Originally posted by: -Swo0p
never been to turkey... not sure if its on my list or not

am doing amsterdam + paris next week then puerto rico (rincon) in mid may

Originally posted by: Neechoo Cheeska
Talking about Puerto Rico...

When I worked for HP in the late 90's, they asked me to go to the plant they had there in Aguadilla with a couple other folks for a weeklong business trip. Would involve spending the first and last nights in San Juan, and the other nights in Aguadilla.

I didn't want to go, as I thought Puerto Rico was just going to be some backwards filthy third world type place. Wow, was I wrong.

When we were flying in, we passed over some very poor shanty town areas (which further cemented my view on the place), but once we landed and got into San Juan...wow. I'm not a beach or water person (I don't know how to swim), but we had ocean view rooms at a hotel right by the ocean, and it was amazing. Sat out on the balcony the first night and ordered room service because I just wanted to sit there and watch the ocean. Kept the balcony door open at night while sleeping and got to hear the ocean all night long.

When we went to Aguadilla, we worked with some really cool people who showed us around, and took us to some of the local restaurants. Some of which were up in the hills, off the beaten path, and if you didn't know Spanish, would be difficult to order because they were little family run places that didn't even have menus. They cooked everything to order, and the food was amazing.

While at a beach near Aguadilla, there were some very small shacks/houses by the water, and I remember seeing a guy walk out of his house in snorkeling gear, walk about 100 feet to the water, and go right in. Guess he either lived there, or rented the place.

One thing I'll never forget...the first night as we were driving back from the HP plant to the hotel in rush hour traffic, one of the locals was with us and explained people tend to ignore the traffic lights at rush hour. The intersections get jammed with cars. He said just drive through like you don't give a shit about hitting anybody, honk the horn some, and make your way through. Sure enough, that did it (also helped we had a rental car we didn't give a shit about).

We didn't have time to do any sightseeing, but that's okay, because the locals showed us a great time and we got to meet people and go places normal tourists would probably never see. I've always wanted to go back and do the touristy stuff. I was highly impressed with Puerto Rico - very cool place and people! Funny how your opinion about a place can be so off before you go there.

Originally posted by: eXplicit

Originally posted by: -Swo0p
never been to turkey... not sure if its on my list or not

am doing amsterdam + paris next week then puerto rico (rincon) in mid may

Went to Amsterdam in March - was alright, a bit too old fashioned for me. Avoid the red light at night (its a bit intimidating) and only try the whacky backy (if its your thing) from reputable shops, rather than dealers on the street

Originally posted by: Aria Giovanni.pZ

Originally posted by: -Swo0p

Originally posted by: Aria Giovanni.pZ

Originally posted by: -Swo0p
never been to turkey... not sure if its on my list or not

am doing amsterdam + paris next week then puerto rico (rincon) in mid may

which Hotel? Rincon Beach Resort?

u surf?

i dont surf, but yeah i heard its big there. we got round trip tickets from new york for $300 so was a no brainer. rented an appartment

how long will you be there for? u will need a car then, of course.

look up the following beaches/coast sites:

Playa Combate (the nice part you need to walk too from the parking lot)
Faro de Cabo Rojo
Playa de Boqueron
La Parguera

that's all west coast.

In old San Juan visit El Morro and the old city, of course. Near the airport is one of the best beaches of the caribbean, incredibly, Balneario de Isla Verde.

You can visit El Yunque, it's the only tropical rainforest in the US park system...but that's in the East...if you go, do Luquillo Beach in the morning, and about 1-2 pm head up to the mountain. Walk down to "La Mina" falls (45 minutes from parking spot) to refresh your skin from the sun.

The biggest radio-telescope in the world is in Arecibo and can be visited.

Also, Cavernas Rio Camuy is a cave system containing the 3rd largest underground river in the wolrd...there is a difference between river and "spring", the volume and extent. Here's a look http://places.eyetour.com/whatToSee/camuy/56/parque-de-las-cavernas-del-rio-camuy

out west there is a rope system to glide thru the forest, I forget the name of it, it's pretty cool.

And finally, if you have time or get the itch, go to Culebra or Vieques, islands off the main island, as PR is an archipielago. Culebra has my favorite beach in the world: Flamenco...although Culebrita has a close 2nd.