Finally getting time off

Hi DocRob,
I won't get into a long discussion about your post. I'll just briefly give you my own opinion based on my personal experience there. First. I wouldn't sleep in my car ANYWHERE! 10 years ago maybe. Tents, sleeping bags, hammocks and such are definitely a cheap way to go. But I'm aware of some of the creepy crawly things(centipedes, rats, fire ants, scorpions, various lizards) in PR.  It's literally a jungle you know. There is no way I'd sleep on the ground at night or even hanging from a hammock. Also refer back to , "I wouldn't sleep ANYWHERE in my car". Same goes for sleeping randomly at places outdoors. It's just not safe. Forget everything you know you can or might be able to do in Oklahoma.

What "highlights" are you talking about hitting in 5 days? And no, you can't trust a R.E. agent to be punctual. You are going to Puerto Rico hence you will be on "Puerto Rican Time".. Don't ever expect anyone to be on time or to get anything done within a certain time frame. Best of luck to you Doc. You are in for a real eye opener. Start learning to like listening to Reggaeton and I must warn you, be careful on the roads. The driving and drivers are a bit different than where you are from. Send us a picture of you with one of the many beautiful women they have on the island. Just keep an open mind and have fun. There are a lot of very cool things to do and see there. PS- I'd rent before I bought property, at least for awhile. Just in case.

Do you have short list of towns you'd consider living in? What are they? By "highlights" do you mean checking places you might want to live, or something else? Your approach is very methodical and it appears you'll be a very busy guy during your short stay on the island. I live in Rincon in the northwest. There is a real estate agency here that might be punctual and reliable: Island West, on the web rinconrealestateforsale.com. However there are a lot properties for sale that do not go through a real estate agent. They are found by networking, driving around and looking, and even knocking on doors (this includes vacant lots). Taking this route involves hanging out for a period of time.

About accommodations. Do yourself a favor and find cheap places to stay instead of using your car or camping. In Rincon try The Rincon Inn, $45/day. I also hear that some rooms are $25 a night.

About making the loop around the island. Yes you can do it in 5 days. But what do you you plan to do in those 5 days?

Appears that the Blitzkrieg approach is your style and you might find something that way. Okay. If you buy and at a later date you feel that you made a mistake, you could also (try) to sell it and move somewhere else. I rent. You might consider that before becoming locked into a house and property. In Rincon rents are cheap. Cheaper other places I'd imagine since Rincon is a tourist destination. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Hi:

I  am originally from PR and live in the US, always dreaming of moving back some day. Emma Sanchez, a realtor, is reliable and you may reach her at 787-210-5415. She is self employed, Pacific Atlantic is the name of her business; tell her Sally referred you.

Regarding sleeping in your car, I'd be quite nervous given the crime rate. Never camped in PR, so can't give advise there.

Driving clockwise is great, that's what I usually do, yet I start off in Ponce, and drive west stopping in Guanica's Guilligan's Island. We spent the night at La Parguera. 5 days might be cramming it depending how much time you want to dedicate in each place. Once you reach Fajardo, I'd take auto posts 52 to Ponce and head west from there.

Good luck and happy travels!

Sally

There are some places to camp but they are designated camping areas just like in the states. For instance, there is one in Fajardo. You wouldn't want to sleep in your car - especially so outside a designated camping area.

11 days is plenty of time to circumnavigate PR. I would drive in a clockwise direction, as you mentioned. But, don't forget to check out the interior of the island as well. Utuado and Lares are interesting places in the mountains, for instance.

Thanks everybody.
I guess what I am looking for is a camping spot that has other campers looking out for each other. Sort of like the NFS sites over here. I've read of a few people that have done the hammock thing for a night or two along the way at places like Flamenco beach. Not sure how safe that is, though.
Here's a rough itinerary if you'd like to critique, please do so.

Plan is to come down on a Monday, stay in SJ Viejo that night and fly over to Culebra for 2 nights the next day, leave there Thurs am via lancha for Vieques, spend Thurs/Fri there, fly back to SJ and rent a car.

Make it back to Fajardo, thence Humacao, Patillas and spend the night in the car around Bahia de Jobos, taking in Guayama on the way, then Salinas the next morning. That puts me around Sunday-ish and the idea is to make tracks for Orocovis, then into Ponce and into Aguada Tues night. Head back for SJ thru Isabella-
Arecebo-Vega Alta. I have an acquaintance living in VA that does metal detecting and I'm gonna have to buy him dinner in order to bribe him into showing me his fav beaches for detecting, heheh
Turn in car Weds and stay in SJV W-Th, enjoying the touristy spots and leave for home Friday afternoon.
Whew. I'm gonna need a bigger SD card for the video.

Sounds hectic, but I'm getting out of the metro for almost all of it- so little traffic tie ups don't matter so much.
Thanks again. Doc

I would add one more thing if you are able. Drive through Rincon on your way to Aguadilla. It's particularly Gringo friendly and has world class sunsets. Look up El Coqui of Rincon magazine on the internet before leaving.. It's a monthly mag full of info about the area.

The Patillas Salinas area is a rough area, I wouldn't spend it in the car.

A nice place to go is Guilligan's Island in Guanica, a nice mangrove island with channels to snorkel. It is about 40 minutes southwest of Ponce.

Have fun!

Thanks Greg and Gugs, I guess I need to differentiate regions from cities. I will definitely want to hit a lechon (or 3) along the way thru Humacao or Patillas region, no? The one in Cayey that I saw on a food show-can't think of his name now- may be too far out of my way, so any suggestions?

I would like to have the time to do Guilligans and La Parguera as well as Guanica, but figure won't have the time this trip. My approach is a gestault one, not so much of a Blitzkrieg approach, Victor; I need to see the whole field before zeroing in and this trip is just that. With a little fun thrown in.

I lived in Hawaii and California and hitchhiked around most of those states (yes -alot younger), but I watch what I'm doing and ask for help when I need to. That's why I value ya'lls insights.

Traffic can't be as bad as Houston or L.A. and driving in Hawaii (in a 1959 Caddy we bought from a funeral home) was plenty engaging.

So, it will be buses and golf carts and planes, with a rental car for long distance. Oh, and feet. But, wish I had my motorcycle there.

Yes, traffic can be as bad as Houston and LA. Motorcycles aren't such a good idea. Aside from the many pot holes the drivers are terrible. .

I'd try Bebo's in the SJ metro area (Carolina, specifically) right off of route 26 on the south side of an access road for good food. You can see it from the highway.

My wife recommends a lechonera in Sabana Grande by the name of Figueroa's. She's from the Island. If you get a chance to stop in Mayaguez  I'd recommend a restaurant called Gonzales Seafood. It's right on the water. They have a mofongo dish with churrasco and an out of this world mushroom sauce. And don't forget "Pinchos", that wonderful treat of barbequed pork on a stick. Many roadside stands sell them. How's your Spanish?

My mouth is already watering. Thanks for the gastro tips!
My Spanish is better reading than speaking; I am practicing Boriqueno (or how to speak Puerto Rican) off the net. -What did we ever do before youtube?
I found tents for rent on Culebra along with a source for golf cart or scooter.
Now trying to determine if there are any private KOA like campgrounds/RV sites, etc at other spots around La Isla.
I bought a tablet to carry with that I can Wi-Fi to look at maps and mail. Are there plenty of hotspots to get connected to in various regions- shopping areas, fast food joints or?
Definitely will be grabbing up paper maps along the way, prior to driving.
Again, thanks.

There is a nice campground at 7 Seas n Fajardo. It's right on a little cove and it's a beautiful place. It's safe there and they have showers and bathroon facilities. Look it up on the net.

i wouldn't count too heavily on internet "hotspots". Internet there is not as efficient as you might be used to. (neither is much else for that matter.). I'd go in the lobby of some of the bigger or nicer hotels and resorts for that. Just ask for the password at the front desk.

Many fast food joints offer free wifi for their customers.
When our DSL line was down for a week or so I spent hours on a cup of coffee with my laptop in a BK.

Good point Gary. I remember when I first got there and was looking for a place to rent, BK was a place I used frequently.

and BK is all over the place (unfortunately)

Yes but fortunately you don't have to eat there while you use the wifi.

GreggK wrote:

Yes but fortunately you don't have to eat there while you use the wifi.

Right! Their coffee ain't too bad and they will leave you alone for hours on one cup.

BK used to have some great flame grilled burgers, but there's not one too close to me so, I don't eat there.
But, free wi-fi and a chance to upload some digital vid to the cloud is good.

Got all reservations made today, deposits put down and airfare paid for, including Culebra and Vieques.

Have the first and the last part of the trip locked down. that leaves me with 4 days in the middle to hit the mountains
and check out - Rio Abajo, Toro Negro, Bosque Estal de Guajataca and Camuy Caves. Hey, middle of the trip, middle of the island, it works.
I think I have to check for permits in SJ for those, so if anyone has directions from VSJ to that office, I'd appreciate it.

EDIT: I found Carretera 8838, km 6.3, Sector El Cinco as an office address in Rio Piedras.
Now, my question is, can I get there via taxi or bus from SJV and on to Luis Munoz Marin AP by 13:30 if I leave before 8 am?

If you are interested, here's a tentative route I've mapped out: https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=El+Y … 1&t=m&z=10

Does anyone know if the South Road out of El Yunque is open towards Nagaubo?
Any input is welcome.

I'm pretty sure that south road from El Yunque is closed to visitors. I believe there's only one way up and one way down (from Rio Grande on the north side) for non-Park personnel. I'm sure that even if a portion of the south road is open, you would only be able to access it from the south side. You cannot drive through El Yunque from north to south because the Park Service has that road gated off.

Regarding your map, I'd also try to hit Ponce, the charming, historic town of San German, and maybe Lajas's waterfront and/or Cabo Rojo. San German is home to the 500 year old Convento de Porta Coeli, and although small, it is still very interesting if you love history. Lajas has a lovely waterfront boardwalk. Cabo Rojo has its excellent natural park, salt pools, lighthouse and stunning cliff views. Ponce can get congested and has plenty of crummy areas but its center has the historic fire house building and other colonial era architecture. I understand you can't do it all in one trip though!

A heads-up regarding your route through Jayuya. It's an interesting place just because it is relatively remote for a town in PR but the road leading from there west is extremely curvy. It will make your passenger (and probably yourself) dizzy because it has so many endless, sharp little curves. This drive also takes a long time to cover a short distance. I wouldn't include that leg in my first journey if I were you because it will use up valuable time for minimal reward and may actually make you and your passenger car-sick.

Utuado and Lares are definitely good places to visit. I like the Taino park area in Utuado, for instance. It is a very beautiful spot located in the valley of three sharp peaks, which they say had religious significance to the Tainos. Lares has an interesting independence-movement history, both in relation to Spain and then the US. It also was the base of a fascist movement in the 30's. You can see the pictures of the brownshirts marching through town in the local ice-cream shop, where they make their own ice-cream with ingredients such as corn, yuca, etc. The difference between Utuado and Lares on the one hand, and Jayuya on the other, is that Utuado and Lares are much easier to reach and both have more for a visitor to see and do. They have much better roads connecting them to the rest of the island.

Good luck!

Alrighty, NL, thanks. I'll keep refining this over the next few weeks. I've got from Sat-Thurs to see Cordillera Central and points west. Here's another possible route with some wiggle room for the points you mentioned:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=El+Y … 6&t=m&z=10

Not married to Rio Abajo, so I can turn south toward Ponce, etc.
PS- I like the twisties...

Well after 9 days on la isla I finally slowed down enough to post something. Needless to say, I've had a blast and am getting ready to spend Weds night in Rincon, then back to OSJ for a few nights.
Have at least 3 hours of vids that will take me 2 weeks to edit.
Most of the people I have met have been awesome! The other ones drive cars! Hahaha
It's about sunset, so more pics to take.