Liv'n Large in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Version 2.0

A New Chapter Begins!

If I had not stated so previously, part of my motive for going to Puerto Rico was to see if I might like living there. Hence the need to see the place during its worst.. Hurricane Season. The answer to that is most definitely! In fact, I plan to move to the island in late November. No, Really, I have my ticket! I’ve already shipped a bunch of things that way and will be selling off or giving away what I don’t keep. As ‘LaLa’ put it- “Puerto Rico is truly, America’s Best Kept Secret”.. I could not agree more. [Read more…] about Puerto Rico Version 2.0

Puerto Rican Eats..

One of the things I wanted to check out was foods unique to PR. Admittedly, being in San Juan is not the way to do it. So to that end, I offer the following.

Caribbean Munchies:

Caribas brand chips are made from produce popular to the Caribbean basin. They were wedged into the potato and corn chip aisle. They were new to me. The 3 I tried were made from Yuca, green Plantains and yellow Plantains. Yuka chips– the text on the bag was entirely in Spanish, but the illustration is of a large root sliced thin and fried like potato chips They do have the texture of a potato chip, but with their own unique flavor. They remind me of thick, salted kettle chips. I liked them. The yellow Plantain Maduros chips were very crunchy and slightly sweet, hence their caramel color. I liked them too. [Read more…] about Puerto Rican Eats..

Beverages Unique to Puerto Rico…

RUM… yumm! As I mentioned earlier, my fav has always been a Cuba Libré. DonQ Cristal is a very clear, smooth Rum used in most mixed drinks. A true Puerto Rican Rum distilled by the Serralles family. Yes, a genuine Cuba Libré is made with a dark Rum and a squirt of lime. My Puerto Rican Libré is made with clear Rum, Diet Coke and the little lemons that grow every where. I pick them green.. they look just like small Key limes, but tastes kind of like a hybrid lemon/lime. The bushy bright green trees have small thorns to look out for. The best part is, they are very juicy and don’t cost 50 cents each.

As mentioned earlier, there is one very popular beer here. The Medalla Light. I would compare it to a Miller Light or Coors Light. On a hot muggy day (aren’t they all?) it really hits the spot. I have yet to run across any locally produced micro-brewed beers… I’m still looking into that. [Read more…] about Beverages Unique to Puerto Rico…

Detours End.. Back on the Road!

Or.. how I survived buying a used car in PR

I did finally score a used ride off Clasificados Online, but not without a lot of hassle. Seriously, if you only have a week or two to look around, then bite the bullet and pay the high price of renting a car. I had figured I might need one for up to 2 months but I’ve lost almost 2 weeks messing around.

The Scurvy Dog and His Rodeo in Puerto Rico

After looking at many, many ads, the 1st one I went to check out was for a truly trashed Toyota Landcruiser.. well, it looked good in the photo! It was missing a tail-light lens and would not start upon arrival… I don’t know if he ever got it to go. He kept repeating in broken english- “You don’t want to buy this car”. The second vehicle was a very nice looking Landrover from a used car dealer. Its transmission failed on the freeway, within 10 miles of leaving the lot. The dealer sent a “Grua” (a flatbed type tow truck) to take it back to his lot. I tried to work with him on it, but after 4 days of waiting I called Visa and cancelled the contract. Its a real good thing it was bought on a card, otherwise I would have had no recourse. I ended up with a used Isuzu Rodeo I scored from a private party. Its in real clean shape and runs well. We will see how it holds up.

The ‘Lemon Law’ here only covers brand new vehicles and that only works with the original car makers warranty. Any ride with more than 100 miles on it is exempt. Which explains why there are so many new cars here.

Side Note- I could not get cash with my Wells Fargo ATM card using the local ATH machines (Puerto Rican-ATMs) which are everywhere. I was able to get cash from the Banco Popular’s ATMs (with a 1% fee), which are located at all branches and in most malls. They are the largest bank on the island with branches on the main land too.

The Great Coamo Detour

Side tracked and kicked back…

I’ve been scoping out Clasificados Online looking for a cheap, dependable ride to run around the island in. Plan ‘B’ was to simply rent a car, but I wanted to see how buying a vehicle worked here.

Purely by coincidence, I scored a ride from a couple of guys staying at the Coqui Inn, out to Santa Isabel on the South side of the island. They were “rock & roll roadies” from the mainland on vacation, doing a short road trip to Ponce. Quite a pair of characters.. one had grown up as a kid in Caguas, PR, before moving to the mainland. [Read more…] about The Great Coamo Detour