Not sure if the Puerto Rico forum accepts trip reports like the SXM one does but here we go. I’ve been told before that my reports ramble along in one big paragraph and are difficult to follow. Okay, I’ll break it down. This is Nov. 30th to Dec. 7th 2010

Travel
Well, I expected the TSA sexual predators to show their stuff but there was no x-ray or pat down in either BOS or SJU. Smooth travel in both directions. I was almost disappointed. Marge had had a mastectomy and has a prosthesis and she said that she would have been all ready to whip it out and lay it on the counter in front of them. (Better that it went the way it did. She was serious.)

Location and Accommodation
We stayed in a residential community called Ocean Park which is situated between the touristy areas of Condado and Isla Verde. We found a little apartment for rent that was only a two minute walk from the beach for only $75 per night. It had a pool that we had all to ourselves. We didn’t need to rent a car as we could take the bus to where we needed to go. While the accommodation was not the best, it was inexpensive.

Sightseeing
Our sightseeing was only in Old San Juan. We spent four days there. There is so much history and so much to see. I had never before seen blue cobblestones, and many of the streets were paved with them. The streets were very narrow, as were the sidewalks. I don’t know why. Most of the old buildings still stand, dating back centuries. Almost every window in every building had a balcony. We spent quite a bit of time in the cemetery that was adjacent to the fort called, “El Morro”. The cemetery was very interesting and we met a knowledgeable woman there who gave us a lot of insight. Many of the graves dated back over a couple hundred years. Many of the concrete stones and grave coverings were eroded by the salt water and air. That is why many of the modern ones are made of marble. Some of the eroded ones were broken and people had tried to cover the spaces with old plywood. We were able to peer into one and actually see bones and a skull. The fort, called, ‘El Morro’ is/was a main detriment to invaders trying to wrest control of Puerto Rico from Spain. Puerto Rico was a gateway to the ‘new world’ because of the way the trade winds blew. It was constantly attacked by the Dutch and English. Spain did an excellent job of protecting it’s interests with this fort. The fort was laid out on six levels and I was quite impressed with how they could command covering fire over the harbor, ocean, and land in case of attack from any of those angles.

Food
I have always enjoyed indigenous food on SXM and I knew that I would crave the same in San Juan. It is sad to say that one will find the typical American fare in San Juan as in the states. Needless to say we avoided that like the plague. Some of our restaurants were ‘Raices’, which served typical Puerto Rican food. The same can be said for ‘Bombanero’. ‘El Siglo XX’ was more of a Spanish restaurant than Puerto Rican but for us it was great. In this restaurant we shared a Cuban sandwich, bowl of black bean soup, and something called mofanguitos. Mofango is a dish made basically of mashed green plantains and garlic. We had that in another restaurant. The mofanguitos were the same thing, only rolled into little balls and served with a dipping sauce. Other food was just street food from local vendors which was really just fried items wrapped around meat, corn mush, or who-knows-what. A lot of baked sweet potatoes are sold by street vendors.

Language
It has been said that one does not need to speak or understand Spanish to get along in Puerto Rico. I beg to differ. That will work as long as one remains in the touristy areas. We walked about half a mile every day to a little panderia called ‘Kasalta’ and had a lovely breakfast. Not one person there spoke English. We got along just fine. We took the bus to Old San Juan and the driver and passengers did not speak English. We got along fine. We sought out some out of the way stores and Bodegas to shop and no English was spoken. On our first day we did a major grocery shop in a large supermarket and no English was spoken. All of this can be overcome with just some rudimentary Spanish, smiles, and politeness. Respect also goes a long way.

Observations
The water seemed almost as warm as Orient Beach on SXM. Waves were rough but workable.
Just about all store clerks and restaurant workers were polite, courteous, and helpful, despite any language barrier.
Traffic was atrocious and fast moving. We were glad that we didn’t rent a car.
Buses were crowded but enjoyable. Bus drivers drive as crazily as car drivers.
Just about all residences, whether upscale or the projects, were barred and gated. Almost a siege mentality. We had been advised not to take the bus or walk later in the evening.
There were many police in evidence, from multiple jurisdictions. Surely half or more of them were wearing tactical vests. (Those in the know will know what I mean.)
There seemed to be an abnormal amount of high end vehicles, ie. Mercedes Benz and Land Rovers.

Returning?
I will have to use the cliché, ‘been there, done that’. Though I can’t put my finger on it, I am in no hurry to return to Puerto Rico. I did not regret my visit there, just not in a hurry to return. There seems to be something about Sint Maarten-Saint Martin that is calling me back. Hope all enjoyed the trip report. Be well.

Wayne <><
(and Marge)