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My grandfather is from Puerto Rico and I'm thinking about finally making a trip to the island. I'm planning on visiting in July, which I understand is a low season for tourists, but the high season for locals.
Here's my general 1-week itinerary
- San Juan (Old San Juan especially)
- Arecibo (caves, observatory)
- El Yunque
- Ponce (my grand-dad's city)
I'd appreciate some tips in regards to airline tickets, budgeting, places to avoid, etc.
I hate these threads that ask people to write about the bad things in PR. We do that in all the other threads, I'd hate to concentrate it all in one place...
BTW, I found Dr. Pepper in Old San Juan and my high school sells Mountain Dew...
PS, you're generalizing and being presumptuous about the gun in the car. Ever happened to you?
I like your Bests a lot!
I grew up in L.A. and lived in Memphis, TN for 22 years, which is one of the most dangerous, crime ridden cities in the world (#2 in the country...it keeps fighting Detroit for the #1 spot). Everyone has guns and the bad areas far out number the good ones. I've had cars stolen and my house burglarized (more than once). I am a single woman, andm I'm about to take myself on a solo vacation to Puerto Rico. I am not a bit worried about my safety. I survived Memphis...Puerto Rico sounds like a dream destination 😎. Btw, there are guns in every U.S. city. In Georgia, you don't need to register a gun or even have a permit to carry a gun in your car or anywhere else (so long as it's not concealed).
I grew up in L.A. and lived in Memphis, TN for 22 years, which is one of the most dangerous, crime ridden cities in the world (#2 in the country...it keeps fighting Detroit for the #1 spot). Everyone has guns and the bad areas far out number the good ones. I've had cars stolen and my house burglarized (more than once). I am a single woman, andm I'm about to take myself on a solo vacation to Puerto Rico. I am not a bit worried about my safety. I survived Memphis...Puerto Rico sounds like a dream destination ��. Btw, there are guns in every U.S. city. In Georgia, you don't need to register a gun or even have a permit to carry a gun in your car or anywhere else (so long as it's not concealed).
the difference is in the U.S. you can get in your car and move to a better and safer neighborhood. U.S. is big. Why people live in over-crowded cities in the U.S. is beyond me. When I visit friends in NYC and the plane is landing at the JFK airport you can see the miles and miles of buildings next to each other, I'm like how can people call this living?......I like space and fresh air, I like to get in my car and get on the highway and drive and see grass, trees, lakes, rivers and mountains without a 3 to 4 hour traffic everyday or people being all over you everywhere you go in the city.
P.R. is 130 x 35 miles with 4 million people.......there is nowhere to build but up....unless you have money to live in a private community with security and send your kids to private school, I would never live again in P.R..........when most of the houses in P.R. have IRON bars around all their windows and doors and garages is not a designer statement but security.
I can't live like that.....I can't live in any place that I have to be in a penitentiary in my home and I have to worry where I park my car all the time because there is a good possibility when you return the tires and radio might be missing or the whole car. I like to send my kids to a safe school with good teachers that teach proper English so when they graduate High School they can have a basic job interview in English.
I can't live in a place that crime is so high that the insurance for the common folks is expensive or worse NOT available in your area.....that's not living.
As a "gringa" snowbird here is my list of best/worst.
BEST:
-Seeing Hubby's sister/cousins
-Weather
-Beaches
-Scenery
-Fruit to include:
-Pineapple (to DIE for)
-Avocado
-Carambola
-Papaya
-Guanabana
-Mango
-Pana
-Wildlife to include:
-Iguanas
-Birds
-Geckos
-Coquis
(I'm an amateur photographer)
-Music (well, some of it-don't like rap in any language)
-Our house down there
-Casinos
Worst:
-The chickens that wake me up all hours of the night
-The noise
-Drivers (most Puerto Ricans are very nice until they get behind the wheel of a car)
-Not really knowing the language (but that is my fault)
-The narrow winding roads
-The monkeys
-Having to wait "mañana" for everything and anything
-Not having my kitties when I am down there.
Best things: The scenery from my house is the stuff found on postcards. I can see the Caribbean and can look towards Atalaya, Cruces and the mountains. I'm 5 minutes away from waterfalls and some of the best beaches in Porto del Sol. 30 minute and I'm in either Aguadilla or Mayaguez and from an ice skating rink...Si I said Ice-skating right across from the municipal beach in downtown Aguadilla. The food is awesome from 1.50 pinchos and any culture who can cook chicken and pig the way its done here is heaven on earth. The Puerto Ricans themselves are the best I've found in the Caribbean and Latin America and I've travelled to just about every country in this hemisphere. They are very loyal friends and in some ways become a part of your extended family! The Microclimate systems here are amazing. I can be in a central texas type of climate by driving to Cabo Rojo (35 miles from here) to the lushness of Maricao and its mountain streams to the ancient spirituality of Lares and the Rio Camuy!
The Worst: The medical system absolutely sucks here. If you have a 1pm appointment you might get in by 5pm. Dealing with any government entity is another all day event an I dread any time I have to go to DTOP (our DMV). Buying a car requires visits to multiple offices and one time when I got up to the lady She said she spoke no English and I replied that's OK because I speak Spanish. It boiled down to I was going to cut into her lunch hour and because I look Gringo she figured I didn't speak Spanish. Important lesson here....Puerto Ricans come in all shapes colors and sizes jajajajaja.
FYI Dr Pepper and Mountain are found easily in Aguada, Rincon, Anasco, and Mayaguez
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