driving during the day fucking
goes Beyond Thunderdome at night.
● make reservations for the biobay ASAP though, it fills up very quickly. w e
should plan this first? at least rsvp.
● To get around the island you'll need to rent a car. If you don't rent a car
you'll be confined to the San Juan area which is not a bad thing because the
place is pretty awesome.
● This website will help you make plans . It's absolutely phenomenal.
●
By car
If you are planning to explore outside of San Juan, renting a car is by far the most convenient way to get
around. R
entals
are available from the airport as well as larger hotels. Rental cars can be had for as little
as $28 a day. Note that SJU has no rental car agencies in the main terminal but Avis and Hertz are on the
airport grounds close by, while everyone else is located much farther away outside the airport.
The roads can be quite bad, with potholes, missing manhole covers, giant speed bumps in the middle of
major thoroughfares, and uneven pavement. Lane markings are often faint or nonexistent since Puerto
Rico can't afford to implement modern thermoplastic striping; regular paint fades fast under the harsh
tropical sun and frequent rain. Be cautious of other drivers, as turn signals are not commonly used or
adhered to. Most natives do not drive like mainlanders are used to. Watch out for cars pulling out in front
of you, or crossing an intersection, even if you have right of way. Also, there are many cars with
nonfunctional head lights or tail lights, making driving in traffic even more dangerous.
Parking
in the Old Town of San Juan is virtually nonexistent (there is a public parking lot called "La
Puntilla" which, on weekends, charges a fixed rate for the entire day, and it always has available parking
spaces) and t
raffic
in all major cities is bad during rush hour (8am–10am & 4pm–6pm), so give yourself
plenty of time coming and going.
Road signs
are Spanish language versions of their U.S. counterparts, so you shouldn't have trouble
istances are in kilometers, while speed limits are in miles.G
figuring them out. However, note that d as is
also sold by the liter, not by the gallon, and it's a little bit cheaper than on the mainland..
Off the main highways, roads in Puerto Rico quickly become n
arrow, twisty and turny
, especially up in
the mountains. Roads that are only oneandahalf lanes wide are common, so do like the locals do and
beep before driving into blind curves. Signage is often minimal. At intersections, highway numbers are
nearly always signposted but destinations are not, so a detailed highway map will come in handy.
Navigating
a car can be very challenging because most locals give directions by landmark rather by
address and using maps in PR can be very challenging for visitors. G
oogle Maps in particular is fairly
horrible in PR and the wary traveler does not trust it at all. C
ommon problems include street names either
missing or incorrect, and address lookups & business entries (POI's) either give no result or being
completely wrong. A
lternative apps like Waze and Mapquest do work well in Puerto Rico
. Note that the
larger metro areas, especially San Juan, can have several streets with the same name, so it's important
urbanization)name when communicating with taxi drivers, etc. t
to know the neighborhood ( his is
terrifying.
General safety tips? lol
Nearly all crime is concentrated in the big metropolitan cities of San Juan and Ponce, and most of it is
connected to the drug trade. However, the tourist areas of both cities are heavily patrolled by police, and
ery
violent crime directed against tourists is v rare. The main problem is t
heft
: don't leave your belongings
unattended. C
arjacking
and c
ar theft
are also depressingly common, so take care where you leave your
car and don't leave valuables inside. If you are driving at night, you may (with caution) run a red light
without fear of running afoul of traffic police.
If you are concerned about the risk of being m
ugged
while walking around at night, or while walking on
beaches or shorelines at dawn or dusk (a serious problem in San Juan and Ponce), then simply stay at a
gated luxury resort in the countryside and visit the cities during daylight hours. Secure resorts can be
found in Dorado, Rio Grande, Fajardo, and Humacao.
hmmm will we feel safe with airbnb?
aseríos,which are numerous and
Make sure to stay away from public housing projects known as c
widespread throughout the island, and avoid shanty slums as well (La Perla in San Juan). These are
frequently the location of drug dealers and other illegal activity as well as violent crime. If you must
venture into such a location, avoid doing so at night and do not take pictures or film local residents without
permission. You should never take pictures of children without permission, as this is considered quite
rude. Avoid drawing a lot of attention to yourself and be polite at all times.
Like anywhere in the world, you will encounter b
eggars
on the streets of San Juan and Ponce. Avoid eye
contact and resist the temptation to give them money, as most are drug abusers or scam artists. If you
feel a beggar is harassing you, a loud "No" will suffice in most cases.