helpful hints for tropical living

Hello nycjules and thanks for the tips.

I hope that other members will share their ideas with you soon.

Harmonie.

Always have some pet food on your car or with you. Strays are a big problem on the island and nothing will ruin your day faster than a hungry stray dog staring at you with sad puppy eyes while you eat.

carry a jug of water too for the strays. If you eat out and have any food left, don't throw it away. There's usually a stray dog or cat to give it to nearby

thanks guys, has anyone else found certain things which would help any new folks make the transition?

I really hate to be a killjoy. There are many great thing about this lovely island. There are also many things that are not so great to put it mildly.To address the question that nycjules asks regarding how to make the transition easier. I have found that lowering my expectations has helped tremendously. I gather from your id name that you are from NYC, so am I.Places like NYC, Atlanta, Miami Beach, Wellington,Fl,are all in a class by themselves when it comes to certain amenities such as world class customer service, clean sidewalks (or any sidewalks for that matter), transitable roads, state of the art libraries, a competent police force I could go on and on. I have mentioned these cities as a comparison only because I have lived in them.
Once I realized that "we are not in Kansas" to steal a line from Dorothy and once I lowered my expectations and accepted the fact that I WILL NOT be greeted with a smile by the cashier at the local Walmart and that my garbage may or may not be picked up this week and my that although I have a 9:45 appointment at the doctors I will probably bee seen by 11:00 (is I'm lucky) once I accepted this, why, my blood preasure dropped life became a bowl of cherries albeit with pits. Look it's a lovely island the people are generous the weather is great 99% of the time,BUT, we are not in NYC.hope this helps to add a little perpective and maybe a smile at my wry humor.

Several things you might want to think about when traveling away from the "big" cities.  Once off rt. 2 you will find the roads getting smaller and the drop offs getting steeper!  We spent our time in Rincon and went as far south as Ponce and as far NE as San Juan to fly back to the States.  Most of our driving was on the smaller roads.  You WILL need a detailed map of the island and also a compass might help!

At first driving makes little sense but then maybe a day in it is completely logical.  The laws are truly only suggestions but once off rt. 2 people just seem to know exactly what they are doing and though traffic may move slowly everyone seems to know what they are doing.  We had no problems with traffic and had a chance to do some great sightseeing while we were waiting for traffic to move.

Be aware that turns come up quickly and may sometimes involve what seems to be a 45% turn up or down a slope! And those turns are really tight!!!  Also, roads are not marked very well by US standards.

If you are away from the large cities you will need to speak a little Spanish if you get lost.  Trying to get to the airport in San Juan I was thankful to speak some Spanish otherwise we would still be going in circles.

Remember it is THEIR island and we should honor their language.  It helped me to become friends with many people who I otherwise would never have met! And all the people I met were wonderful and very helpful.

Also, in one discussion with a neighbor I asked him what nationality he considered himself.  The literal translation was "a man of the Caribbean".........this gave me a lot to think about.  Puerto Rico is a territory of the US - but the people are part of a country of their own.  They do not consider themselves Americans, at least not the ones I met.

And finally, if you  have a great need to eat vegetables learn to eat frozen ones!  Most veg. we are used to - say for American salads - must be brought in from state side and cost an awful lot! Once I saw iceburg lettuce going for over $3.00 a head! Be rich and afford them or learn to live on those frozen or learn to love plantains, bananas (which taste so much better right off the tree!), breadfruit and etc.  And learn to eat criollo foods!  Oh yes, if you get a chance - try the lion fish it is delicious and invading the waters so you might get a chance to try it at a local restaurant!  It is a real treat!

Life is good in PR and we would happily have moved there ASAP - but with our economy we can't sell the state side house and transport of our stuff would be too expensive and housing in PR IS expensive if you want your own house.

Ah to be back in Rincon, up in the hills with the coqui at night and the flamboyant in bloom and the sea breeze..... if you are an adventurer it is a wondeful place to live.  Otherwise stay in San Juan and miss the real Puerto Rico and her wonderful people!

We hope to go back when the economy picks up - if that ever happens - and make it home!