Final Thoughts

I’ve been home for a day now and have been thinking about my experiences in Puerto Rico.  It was a great trip and I’m already planning my next visit.



Getting to Puerto Rico from the eastern USA is so easy! 

• There are flights into San Juan or Mayaguez from Atlanta, Miami, Houston, and New York (perhaps more cities that I am not aware of). 
• No passport is required because it is a US Territory.
• I’ve seen flights for about $400 round trip.  That makes a quick long weekend mini-vacation very doable!

Some observations:

• Speed limits are posted in miles per hour, but distances are posted in kilometers, and gasoline is sold by the liter.
• The roads are narrow.  Having a small, maneuverable car was safer than a larger vehicle.
• Local rental car companies may offer better rates than are available through the international chains on line.  Check with Popular car rental as an example (my car was $280 for the week with unlimited miles and was a brand new Ford Focus).
• Making an effort to find local places to eat was definitely worth the effort.  The cost was about 1/3 of the prices charged in restaurants frequently by gringos and tourists, and the food was just was good or better!
• Sticking to local drinks was also cheaper.  Medalla beer is excellent, and rum drinks are the way to go.  I had no problem drinking tap water.
• In Rincon virtually everyone speaks English. In other areas fewer people speak English. Making an effort to speak Spanish is a show of respect and is appreciated by the locals. Even if you know only a few words, start off in Spanish.  If they speak English they will let you know right away. 
• Many people I met spoke flawless English.  They were delighted when I asked them to please speak Spanish with me so I could practice.  They were more than willing to help, and offered many suggestions about where to go for food, entertainment, and shopping away from tourist areas.
• Free wifi was available in many places; coffee shops, bars, hotel lobbies, etc.
• Verizon and AT&T cell phones work there.  I had to call Verizon to enable international roaming on my data plan but there was no additional data charge.  I didn't have to do anything extra for AT&T.

Viva Puerto Rico!

Amazing Contrast

I am simply amazed that a person (in this case me) can wake up in New York, walk out the door into a freezing rain, and have lunch on the deck of a tiki bar in the caribbean while watching surfers tackle 6 foot perfectly curling emerald colored waves, with the late, great Bob Marley singing in the background.

Posted via my cell phone.

Making My Escape

It was only two days ago that the Nigerian terrorist idiot lit his own crotch on fire in an attempt to kill a plane load of Christmas day travelers.  I knew the TSA was still reacting to the event, so I gave myself extra time this morning.  It turned out to be unnecessary.  I arrived at the airport at 4:15 AM for my 6:00 AM flight, and was at the gate by 4:45 despite there being only two open security lanes.

I had not been in Terminal 7 of JFK since Jetblue finished their remodeling and I must say it is very nice.  The seats are comfortable, there are several places to eat including multiple coffee kiosks (a must at 5:00 AM), and free wifi.  They also have several rows of computer workstations throughout the terminal where you can plug in and charge up. 


The flight to Aquadilla from JFK is an easy 3 hours and 15 minutes.  I was able top sleep for about an hour and we landed at 10:20 Puerto Rico time (one hour ahead of EST).  The Aquadilla airport is small, clean, and simple.  There were no crowds and parking and rental cars are a few steps way.  

I had arranged for a  car through Popular Auto Rental Car (info on the side bar).  They were closed today but their man Ramon Vega gave me his personal cell phone and told me to call when I landed.  He was at home when I called and he drove over and delivered the car to me under a big tree in front of the airport. 


Ramon said they are closed when I leave too, but no problem – I can lock the keys in the car leave it in the bowling alley parking lot across the street from the airport.  He’ll stop by later in the day to pick it up.  Talk about low key! The car is a brand new Ford (Fusion, I think).

Although I updated my Garmin maps before the trip, my GPS was not a lot of help.  It got me going in the general direction but I needed to refer to printed maps to get me the last few miles.  The GPS took me to side streets rather than main highways, and to roads that have obviously been closed for years.  It was not really a problem because I was in no hurry and used it as an excuse to explore.

Rincon is about 25 miles from the Aquadilla airport.