The Scurvy Dog's Puerto Rican Blog

Lights in the Night Sky & the Unexplained in PR

A Short Reference to the Bizarre Phenomenon in Puerto Rico

There are several points I want to cover with this somewhat off topic post. I do not ‘ask’ that you believe in ‘little green men’, the paranormal, or any clandestine conspiracy theory. Some of us have witnessed an ‘unexplainable event’, most have not. I’m in that 1st category.

Captured at a Local Pub

The summer between my 7th and 8th grade, my brothers and I and the neighborhood kids were playing ‘hide and seek’ close to sunset. Sunsets in Alaska come very late in June and July. Anyway, I spotted something streak across the sky, then literally do acrobatic maneuvers for a good 10 minutes… [Read more…] about Lights in the Night Sky & the Unexplained in PR

Coamo Springs Resort of Puerto Rico

Hotel Baños de Coamo en Puerto Rico

Since moving to Coamo last fall, I’ve been wanting to check out Coamo’s only hotel. This post is based on a quick 15 minute walk-through of the place.

A review of user comments over at TripAdvisor did not return good results. Almost all personal reviews of the place were negative… an average of only one star. I suspect if they were given the option they would have given it none. So I did not go with high expectations. I did not stay here, nor did I get a peek into any of the rooms.

This is what I found-

The facility is located at the end of Hwy 546, off Hwy 153, which is off Expressway 52. Not hard to find.

As legend has it, Ponce de Leon made the trek to these natural hot springs where the infamous fable of the “Fountain of Youth” originated. He’s also the namesake of Ponce. A hotel was established in 1847 and has been in existence in one form or another, ever since. [Read more…] about Coamo Springs Resort of Puerto Rico

The Botanical and Cultural Gardens of Caguas

Jardin Botanico y Cultural de Caguas

This most beautiful, lush park covers 60 acres.

Another, much larger botanical garden is located in San Juan on the grounds of the University of Puerto Rico. There is a 3rd botanical garden located near Mayaguez, also run by the University. Both of which I plan to visit sometime down the road. There are also several smaller private gardens as well.

Getting to the Caguas Botanical Gardens is pretty straightforward. From San Juan, you take Hwy 18 South to Hwy 52 South and get off at Exit 18. Take Hwy 196 to the right. Hwy 196 ends at the driveway to the Jardin Botanico y Cultural de Caguas where it intersects Hwy 156. [Read more…] about The Botanical and Cultural Gardens of Caguas

The Guánica Dry Forest Reserve

Milk Weed Flowers and Seed Pod in Guanica, Puerto Rico

Bosque Seco De Guánica,
An International Biosphere.

This destination was on my original hit-list…

The 10,000 acre Reserve is home to over 600 species of plants and animals including 48 endangered species of which 16 are endemic to Puerto Rico (per Wikipedia).

Trivia/History- Guánica’s large enclosed bay on the Southwest coast is where the US first invaded Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War of 1898. This landing gave them a foothold to proceed overland to Ponce, then onto Coamo where the fighting ended. [Read more…] about The Guánica Dry Forest Reserve

Toro Negro.. a Sunday Drive into the Mountains

One of the most overlooked and under-reported areas of Puerto Rico is the Central Mountain Area. I’ve explored less than 10% of it at this point. There is plenty to see here. The vistas can be quite grand. I would describe it as being very hilly… lots of ups and downs with lots of ‘paved’ narrow messed-up roads. I love driving it, but you do have to stay on your toes. [Read more…] about Toro Negro.. a Sunday Drive into the Mountains