Puerto Rico 2022 - Day 5: Departure, thoughts

This morning, we ate breakfast while watching some fishermen work on the beach. You can see the rebar fence that was about to become a concrete wall before the project was halted.

We had about a 2.5-hour drive across the northern expanse of the island, and we needed to allow ample time to gas up and return the rental car, so we left the condo around 10:30 AM.

There was an accident (or something) on the only major highway, so we had to wind our way along the ridges and hills.

We passed the Cumar River Cave Park, which had been a potential day-trip option if we had a problematic weather day. In hindsight, it probably wouldn't have gone well... this site indicates that it only recently opened, after being closed since hurricane Maria (4.5 years ago), and possibly requires reservations? The Wikipedia article says it was scheduled to open last December, but also that it re-opened about a year ago (March 2021), so who the hell knows? Maybe next time.

We also passed relatively near to the Arecibo Observatory, which would have been an interesting stop a few years ago (before it collapsed).

The airport was rather busy, and also disappointingly devoid of decent food options. By the time we endured a nearly-two-hour-long maintenance delay, a 3+ hour flight (but a 1 hour time change), a dead car battery, and the drive home from PHL, it was 9:30 PM (almost exactly 12 hours from the time we left the condo in Puerto Rico).

The west coast of Puerto Rico was absolutely beautiful. I would stay in the Rincón area again, if the opportunity arose. The location and view from our condo was excellent; we could sit on the balconies and watch pelicans fishing as the sun set over the ocean. The pace of life is definitely a bit slower outside of the capital, which is already somewhat relaxed, compared to what we're used to in the northeast US.

I'm glad that we got to see more of the island this time (vs last trip which was mostly San Juan with a few hours for Luquillo beach and El Yunque rainforest). With the extra side trip to visit the Pork Highway on the first day, we nearly circumnavigated the island.

I'm writing a random list of notes here, for our own (or your) future use. 

• Córcega beach was clean and calm, and the water there was clear with a nice, sandy bottom as far out as anyone could stand. The beach we visited down by the salt flats was also nice, although there was some floating seagrass. Neither beach had much sargassum, if any.
• There are lots of iguanas, to the point where we saw maybe a dozen as roadkill.
• There is some very creative driving. I commented several times that I was surprised we didn't see more accidents. Maybe give this a read, before going.
• There are bakeries everywhere. Seriously... go to Google Maps and search an area of the island for "bakery". If you like guava and pineapple, you'll be pleased. Also flan, which is apparently very polarizing.
• The food is amazing; the roadside, casual, outdoor restaurants never disappointed. Everything was fresh and tasty.
• The interior of the island is much lumpier than any of us expected. This map sums it up nicely.
• The weather patterns were the same, every day. It was calm in the morning, then the wind/water got rougher in the afternoon, followed by scattered showers.
• Some reviews we had read (e.g., TripAdvisor, Google) mentioned the groceries being expensive where we were, but this was not our experience. Everything seemed reasonable, especially in comparison to some other islands we've visited.
• Gas is sold by the liter, and distances on signs are in KM or meters (abbreviated "mts"), but speed limits are in MPH. Gas prices were about the same as in PA, (at least when we left).
• The roads weren't bad, but anything other than the main highways was somewhat hilly and windy.
• There are horses and cows all over the place. People tether horses in yards, parks, baseball fields, centers and shoulders of roads, and anywhere else there's grass. Other wildlife is not shy about crossing roads, either: dogs, chickens, iguanas.
• About 1-in-8 Church's Chicken restaurants in the US are in Puerto Rico, and they were often paired with Burger King for some reason.
• It seemed like there were auto parts stores, garages, and car dealerships everywhere. (Again, check Google Maps. You'll see.)

Let me know if I missed any fun facts or notable items.

Puerto Rico 2022 - Day 4: Beach, revisited

It was another perfect beach day, so we headed down to the water after (what had become) our usual breakfast routine. Karyn had to take a work call around 1:30 PM. This fit in perfectly with our schedule of "doing nothing all day".

The area between the building and the beach had been a construction zone at some point. Presumably rebuilding/repairing after hurricane Maria and/or the large earthquakes? Unclear.

At some point, some government entity seems to have put a stop to the project. At least, that's the gist I got from skimming (and comprehending maybe 20% of) the 8' tall sign that was posted next to the building, by the small public parking area.

Because of this, the wall/fence around the yard area is incomplete, which was nice for us because it made it easy to get to/from the beach. The yard also contains this large mound of dirt, which several iguanas have decided to use for their burrow(s). This morning, I finally saw them, and even managed to get a photo as they scurried over the pile.

As on Monday, we spent the entire day lounging on the beach, reading, napping, swimming, snorkeling, walking, snacking, etc.

As the sun marched across the sky, those of us who preferred the shade had to shuffle our beach chairs around a few times. It was all rather relaxing, as we nearly had the entire beach to ourselves.

The weather cooperated completely, again. We really were very fortunate these last few days, with regards to the weather. The forecast was essentially the same every day: high of 80 to 82F ("feels like 89"), chance of showers in the afternoon. At times, we could clearly see it raining in the distance, to the north and to the south. And yet, we always managed to dodge the storms.

Some time around... 4? maybe 5? we retreated to the condo to rinse off sand and sunscreen, and sneak in a cocktail as the sun set to the west.

For tonight's dinner, we hit up another touristy spot, just past the downtown area (such as it is), sort of at the marina: Shipwreck Bar & Grill.

Not wanting to have any more leftovers, we shared a few entrees and appetizers. The mofongo was served in a pilon, which is sort of a wooden mortar and pestle. Opinions were split on the food, but we all agreed that it was "fine". The drinks were just average, though. I probably wouldn't go back, if I ever happen to be in the area again.

Our sample size was small, but it seemed that the food options near the downtown area and to the north were aimed more at tourists, while the venues south of downtown were better, perhaps more authentic, and certainly cheaper. Or, to put it another way, the tourist restaurants had menus in English, whereas some of the other nights we had to practice our Spanish.

We left the Shipwreck around 9, which left us just enough time to stop at the Rimicon Bakery en route to the condo, where we stretched the boundaries of "reasonable amount of dessert for five people", but didn't get too carried away (this time).

Tomorrow, we depart for Pennsylvania.