Let's set the stage. Puerto Rico has more cars per square mile than anywhere else in the world. It also has more potholes than anywhere else I have been, but the fun does not stop there - the potholes are deep too. Stop signs are just a suggestion. On mountain roads local drivers use the middle of the road to avoid the crumbling road edges and overhanging trees and bamboo. They will politely veer off about a foot for you. This causes my usually taciturn wife to emit a small shriek adding to my white knuckle condition.
On the south coast the GPS became unreliable. It put me into a school parking lot and at several hair-pin turns announced turns into the brush. Lucky for me I don't fool that easy. Without rhyme or reason small roads led into four lane highways that gave out after a few miles and then back to twisty small roads again.
On the east side of the island some order was restored. We stopped at the largest marina in the Caribbean for a dockside lunch. The marina was huge with very wide fixed concrete docks. It soon became obvious why. Arriving boaters drove their car into one of 15 covered bays(picture below). At each bay was a large two wheel cart. Once you unload your car into the cart a dockboy, driving a golf cart hooks up you cart, then you and crew climb aboard the 4 to 6 passenger golf cart and are whisked out the docks to unload directly on to your boat. How upscale is that?
Thursday was a little better on the major highway on the north side of the island; however at one point I got behind a flat bed truck and was worried about his load. It was a full grown horse balancing on the bed of the truck with no rails or tie downs in sight. Maybe the horse has done this before - it was standing with its legs slightly spread out.
I finally worked up the courage to try mofongo, the unofficial national dish of Puerto Rico. Mashed plantains smothered in a garlicky sauce with pork. I could not finish the huge portion I was given.
The restaurant had a major added attraction - on a beach with the reef just a 100 yards off the sand. The large Atlantic rollers breaking on the rocks were spectacular.
We now are at peace having seen more of the island, jointly agreeing we could not improve on our current location and vowing to leave the driving to others,
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