Friday, August 04, 2006

Puerto Rico

So I've been on a business trip for the past week in Puerto Rico. I suppose I've been spoiled living in Boston, but it's amazing just how ramshackle many parts of Puerto Rico are. There's a lot of construction, but I think that a lot of it's for hotels and upper class residential condos. For the amount of traffic the San Juan area has, a commuter rail system would be welcome if it were extensive.

I found the people here mostly polite, but the store workers at La Plaza Las Americas either rude, pushy, or uninterested.

It's also amazing just how slowly business gets accomplished around here. If I hadn't been delayed by external problems, I could have finished the job in a day...two at most. Then, I could have enjoyed the beach or some sightseeing for two days. Instead, I got only one, and that was interrupted by Tropical Storm Chris, which brought rain during the day. I went to Old San Juan for dinner last night, and it was hard to find a taxi back.

That said, I wouldn't mind vacationing here, but Ronaldo, a taxi driver, said that the Dominican Republic is a much better choice due to the exchange rate.