Welcome to Tom & Jana's
Puerto Rico Journal!
A week exploring the most American place in Latin America
From September 30 to October 7, 2003, we drove "The Continent
of Puerto Rico" to see what this island is all about. Puerto Rico
is without question a beautiful island, and depending on what you
look for in a vacation, you may love it or hate it. We came away
with a bit of both sentiments.
For those looking for beautiful beaches, tap water that is safe
to drink, service workers that understand English, and all the
comforts of home, Puerto Rico is for you. We were looking for Latin
America with an American twist, and that's what we found, much to
our dismay. Veteran Latin American travelers will be disappointed
that the city centers, while laid out in familiar form, roll up
their sidewalks in the evening and leave nothing for the sport of
people-watching. Burger King and Wal-Mart have sucked the life from
the zócalos. Like other U.S. cities and towns, the centers of
activity have moved a few miles away, and as a visitor, it is
difficult to find it and get in on it.
You will need a car in Puerto Rico. Without one, you will only
see a fraction of what you would see otherwise. Drivers here are
very aggressive, but at least everyone is paying attention. We
chose a compact car, a Toyota Echo, which worked fine for us,
though we had to use a low gear a few times just to get it to move
on some of the steeper parts...
Smoky, the rent-a-car
Our route is in blue.
Click the map to zoom in on our route.
Day 1 Knoxville to
Atlanta to San Juan, Puerto Rico
Day 2 San Juan to
Quebradillas, via the north coast and Karst Country
Day 3 Quebradillas to
Mayagüez
Day 4 Mayagüez to
Adjuntas, via La Ruta Panorámica
Day 5 Adjuntas to
Barranquitas, more Ruta Panorámica
Day 6 Barranquitas to
San Juan, via the south coast and El Yunque
Day 7 Old San Juan
Day 8 San Juan to
Atlanta to Knoxville
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