I've seen violence in the line up in PR. Guess where. Yep Domes. I saw a younger kid take off on a wave. A much older sponger drops in on him. They bump rails. The much older guy proceeds to kick over to the dude and punch him in the back of the head. The kid did nothing and they both paddled away. Another time at domes there was this gringo who couldn't surf real well that kept going to the point and dropping in on the spongers. I saw this one coming. After about 5 drop ins on people 2 of the body boarders ripped his leash off and pushed his board out to sea and started punching the crap out of the offender. That ended his short session. On the note of living there. Have you ever been there in the summer? I went down in the summer for hurricane Igor on a whim thinking it would be just like every other winter trip. Rincon was a ghost town. Litterally, there were hardly any people there, even the locals seemed scarce. Calypso, Tamboo everything was closed. No people= no business. It was an eye opener. I know a dude who moved there 3 years ago and he is always broke, no money to even get the Isabella when it's flat in Rincon. It made me realize that making money down there may be easy in winter but the in the summer times are really lean.
I'll defer to you on this, I believe you. That place really does need more to do during off-peak season. I can see what you're talking about, we usually go in Oct. or April and there's some things that aren't open even then. I can imagine in June when there aren't any waves.
Believe me boys....PR has been a mix of heaven and hell. I thought of buying a place down there, but, I don't want to live there again. Happier going to a lot of other locations for vacations as well. And all the negative sheet is getting worse--the economy/ job situation sucks, too many asshole surfers filling the breaks, tourists ad naseum, etc. But, damn...when it is breaking big, it sure is a nice place to be.
This why I live in NH. PR is very yesterday for me. So are CR, Nica, Pan, Mex.......all very "meh"....
I still see opportunity down there. It's missing a solid sports bar and billiards establishments. I believe if done correctly, they could help bring the economy up in Rincon. I'm talking right there, not on the outskirts by Mayaguez or Aguada. Something the locals and tourist all can enjoy, year round. That place desperately needs those two things to sustain any type of entertainment outside of the usual bar / restaurant setups.
You have to understand the lack of disposable income down there. It's not like here where people have money to spend on that stuff. They barely have money for the necessities and a lot of time they even do without those. It's just the way it is. I like your optimism but I think you would be drinking and playing pool by yourself. Hell even the bakery at the top of the hill was void of any life during the summer.
Many restaurants, bars, inns, and other businesses are closing their doors as the tax man is presently leaning heavily on them. Even the surf shops etc. PR is presently not a business friendly environment. PR owes %75 billion to debtors, and does NOT have the money to pay it back. Drugs and they (including by the government) are a very big problem. Google PR and it's debt. It is often touted and the "next Greece", only worse.
You no like spiders? Then don't come down here in the fall when the banana spiders are oot and aboot. Females are aboot 4-6 inches and make their webs in trees just overhead. Don't bother me but people freak out when they look up and notice them.
I see both your points, and don't dispute that it would be challenging. But what is the answer? How do they fix that economy so that they have more than what you're referring to?
A place like i'm talking about would bring a handful of decent jobs for the locals, that would help some people i'm sure. Would tourism need to be greater in the summer months to sustain? Just thinking is all.
Seriously, DSUP, google PR and its debt. You will be stunned by the number or articles on this problem they have. Right now,as a territory, PR does NOT have the right to claim bankruptcy, meaning--they HAVE to pay back debtors, they cannot get out of the debt. There is a move afoot, by Congress, to change that, and to pass on their debt to USA taxpayers via the bankruptcy process. They could solve the problem by simply raising property taxes, which are very low in PR, but neither the political parties want to be "guilty" of raising taxes. They rather just stick it to you and me, and this approach is supported by the asshole in the White House. Stay tuned; makes for interesting reading in financial papers. Tourism helps, but is a drop in the bucket. Would be like pissing in the ocean to raise the sea level.
LOL Gotcha, thanks for the input. I mean, i'm not oblivious or ignorant to the poverty levels, I've seen it first hand. I just have optimism and believe there is always a way, the American way lol, ok that was a joke
Ha, In the Dominican I saw one on my pillow as I was going to bed, on my pillow! I went to get it off, then it ran under my bed, like, under my bed! No way I was sleeping, so I had to dismantle the bed, till I found it, and finally killed it. And I'm not even afraid of spiders. Had my wife been there, we would have been driving to a Hilton.
Spiders do a great job all the time of eating the insects and mosquitos and I like that but they also freak me out. We get some bigguns in the woods up here but not en masse like in the tropics. I almost locked myself out of U2B's old crib in the Adks, trippin balls, and the roof over the door was guarded nightly by like 10 big furry wolf spiders. pro tip: you can see spiders retina glow with a flashlight or when a camera goes off.
When PR was thriving there were lots of government contracts such as military. Since we pulled out, a lot of people had lost dependable jobs. When they offered businesses from the state's to come down tax free for an aloted time frame, those companies bailed when time was up again putting people out of work. New construction is non-existent and what jobs there are are held by the privileged few. It's a tuff scratch there, and getting tuffer to scratch every day. No easy answer for that tiny island but they could be self supported if they are forced to do so. Agriculture and export could take them a long way buy they are so deep in debt, it's hard to take those steps forward into sustainability. Tourism only exists in San Juan...for a few hours a day when they pile off the cruise ships. Surfing will survive there and always be a top-notch destination for a lot of people, but please respect their plight, frustration and needs because it's on its tipping point.
