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I moved to PR about 1.5 years ago from the DC area and to be honest the driving never struck me as that bad. Yes drivers are aggressive here and you have to be watchful of what is going on around you. Yes there are alot of cars. But when it comes down to it there is a sense of order to driving in PR.
One of my friends, a transplant from Mass. put it this way.
to paraphrase-
In PR no one is caught up on "right of way". In the states if you make a mistake driving people will hit you just because they have right of way. They aren't paying much attention to what is going on around them. Here, no one is really looking to get into an accident and right of way is a looser term. People here won't hit you just because you have right of way.
Now that said, you do have to be watchful when driving here, and I have had a couple instances where people tried to merge into me. All in all though driving in PR is not that dangerous.
Hopefully your flight will arrive before noon. You can walk around Old San Juan and see some of it. The next morning you can finish touring Old San Juan, make sure you don't miss El Morro, then head to Fajardo. Make sure you time it so you miss rush hour. That night visit the bioluminescent bay. The next morning go to El Yunque and try to go to La Mina waterfall. It can be quite a hike but worth it, you can swim in it. After that that go to Luquillo beach and try some of the fried seafood turnover/pies. Maybe head back to San Juan for a relaxing evening before heading back the next day. El Convento Hotel is a good place for a couple of drinks and a relaxing dinner. It's not the cheapest but worth the visit. For a cheaper meal, try to find El Jibarito. Any other questions, let me know...
When is rush hour in PR?
I found the About Puerto Rico . . . website which had some good info on hotels and paradores in PR. Cheapest I've found!
I am a Puerto Rican also. I lived in the San Juan metro area for many years and worked there for many years. There are some small hotels like somebody suggested El Canario, which are reasonable although not in the beach properly.
If you like an old spanish city go to Old San Juan and walk the city for a day. You will like it. Have lunch at La Mallorquina in San Francisco St.
If you have time and want to see a gorgeous beach, go to Culebra like others here have suggested. Quaint little island with the most beautiful water.
To go see the rainforest you rent a car or take a tour.
Any other info I can provide please PM me .
Ancie, as long as you and other native Puerto Ricans don't do any advertising on this site, we'd love to hear more about your island! I lived in St. Croix a while but never made it to Old San Juan, a trip that has been rescheduled for late next spring, and I'd like to make the best of my week in PR.
I found the About Puerto Rico . . . website which had some good info on hotels and paradores in PR. Cheapest I've found!
The San Juan is pretty bad around rush hour-- and rush hour is pretty long!
I remember getting into San Juan before dawn and it was already starting... maybe 530-9ish? Thats just my estimate. The actual driving isnt horrible- Ive seen a lot worse here in Charlotte and elsewhere. I think the Metro area has it the worst, because its so densely populated. I think that only the Metro San Juan area has highways that are larger than 2 lanes, the rest of the island only has 2 as far as I remember.
Id say the more common things are changing lanes without signaling and following too close. Whenever we get back from PR, my fiance reverts back to his 'old' driving ways, from when we lived there... (he is Puerto Rican, and we both lived there together a while ago )
It's a little joke we have, so when he comes back here, I always find myself saying 'youre not on the island anymore, cut it out!'.
Also, a good 'native' snack food are 'pinchos'... They are pretty much shish-kabobs with only barbecued meat (chicken or pork). They are usually sold onthe side of the street by someone in a tent with a grill set up. Ive never gotten one that was bad or undercooked, so you shouldnt have to worry, as long as everything looks clean.
Do they still have the trucks on the side of the road that sell the steak sandwiches on pan criollo???. I haven't been back to PR since 1997 but I remember we would always stop and have one of those steak sandwiches. There was a also a place by the beach in Aguada that sold "pinchos" made of shark meat..not bad, tasted like chicken actually. BTW, Crash is an amazing beach...we're from Moca too.
so did you end up moving back to P.R.? If so, I'm curious, what's your take on it so far? We are planning to move back and coincidentally looking in the Utuado area. Did your wife find a job? If not, maybe we can start our own IT business
so did you end up moving back to P.R.? If so, I'm curious, what's your take on it so far? We are planning to move back and coincidentally looking in the Utuado area. Did your wife find a job? If not, maybe we can start our own IT business
BR,
Carlos
Actually, it wasn't a situation of moving back to PR (we've never lived there) but rather considering moving there for the first time. Along those lines, we were considering areas in the mountain/lake region. For all the reasons covered on this forum (and a few more), none of the big cities had any appeal. But somewhere like Utuado seemed like it checked off a lot of our personal boxes for a place to live (excluding job opportunities of course ;-) We were particularly considering the move back when I made that post because it was an opportune time for my wife to change jobs. However, she never found anything there before being offered a good position elsewhere. We would still be interested in going but she would need to be offered a very attractive job at this point to justify the move. Starting an IT business there could definitely be a consideration in the future, especially since I'm quite skilled in IT as well, even though it's not my actual profession. But at least for the next few years we'd rather have the more certain income/insurance/etc. of at least one of us having a regular job.
Anyway, if you're also considering the Utuado area then probably you're doing so for many of the same reasons we were. I'd love to hear more about your plans. Send me a private message sometime and we can talk in more detail.
My experiences in Puerto Rico- Mostly good, not much bad.
I have been reading many of the posts about Puerto Rico and have felt both disgust as well as pleasure at what I have read. It is obvious that some of the posters have had bad experiences in PR and many have had great experiences. I feel that I must take the time to post a reply.
I am of Puerto Rican descent. My parents moved to New York from PR back in the 1950s to earn a decent living and provide for their 5 children. My father is one of the hardest working persons I have ever known contrary to what some posters have said about the work ethic of the people in PR. There are lazy individuals everywhere. I have lived in NY, CA, PR, Guam, MS, MD, SC, VA and now Colorado and I have seen my share of worthless, lazy individuals from all colors and races. I have also experienced automobile theft, petty theft, assaults, dangerous driver behavior, racist police, racism while in the Air Force, racism while in a Catholic high school in Queens, N.Y., (been called the S word many times in school and the military), etc.. I have NEVER experienced any of the above when I lived in Puerto Rico or during any of my twice a year visits to see my parents or during the many times I spent my summer vacations there as a child.
I have been searching for a career opportunity in PR since leaving there 30 years ago for military service. I would move back there in a heartbeat if an opportunity came up to earn a decent living. My wife is an Anglo native of South Carolina and shares this dream. She absolutely loves the people, the weather, and my parents. If you have an open mind about the culture and philosophy of the locals and don't mind the occasional loss of electric power, water or phone service then you will love it in Puerto Rico. My parents live in Cabo Rojo on the Southwest corner of the island. It is a 2.5-3 hour drive from San Juan. It has a slightly drier climate (semi arid) than the eastern half of the island and has calm, beautiful beaches (Boqueron, Buye, El Combate) and a cheaper, more laid back lifestyle and nightlife than the metro San Juan area. Up the road is Rincon and its eclectic mix of locals and U.S. transplants as well as its surfing beaches (last I heard the transplant population numbered around 2,000). A 20 minute drive up North is Mayaguez with all of the usual chain restaurants, Wal-mart, a nice indoor mall, Sam's Club, Home Depot, etc. Everything you need to keep you feeling like you are back in the states. The wife and I have traveled the Caribbean and we feel safer in PR than any other island we have visited. Finding English speaking persons has never been a problem for her. You also don't have to worry about currency exchange, the government seizing your property, or any of the other problems you will/ could experience somewhere else. This IS part of the U.S. and you are protected by the laws of the U.S. and P.R. BTW, I have never been able to buy my way out of a speeding ticket. You will not have to worry about police corruption like some have insinuated. I experienced first hand a Kangaroo Court in Pelzer, S.C. but never in Puerto Rico.
Traffic in the Metro Area IS BAD. It's almost as bad as the traffic in the Washington DC, New York City or Los Angeles Metro areas (lived in all 3). You will find traffic jams and poor drivers everywhere and not just in S.J. You also don't have to put up with snow, icy roads and weeks/ months of cold weather and all of the havoc it wreaks on your daily drive to work. If we want snow we'll fly to it. PR is only a 3.5 hour flight from NYC and a little over 2 hours from Miami. You're always a short flight away from the CONUS.
When I find my dream job we will move to PR, work in the Metro area for awhile and build our dream retirement home on the West Coast (My dad owns 18 acres of hilltop land overlooking the Caribbean) and YES we WILL have a generator, an abundant source of water and satellite TV to ensure we are never slightly inconvenienced. Never feel intimidated or threatened by what you don't understand or aren't used to. Take the time to appeciate and understand the culture and people and what their way of life means to them and make an effort to embrace it. Then one day you too can call yourself a Puerto Rican. Many Puerto Ricans of Anglo, Middle Eastern and Asian descent have done this throughout the past 300 years as evidenced by the multitude of non- Hispanic surnames that exist throughout Puerto Rico today. (Corsican, Croatian, Welsh, Irish, Chinese, Austrian, French and many, many others.) Enjoy the best the island has to offer (friendly people, food, beaches, history,etc.) and forgive us for the occasional bad apple that has left a bad taste in your mouth.
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My experiences in Puerto Rico- Mostly good, not much bad.
