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The good news is, auto service is pretty cheap here compared to home. They replaced both rear brake drums, pads and a seal. With labor, it came to $160. Not bad as far as I’m concerned. Plus they turned it around in 24 hours.
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Because I’m running short of time, weather issues and having to deal with car repairs, I’ve had to zip around the West and South West parts of the island. Yes, my front brake pads have to be replaced so I’m loosing more time. I will have to put off my side trips for later… there WILL be a later. In the past, I’ve had good luck with used cars, but not this time around.
Seems my Karma has finally caught up with me.
On my way back through San Juan, I was able to stop at the grounds of the original Caparra Fort in what eventually became Guaynabo. It would be the oldest Spanish fort on the island, but it was abandoned in favor of what is now, Old San Juan because the Spaniards could not hold off the local natives from there, so they retreated to a defensible position. The grounds were open, but not the museum. So it goes.
BTW, my Mio GPS unit worked great at helping me avoid the small side streets in San Juan. It’s easy to get lost there. You have to keep in mind, 2 million people live their and they all got cars! Well, almost all. [Read more…] about Back to Arecibo and Points West…
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For this stretch of the trip the weather was real hit or miss. It did make for some dramatic cloud shots. I attempted to shoot more ‘Road Trip Videos’, but I had to stop every time it started to rain. I’ll try to back track to the best spots later.
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..
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…
