Latino Language, Pedagogy and Culture Immersion Institute in Puerto Rico

8/2/09

It is late, but I am still wide awake. The weekend was full of excitement, and I probably should be more tired. I have visited with a few groups upon their return, and have taken in some of the positives and negatives of their traveling experiences. I am going to start by sharing the information I have collected.

Ponce:
· Large town, but similar to others
· Playa de Ponce was absolutely beautiful and had a small boardwalk and many extravagant boats
· Along route 52 you can see the town’s name spelled out in big red letters

El Yunque:
· Poorly marked entrance
· Lack of accurate tour information
· Too many visitors for amount of parking
· Crowded waterfalls
· A must see is the two towers with beautiful views
· Variety of trails, varying levels
· Were slightly disappointed compared to expectations
· Lack of visible wildlife and flowers
· $3 fee for Visitors center, which included: gift shop, small video, restaurant, and several displays and interactive informational areas
· It WILL rain on you!

Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan) :

· Discount El Morro y San Cristobal with NEA/PSEA card
· Cathedral was beautiful
· Many touristy street shops as well as local Puerto Rican arts and crafts
· There were high end “outlets” and cheaper shops in the same street
· Free trolleys that offer tours in a closed AC atmosphere
· Beautiful cobblestone streets
· Trolleys go to castles
· Street parking $5 for the day, garage parking is approx. $20 for all day
· Parrot Bay Club restaurant was a delicious and neat experience, free Mojito if you take a visitors map from the visitor center in Mayaguez


Driving
· Roads are very poorly marked
· Interstates turn into small back roads without any warning
· Maps out of date
· No two maps are the same
· Horses right alongside highway
· Stray dogs and cats everywhere

This weekend we had the pleasure of being in the company of a beautiful, young native. She took us to a few of her favorite places, which happen to also now be mine. The most beautiful beach we visited was Playa Sucia. It is located in Cabo Rojo, between the beautiful cliffs. It was crowded, so I would recommend arriving early. Many people bring coolers and set up their area under the shade of the trees. The water was a beautiful bright blue, and the sand was smooth between my toes. Pelicans were diving for fish and fish were breaching the water. It made for an exciting and memorable day.

After the beach, we traveled to the small town called Boqueron. It was incredibly interesting and filled with the hustle and bustle of the weekend. There were many small restaurants and shops right on the beach, including live mussels and clams being sold and consumed right there. After purchasing two pairs of earrings and eating at one of the local restaurants, we traveled home to prepare for the evening on the town. I have already taken a piece of this place with me, and it saddens me to know that the weekend has come to a close.