• Street Scenes •
The first week we were here Trevor and I test drove about three different cars. I didn’t admit to the first dealer guy that that was the first time I’d ever driven in Puerto Rico ha ha
Which leads me to the streets of Mayaguez:
At nearly every major intersection at the stoplight, there are people selling things. This is anything from bananas to bottled water to beggars. Today I saw high school age girls gleefully standing in the middle of traffic selling candy bars.
They’re not annoying or in your face. And they might smile at you if you smile at them. I have yet to actually buy something but maybe I will someday.
The sellers park nearby
The most unique one I saw though was a fireman collecting money in his fireman hat. I wondered if it was just a guy with a fireman hat but I think I saw a few other firefighters nearby too. Interesting way to fund raise.
For some reason, there never seems to be competing groups at the intersection. Maybe they have to ‘sign up’ or there’s some sort of genteel code of conduct – whoever gets there first gets to use the corner. hmm…
The first time we visited Puerto Rico was in 1973. Liz came along. It was just before a big election, so the streets of San Juan were filled with people handing out flags for the two political parties. We ended up with a flag for the blue and white party. Hope they weren’t Fascists! We also encountered a street demonstration by teens from a methadone clinic. A policeman warned us to stay away from them. San Juan was a much more interesting city then than it was 30 years later. Lots of interesting local shops to visit. In 2003, they’d all been replaced by generic tourist T-shirt shops. May you find many interesting places as you travel the island.