We drove out to Ponce yesterday which took over an hour. We saw some spectacular views of the mountains and rural areas of Puerto rico. Once arriving in Ponce we went to the Port of Ponce, which has a ferry that takes you to the island of muertos. But there were only one ferry that leaves at 8 am. We scratched that idea. Port of Ponce is located in a heavily industrial shipping area and we got this good one of a metal recycling center.

After we finally got back to Humacao, we realized that we had stopped at toll booths on the freeways six times and paid over five dollars in tolls. The tax system is minimal here and they just barely implemented a sales tax around 2003. So I guess someone has to pay for the roads and maintenance. Just beware to always carry cash here. There aren’t always exits before the tolls nor are there always ATM’s near the toll booths.

Back at the guest house we went for a walk down on the beach, we were the only ones there. There were a couple trails that lead into the rainforest. This place is truly amazing. And is a far cry from the all the tourism of Old San Juan.

Puerto Rico is more of a mix of Mexico (80%) and California (20%). And the only reason California comes to mind is because of the Walmarts/Wallgreens/Mcdonalds/Wendys/BurgerKings. People don’t really take care of their yards and their house’s are generally all run down. But they will have a brand new Toyota in the driveway. I guess it shows where peoples priorities are. From what we have seen the cost of living here is about the same as in Utah. Maybe a little lower, but not by much.

We are most likely going to drive back up to San Juan and find a place to live. Humacao is a bit too rural for our likings. And there is no public transportation here. I am pretty sure I will be able to find a job up there either in printing or in tourism.