(My extreme laziness in writing up travel notes in recent years has been circumvented by Lynn, who thankfully has done the following great report from the Puerto Rico trip!  Glen)

After flying from Sydney and Los Angeles, we stayed overnight at the Sheraton Reston hotel in Washington DC. We left early the next morning to catch the one United flight a day to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Only to discover that Dulles Airport after the Presidential inauguration ceremony the day before, combined with a severe snow storm was in absolute chaos.

We checked in for our flight but missed the plane due to the huge lines at check-in, excessive security checks and the sheer number of people trying to get out of Dulles Airport before the really bad weather arrived. (Frequently referred to on CNN as a 'blizzard'.) Our bags made the plane but we did not.

Our unplanned extra day in Washington DC was spent drinking champagne chilled in the snow on our hotel balcony, and enjoying the view from the window. Not being equipped with 'blizzard' clothing or footwear, it didn't make a lot of sense to venture outdoors with a foot of snow to contend with, and news reports constantly reminding people to stay indoors and off the roads. The snow ploughs were in action but as quick as they cleared the roads, the fresh falls covered them again.

 

	We did not need a bar fridge to chill this last bottle!		The sunny view from our Washington Hotel window.

The second attempt the next morning saw us on our way to sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico, a four hour flight south, leaving behind a snow-covered Washington DC.

Puerto Rico is 100 miles wide by 35 miles high and I drove from San Juan to the town of Aguadilla on the far north west coast on the first day. I was quite surprised by the amount of traffic along the way with heavy congestion in lots of reasonably small towns. Puerto Rican drivers appear to like driving down the centre of the road at breakneck speeds, and they never use indicators, but there didn't appear to be much honking of car horns or road rage evident.

In fact, as it was quite obvious that we were 'gringo' tourists, people were very helpful when we were clearly uncertain which way to go (road names and signs are almost non-existent in many places) and drivers would pull up alongside us to offer directions while other drivers just swerved around us without looking too concerned.

Many of the locals we encountered outside San Juan did not speak much English at all, even the younger ones. This was surprising as we had assumed that being part of the US, English would be taught in schools as a second language. Despite these language barriers, people were keen to help and provide what assistance they could. This was especially true of the local police officers - of which there are many wherever you go in Puerto Rico, either driving or standing in groups on street corners or booking motorists along roads.

After asking for directions in Aguadilla city centre to the Parador we were staying in, an officer escorted us all the way to the hotel with blue flashing lights to clear the way. This happened again on another night when we couldn't find the way to the only accommodation in the region. They appreciated the Australian chocolates we gave them as a thank you for being so helpful.

The next morning I drove around the north western tip of Puerto Rico, famous for its good surfing beaches and we watched a number of keen surfers riding what looked to be some very nice waves.

We drove south from here passing through Mayaguez and turned east towards Ponce, stopping for refreshments at a café with the aqua blue waters of the Caribbean lapping at the doorstep. An idyllic setting to say the least, and a stark contrast to Washington DC.

From here we headed north to the Ruta Panoramica, the scenic route through the mountains. The scenery driving east was spectacular, although the roads were terrifyingly narrow with hairpin bends and barely wide enough for two cars to pass, especially as the locals were still driving down the middle of the road. Added to this, was an array of bareback horse riders cantering along the road and an army of dogs and chickens at every turn.

The haciendas were bright and cheerful, although many had a slightly dilapidated or neglected appearance about them, but every colour you could imagine was present, especially orange and purple. There was an extraordinary number of wrecked and stripped cars outside of the homes we passed. It seemed as if they had just been driven until they stopped and then abandoned where they lay to turn into rusting reminders of what had once been.

You need plenty of time to explore this area as the going is slow, but it is well worth seeing and the people we met in the small towns are very friendly. Small bars that come to life at night dot the roads through the mountains and we stopped to chat with the locals in pidgin Spanish, before getting completely lost trying to find our place to stay for the night. This time we were rescued by the Barranquitas police, which was very fortunate because we would never have found the hotel on our own. And it was the only one for 50 miles.

It was way off the beaten track with no signposts to direct you, and we were not surprised to find that we were the only guests in the place! Advertising is obviously not their strong point. The local pizza shop that normally doesn't deliver, brought us a pepperoni pizza and a bag of ice for our champagne when I explained that there was no way we were going to find our way in the dark.

The next day we headed for Fajardo on the east coast to catch the ferry over to Vieques Island for two days. The ferry takes about an hour and a half, costs $US2 a person, and apart from the freezing air conditioning inside the boat, it wasn't a bad trip.

Vieques Island, just 21 miles long and 5 miles wide, is an interesting place and the site of much protesting between the locals and the US Navy who until very recent times, occupied three quarters of the island. The Navy has now left the island but many of the beaches still remain closed on the eastern side of the island, which still leaves many stunning beaches to explore on the western and southern coasts. Our rented Jeep Wrangler easily bumped along the narrow, pot-holed, dirt roads with, of course, no signposts to guide the traveller to Green, Blue and Red beaches.

An interesting instruction from the car rental company was to leave the jeep unlocked and take everything valuable with us when we left the vehicle. Apparently if you lock the jeep, thieves are more likely to slash the plastic windows to see what you've left inside and then you are responsible for the repairs. There's no point in them stealing the vehicle because it would soon be discovered on the small island and returned to the car company.

We stayed at Bananas guesthouse, on the beach in Esperanza, the place to be if you want to be at the heart of the action. The bar at Bananas is buzzing with locals, ex-pats, drop outs and tourists having a good time at all times of the day and night. Bananas was the first guesthouse started on the island over twenty years ago and unfortunately we happened to be staying there when major renovations (as in adding a second level) were being undertaken by the new owners, who neglected to inform us of this fact before we arrived.

The builders arrived at 6.30 in the morning and began drilling, sawing, hammering, and stomping all over the roof directly above our heads - not particularly conducive to a peaceful start to the day. However as they say, 'timing is everything' and we weren't going to let them spoil our stay. The owner gave us a free lunch and drinks to make up for the inconvenience.

The highlight of the Vieques visit had to be the night-time kayak trip to Mosquito Bay to see the bioluminescent micro-organisms that abound there in their hundreds of billions. Such high concentrations in the shallow saltwater lagoon means that as you paddle through the water, these micro-organisms light up as they are disturbed by the movement and give off a micro-burst of spectacular flashing glow to ward off predators.

The lagoon is mostly only about four feet deep and on a cloudy night with a new moon, the light from the organisms is intense. We were present on such a night fortunately. Our guide led us to a deeper hole in the middle of the lagoon and we anchored our kayaks together and jumped overboard to bob along in a translucent halo of light. When you lifted your arm out of the water, it was like shimmering stars falling from your arm. A very unique experience, not to be missed.

Back on Puerto Rico, the last day and a half was spent walking around Old San Juan which is a wonderful mix of great natural scenery and water views, historical forts, castles and buildings, colourful houses and narrow cobblestone streets. Everything is easily accessible by foot, although if you need to rest your feet, there is a free trolley bus that covers a small section of the town.

Old San Juan is the stopping off point for the large cruise ships that leave from Miami on a regular basis, and for cruises that depart for the southern Caribbean, so there are plenty of tourist shops filled with rather ordinary objects that wouldn't appeal to some people, me included. Jewellery shops are everywhere, advertising their 70% off 'discounts'! It was good just to sit at one of the many outdoor bars, sipping a Corona with the salsa music blaring, and watch the passing parade.

If you want to get a feel for the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and Vieques islands are a great starting point.

Buenas dias.


 

	Sharon Grasso from BioBay Tours - www.biobay.com -  waving her arms whilst floating in the water. Followed by a ultra soft flash to better see her face.		A long exposure of a kayak in motion in Mosquito Bay. During the exposure flash was set off to make the people brighter on film. The glow has not been manipulated or retouched in any way.
	Buckets of Bioluminescent Bay water were poured over this person's head for this long exposure followed by a dim strobe. It is not retouched.		For detailed info on WHY these little critters glow so brightly when you swim or kayak through them - see - http://www.biolum.org - there are near a million of them in each gallon of water. The highest concentration found anywhere on earth they say.
	The rather bizarre looking 'Monjas' Statue in Old San Juan on deck of one of the Forts		Our hippie drop-out lodging on the beach in Vieques - BANANAS!
	Main fort in Old San Juan. We walked through it. Quite MASSIVE sized place.		We were told a great place to get mugged in San Juan was to walk around in here!
	Another of the elevated sentry watch towers looking out to sea in San Juan		The Bizarre looking wooden fire station in Ponce, on the southern coast.
	We walked between forts on Old San Juan. Lots of bight colours on old buildings.		Sunset on a beach in Vieques Island. Does not show the lovely blue waters!
	Wild horses wander free on Vieques, and can be quite a traffic hazard.		Bareback gaucho type we encountered on a 'Ruta Panoramica' mountain pass road.
	Lynn perched on the trusty Jeep Wrangler on a remote Vieques Island beach.		Lynn in Old San Juan sentry turret.   The oldest fort in the New World - 1500s.

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