In fact, I have long wanted to record every trip, but for various reasons, especially procrastination, I have not written. So my nonsense may be more, please be more inclusive.
The original intention of writing this "travelogue" is actually nothing more than two. First, in addition to the memories of the present moment, every trip is left with only photos and words in the days to come. Take a waste of time to sort out your photos and feelings, and then save them in this place that you will never lose, and look back a few years later, it must be a different taste. Second, to provide some experience to friends who are also interested in Puerto Rico, I hope that the journey will be more relaxed and enjoyable after preparation.
The birth of this trip to Puerto Rico was truly ill-fated. In fact, at first I wanted to go to Italy for literature and art, but after too long a journey, I gave up the idea of going to Europe during spring break. Later, I happened to see Cuba, and this untapped world did arouse my keen interest, but unfortunately, because of international diplomatic relations, the US website could not find any tickets to Cuba, so the plan was also abandoned.
It was finally determined that Puerto Rico, a place that many people had not heard of, was actually recommended by friends. A small tropical island, exotic, as a seven-day destination for girlfriends to travel is also a good choice. Of course, couples are also very suitable.
Tips before you travel:
Puerto Rico belongs to the United States, so there is no need to worry about visas, as long as you are an F-1 student visa, you can take your passport and go (although I brought the I-20 with me for insurance, it turned out not to be needed)
Currency: Generally used in THE US Dollar. Visa Master can be swiped in most stores, but you still have to prepare enough hundreds of cash, because many places still can't swipe your card. ATMs are also a bit hard to find, so be prepared in case you need them. Plus, if there's a quarter (25 cents) to take, the buses over there only charge coins, and the fare is strangely set at 75 cents.
Mobile phone network: As a post-90s generation in the new era, mobile phone network is really one of the most indispensable things. The advantage of going to Puerto Rico is that you can take your mobile phone in the United States and use it without having to buy a separate calling card and mobile network. As an ATT user, I would like to praise its network coverage, which basically has four signals; and sympathize with Tmobile, whether it can make it all depends on luck.
Transportation: It will be mentioned later, but if you can drive, it is still recommended to rent a car, because Puerto Rico does not have uber, taxi is still relatively expensive, and renting a car will greatly reduce transportation expenses and improve time efficiency. Because neither of us had a driver's license, I suffered a lot and couldn't provide good advice. But car rental companies like Herz are still everywhere, and many hotels and airbnbs also offer parking spaces. Also be sure to mention is the windmill on C Island ~~~ If I can drive, it is really really really cool!!!
Air ticket: Originally bought in Kayak, a total of round-trip (transfer) was spent. If you are traveling, it is recommended to book your ticket earlier. If it does come to last minute, you can also try this site
http://www.priceline.com
You can bid your price, and then the website will help you search, if there are airlines and empty seats may accept your ultra-low offer Oh.
Companion: Let's introduce the traveling friends. I think that when traveling, the person who eats and lives with must have the same interests as you, or you can tolerate each other. After all, when traveling to a strange place, it is inevitable that there will be times when you are homesick or unwell, and the partner next to you is your spiritual pillar. I am glad that with her, this trip will leave so many good memories.
First day of travel 3.22
Arrived at Puerto Rico airport in the afternoon of the same day. Out of the airport is a damp atmosphere characteristic of the island. There was a taxi parked outside the airport with my luggage. The charging system is still relatively formal, and there will be relevant personnel to give you a table, which clearly lists the quotations from the airport to various locations, of course, if you have luggage, you still have to tip again.
On the way, we found a lot of familiar shops, BurgerKing, subway, and even Walgreens that made us think wow, what else to worry about.
After driving to the airbnb we rented, we went downstairs to the Chinese supermarket to get the key, which had everything in it, and there was also a Chinese restaurant and a Japanese food and milk tea dessert shop opposite, and during the week of staying, we were also regular customers.
It was about a three minute walk from the apartment we rented to a beach. If you are interested, you can ask me individually. The beach is beautiful and my current circle of friends cover was taken there. Blue seas and blue skies, and flocks of people basking in the sun. However, because the coastline is too long, so there is no need to worry about crowding people like in China, girls and boys who love to take pictures, you will always have a pure land, and no one else will suddenly come out in the background. There's also an interesting little episode where, while we were taking pictures of each other, a black guy suddenly came up and offered to take pictures for us. It's really not racist or anything, but the two girls travel alone, and the sense of prevention still has to be there. Although at first we were still very vigilant, afraid that he would take the mobile phone and run, these two small short legs must not be able to catch up, but later found that the photo he took was still quite beautiful, and became one of the few two of us to take a group photo.
Thank you to this kind guy, now that I think about it, I must think that we are so cute.
After playing by the beach, there was food along the street, and I first took a fancy to an ice cream shop. The stools in the shop are also interesting.
During the trip, the most surprising thing is actually these inadvertent small sparks.
After all, it is a foodie, and it is not enough to eat ice cream, so we passed by a bar and prepared to try the authentic traditional dishes here.
This yellow blob is the mofungo specialty here. The taste is really strange, not to say unpalatable but also not tasty, hard and hard. However, the beef next to it is enough to be tender.
Day 3.23
I had done a raider before, bought pineapple buns and shrimp dumplings for breakfast and decided to go to the castle to see. There is a bus stop right on your doorstep. It's better to come early than to happen, just walked, the no. 8 bus came, I don't know why I didn't have to give money that day, I did it all the way to Old San Juan's Plaza de Armas de San Cristobal. There are also free shuttle buses to ride in the old town, but when there are many people, they may not be able to squeeze in. And pay attention to the off-hours, it seems that it will not run after six o'clock. So it's important to schedule your time wisely.
The castle was actually a defensive facility built by the Spaniards to defend against foreign enemies. The magnificent city wall was built along the coast, although it has many years of history, and some of it has been eroded by wind and rain, but sitting on the city wall and looking out at the sea in the distance, I am still attracted by the beautiful Caribbean Sea.
At six o'clock, it suddenly began to pour down, and we held up a small umbrella and walked for more than thirty minutes, and finally found the bus stop to go back. During this period, there was also a particularly kind grandmother who showed us the way to a place to hide from the rain together. Although it has become a chicken in the soup, but this experience is also quite fun to think about now, there must be some different experiences, in order to live up to this unbridled youth. Dinner was solved in the Chinese restaurant opposite the house, the taste is really good, it may be hungry. Eat extraordinarily well.
Day 3 3.24
It was a distance from where we were staying to the port and chartered a car. The driver drove a BMW and came to pick us up. After the conversation, I learned that he was working part-time. The Obed people were very welcoming, spoke good English, and were eager to help us plan our time for boat money, including how to go to the rainforest. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to make the trip. However, this experience still makes us both feel, wow, there is truth everywhere in the world,
On this day we set out to go to a small island in Puerto Rico called Culebra. In the past, there were two ways, one was to make a small eight-seat plane, and the other was to ferry ferry. Because we wanted to experience both, we made ferry when we went.
There are not many ferry people at three o'clock, but the waves are still quite large. But the caring crew will prepare a vomit bag for you, even if he whispers a bunch of Spanish you can't understand. If it is a person who is prone to seasickness, I recommend still flying and ferrying back, which may be more comfortable. We arrived at Culebra an hour later and the whole island is really small. Four minutes walk to our booked airbnb,
Very new decoration, sea frontage.
After moving in, we walked around the town with our cameras on our backs and photographed the colorful houses. These colorful houses seem to appear only in my dreams.
Ended up having the most expensive meal at a small seaside restaurant with a good yelp rating. Nice atmosphere and possibility to feed the fish. The food was also nice and there was a nice drink of mango rum.