Passing through San Juan, Puerto Rico

Amidst the heavy traffic, the lure of the $20m lottery

Everywhere in San Juan, one sees all kinds of festive decorations, even along highways. The taxi driver enthused, "Parties! Drinks! Parties! Drinks!" and then let out a full throaty laugh. That cheered him up in the dense traffic. The 4-lane highway #21 was heavily congested in both directions, between Guaynabo and Isla Verde at peak hours. Crawling traffic only. My colleague told me about a car jacking incident when a 16-year son of his friend, driving in a Lexus, was killed. That spooked me and has put paid to my plan of seeing the city centre at night.

One of the 3 buildings at City View Plaza, San Juan

The Puerto Rico office is located in City View Plaza at Guaynabo where a multitude of American global IT companies have set up office. All the creature comforts are there, and more, except tea. Inside it's all glass and chrome, fancy furniture and fittings, plus all the mod cons that one needs. It's in stark contrast to the basic working conditions at Nassau. 

The other day, a band appeared in the office playing some kind of festive music. They received a lukewarm welcome, as most people were glued to their seats continuing with their work. 

Festive cheers at the San Juan office

Near the office complex, there are a number of fast food joints. A chicken dish with rice and a drink is $6.99. Plantains are $1 extra per portion. You order the food from the cashier and fetch it from the counter where the dish is assembled. The food comes on a polystyrene plate with plastic knife and fork. It's sustenance, but better than Burger King or MacDonald's. One of the things about travelling is that it forces me to adapt, including eating things that I normally would eschew at home. 

Alas, on this trip, my experiences of San Juan and her people were limited to the trips between the airport, hotel, and the office. But this city has a lot more to offer than Nassau, and perhaps on another trip, I will visit the old city and explore a bit of Puerto Rico. 

And a word about the hotel. This is a green hotel. The water comes in a trickle. There is a car charging point next to the hotel, but no one seemed to be using it. I did not notice a single electric car during my daily commute. Such green bumpkin taken to the extreme. 

Views from the office at Guaynabo, San Juan.
Endless miles of highways.

Aerial view of San Juan, Puerto Rico

View from the hotel on the Isla Verda.
More highways.