Puerto Rico Island Guide

It’s hard to believe that a destination this exotic is not only close to the United States (2.5 hours from Miami) but a part of it. When you travel to Puerto Rico, you’ll discover gorgeous white sandy beaches, delicious food, fascinating Spanish history, and extraordinary natural attractions that include a rain forest and a bay where you can swim at night surrounded by millions of tiny, glowing creatures.

Puerto Rico Basic Travel Information
Location: Between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Size: Total area is 3,508 sq. miles
Capital: San Juan
Language: Spanish and English
Religions: Mainly Roman Catholic
Currency: The U.S. dollar is the official currency
Telephone/Area Code: 787 or 939
Tipping: If service charge is not included, tip 15 to 20 percent
Weather: Average year-round temperatures are in the mid-80s. Hurricane season is June to November

Puerto Rico Activities and Attractions
Be sure to stroll around the historic district of Old San Juan with its pastel-colored Spanish-style homes, and visit El Morro, a fort built by the Spanish in 1540. El Yunque Rain Forest, located 24 miles southeast of San Juan, is another must-see, with wonderful hikes that take you past waterfalls and natural pools. Mona Island offers snorkelers and scuba divers exceptional visibility and a huge variety of marine life including turtles and octopuses. Hope for a cloudy night so you can take a mystical, nighttime swim in the bioluminescent bay on the island of Vieques or in Fajardo.

Puerto Rico Beaches
Popular Luquillo Beach near San Juan is great for families, with excellent facilities and lots of restaurant options. On the island of Culebra, Playa Flamenco is considered one of Puerto Rico’s loveliest beaches, with soft, pure white sands that strike a vivid contrast to the surrounding green foliage; Playa Zoni is also beautiful, and more secluded. Boquerón Beach, near the charming village of the same name, is more than a mile long, but can get crowded on weekends.

Puerto Rico Hotels and Resorts
Puerto Rico offers plenty of resorts and hotels, many on or near a beach. The Horned Dorset Primavera, located in the surfing hotspot Rincon, is one of the most romantic. If you’re the type to get bored easily, book a stay at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa, where activities include watersports, horseback riding, golf, tennis, a spa, a casino, a marina, and, for escapists, a private island. Lower-key options in Puerto Rico can be a great way to save money; these include guesthouses, villas and paradores (country inns)

Puerto Rico Restaurants and Cuisine
Puerto Rican restaurants serve traditional Criolla food (a blend of Taíno, Spanish and African influences) as well as just about every international cuisine. Mofongo, a favorite island dish consisting of mashed green plantains fried with garlic and other seasonings, can be served plain or stuffed with meat or seafood. Look for restaurants participating in the Mesones Gastronomicos Program if you want to sample traditional dishes. San Juan has a wonderful selection of restaurants, from upscale fine dining to familar U.S. chain eateries.

Puerto Rico Culture and History
Following Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1493, the local Taíno Indians were first enslaved, then decimated by disease. African slaves took their place as laborers. The island was ruled by the Spanish until 1898, when Spain ceded the island to the United States. Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens in 1917, and in 1952, Puerto Rico became a commonwealth of the United States. Present-day Puerto Rico is a major tourist destination, and Puertorriqueños take pride in their unique combination of heritages: African, Taíno (Amerindians), Spanish and North American.

Puerto Rico Events and Festivals
The Casals Festival, a classical music festival in late February/early March, draws many international guest conductors, orchestras and soloists to San Juan's Performing Arts Center. Puerto Rico’s Carnival features float parades, dancing, and street parties and takes place the week before Ash Wednesday. June’s Heineken Jazz Festival is a big draw, and November marks the start of baseball season. Occasionally, you may find a Major League Baseball player doing a stint with a Puerto Rican team in the off season.

Puerto Rico Nightlife
Whether you’re looking for bars, salsa, casinos, performing arts or discos, San Juan is the place to go. Be warned, though, that things heat up very late here, and keep on going until the wee hours. Most of the hotels in Condado-Isla Verde have casinos; check out the Ritz-Carlton. In Old San Juan you’ll find many bars lining Calle San Sebastián. Pick up a copy of Qué Pasa, the visitor's guide, for events listings.

Athens Acropolis

What would a visit to Greece be without going to the Acropolis? You can take a tour or wander up there yourself but during the summer, whatever you do, unless it is overcast, go early in the day. It can get very hot up there and gasping for breath can detract from your ability to marvel at the greatest of all archeological sites.

After climbing the steps you are at the entrance, or the Propylaea, which was completed in 432 just before the outbreak of the Peloponesian wars, the main architect was Mnesicles, a collegue of Phidias. To your left is the Pinacotheca and a Hellenistic pedestal and on the right the tiny temple to Nike Athena or the Athena of Victory which commemorates the Athenians victory over the Persians. Supposedly this is the place where King Aegeus threw himself into the sea because he thought his son Theseus had been killed by the Minataur. But if this is the point he chose to jump into the Aegean then how good a king could he have been? The sea is miles away. If you are looking from the propylaea towards Piraeus on a clear day you can see ships waiting outside the port of Piraeus, the islands and the mountains of the Peleponesos beyond.

The Parthenon and the other main buildings on the Acropolis were built by Pericles in the fifth century BC as a monument to the cultural and political achievements of the inhabitants of Athens. The term acropolis means upper city and many of the city states of ancient Greece are built around an acropolis where the inhabitants can go as a place of refuge in times of invasion. It's for this reason that the most sacred buildings are usually on the acropolis. It's the safest most secure place in town. As little as 150 years ago there were still dwellings on the Acropolis.

The best time to go up there is the spring when even this stone mountain is not immune to the proliferation of grass and wildflowers which seem to burst from every crack.

The Erecthion sits on the most sacred site of the Acropolis where Poseidon and Athena had their contest over who would be the Patron of the city. Poseidon thrust his trident into the rock and a spring burst forth, while Athena touched the ground with a spear and an olive tree grew. Athena was declared the victor and the great city of Athens was named for her while Poseidon was given a small village in Syros after it was discovered he had merely ruptured a water main, (not really). The building itself contains the porch of the maidens or Caryatids, which are now copies, four of which have been placed in the Acropolis museum.

Even having seen a thousand photographs one is still not prepared for the immensity of the Parthenon. The building was designed by the architects Kallikrates and Iktinos as the home of the giant statue of Athena. It took 15 years to build and was completed in 438 BC and is probably the most recognizable structure in the world next to the golden arches of MacDonalds. From a temple it became a church, a mosque and finally as a storage facility for Turkish gunpowder. In 1687 the Venetians bombarded it from below. A cannon ball hit the gun powder and blew it up.

Below the Acropolis is the theater of Herod Atticus built by the Romans in 161 AD and still used today for classical concerts, ballet, and performances of high cultural value. Further on is the Theater of Dionysious the first stone theater and home to Sophocles, Aeschylus, Eripides and Aristophanes. It was rebuilt around 342 BC by Lykourgos and then enlarged by the Romans to be used for gladiator fights.

Below the Acropolis is the rock of Areios Pagos. The steps are very slippery so be careful as you climb them, but once you do you won't want to come down (unless it is 100 degrees). You have a great view of the Agora, the Plaka, Monastiraki, Omonia and much of Athens. It’s a great place to watch the sunset, or to come up at night with a bottle of wine and your true love, and watch the lights of the city.

Afterwards, continue back around the Acropolis and down the hill into the Ancient Agora below. Part of it is free and you can go through it to get back to Adrianou Street, or you can pay the entrance fee and walk the streets of ancient Athens.

You may notice at the entrance to the Acropolis and the paths leading up to it the licensed guides, who for around 30 Euros or so, will give you a tour so that you may leave the area more informed then when you got here.

Jade Emperor Temple, Penang Hill

There are modernized in many ways yet you can see quaint little buildings, streets and alley ways mushrooming around you as you walk by the streets of harmony in the heart of Georgetown.

Little Indian man bending down hard at work in the goldsmith shop next to Chinese kopi tiam (coffee shops) is a common sight in Penang island. The temple looms over visitors with its prominent red roof, snarling dragons and lions.

The incense, smoke in the Chinese temples will make your eyes watery as you observed the devout or god fearing locals praying away on the 1st or 15th of the Chinese lunar month.

Buddhist, Thai, Burmese, Taoist and Hindu temples all over Penang island. You might even hear the calling of the five times prayers from the nearby mosque if you lived in the heart of Georgetown.

Churches sounding the bells can be heard if someone passed on in the neighborhood. Walk and tour island's places of worship here. Then there is a snake temple or Admiral Zheng He's place where you will see his gigantic footprint. Georgetown in Penang island was also listed by the World Monuments Watch as one of the World's Hundred Most Endangered Sites, Penang Island is quickly losing its heritage character through modern renovations and defacement but it has not lost its charm.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is both the capital and Federal capital of the United Arab Emirates, and is the second largest of the seven emirates. This second most populous city of the UAE lies on a T-shaped island with its futuristic skyscrapers rising from the desert coast of the Persian Gulf.

Among the modern island city there are remains of an older and more cultural society. Abu Dhabi comprises of international luxurious hotels, never-ending shopping malls, extensive entertainment and leisure facilities, along beautiful green streets and parks.

The city’s origin reflects its true prestige, as it was a major hub for the pearl industry before it had discovered its rich reserves of oil. There is a stretch of traditional wooden dhows along the harbour, which were not just used for fishing but also for pearl diving.

Abu Dhabi is known as the most important cultural city in the UAE, attracting many visitors to its established Cultural Foundation centre, which is responsible for hosting various art exhibitions and musical performances from all over the globe.

Abu Dhabi is one of the most prosperous and rapidly developing cities in the world, with an impressive population of 1.45 million (2008). In just over half a century it has become a major centre for tourism, as well as transforming from a small Bedouin village into a thriving investment enterprise.

Emirate	Abu Dhabi
Capital	Abu Dhabi
Area	67,340 km² (26,000.1 sq. mi)
Population (2008)	Around 1.45 million
Density	293.94/km² (761.3/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT/UTC +4

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