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Published: January 17th 2009
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Rincon Beach Resort
Getting ready to leave Well, like great travelers, we talk about our plans for the new day. Today, it was simple...............more "beach" time - after a great breakfast, we spent the rest of the morning on the beach - sitting, walking, in the water! The sun and breeze will stay with us throught the rest of the Jersey winter. We checked out of the resort at noon and headed north and east - ultimate goal - Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan.
Our "travel" plan was to follow the 115 to the 402, then the 2 until we hit the 22 and then stop in Bayamon,
"El Pueblo del Chicharrón" (fried pig skin city). Our drive was smooth, the views great, more food on the side of the road, the reinforcement of Puerto Rican memories strong, and as we hit the Bayamon exit - it started to pour - not rain, but pour..............but almost as soon as it started, it was over. We drove around the city for quite some time - even asking directions in Spanish - but did not find the red carts selling the chicharrones.......oh well - guess we already have plans for our next trip.
Back on
Food for sale everywhere
Look at the variety of fruits and vegetables - you could stop anywhere for these! the 22 to the 26 and the Budget car rental agency - then on the minibus to the airport. A quick stop at the duty free shop (rum) and a moment of waiting for the police drug sniffing dog to investigate part of the waiting area (no, not near our seats) and we were on our flight to Charlotte. We spent our 2 hour Charlotte layover in the USAirways Club and then flew on the Philly - landing just before midnight. Please note that when we left Rincon at noon on Friday it was 87 and when we landed in Philly it was 7.............do the math - an 80 degree change! A quick 30 minute drive home and off to bed, nooooooooooooooo, we were so awake that late night tv occupied us until 2:45...........then off to bed.
Up this morning and there is plenty of sun, but not the hot sun type..................cold..................cold..................cold! Good to be home.
As any good professors would do, we are now going to do a brief assessment of the "planned" (we mentioned these in our first blog entry) aspects of our trip and, of course, note the "extras" that became part of our trip.
Goodbye
Flying out of San Juan You always have a lesson plan, but a good professor will always live in the moment and incorporate extras that may not have been part of the original plan - these are value added components...........it's getting deep - better move on.
Remember our wish list: what about a tour of San Juan's Old City, YES
a visit to El Yunque rainforest, YES
a trip to Barrachina's for the original Pina Colada, YES
a moment at Nona's bar for a Mojito, MOJITO YES
a hungry drive to Cayey to visit the Lechonera-Los Pinos for some pork sandwiches, YES
a stop in Jabos Beach/Isabela to witness El Pozo de Jacinto, YES
travel to La Parguera in Lajas and the Phosphorescent Bay, one of two bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico, to experience the luminescent spectacle, YES
stop by the Casa Verde Guest House in Rincon to visit a friend, YES
surf on the west coast, LOOK AT THE PICTURE ON YESTERDAY'S BLOG ENTRY
make sure to frequent the chicharrones NO
Now for the value added portion: trip to Luquillo beach
the tropical colors on buildings, on clothing, in the fields
vist Universidad InterAmerican de Puerto Rico and Fajardo
always music in the air - from cars, shops, radio - made you feel free and wanting to move all the time
trip to Cidra and an opportunity to see some of the mountains
narrow, winding roads
dogs and cats - no leash laws
dominoes everywhere - seems like a game was taking place on each town's plaza
meeting the librarians at University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
surprising amount of construction - the place is on the move
trip to Guayama and Salinas
palm tree farms
tile floors
lush vegitation everywhere
traffic - we don't have the corner on this
FOOD - amazing and food shacks everywhere
great Medalla beer
incredible beaches and warm water
the fabulous sun and the dependable afternoon shower
friendly people, mostly Spanish speaking, who were willing to work with us on directions and information
how quickly our limited Spanish improved
relaxing to the sound of the surf - exciting, yet, relaxing at the same time
a beautiful island that deserves many more visits!
Our assessment is now complete and we must say that we certainly did well. We've enjoyed sharing our trip with you and look forward to inviting you on our next adventure!
Adios
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