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.