Has anyone been to Puerto Rico on Vacation, business etc. The winter is really starting to bum me out. I am thinking about taking the trip there, but would happily settle for other Caribbean locals if anyone has any good stories. PLUS I would rather not enjoy paying for a new passport, and since PR is "almost a state" I read Us Citizens don't need one to enter or exit the island??
8) <---- That is what I will look like on the beach!
Wow......hugely not CAP related here.....but anyone else getting the winter depression??
I have been to PR as part of a cruise. It was 2 years ago (just got back from another cruise last night :) )
I didn't get to see a whole lot of the island, but San Juan was pretty nice - and warm. If you go, I would recommend visiting Old San Juan. There are many historic buildings and such that are fun to look at. Since it was the end of the cruise, I ran out of space on my camera memory cards... :(
Other places visited during that trip...Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten, St. Thomas. All very nice, but all very different. Just got back from Key West, Cozumel and Belize.
Here's some Caribbean pictures to make you feel better...
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Some "warmer" looking ones...
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^ Thanks, as I stare out the window watching it snow......I can just imagine how awesome the sun will feel!
Yep, this storm kinda put a damper on my day...last week (I hear) it was almost 60 - then I come back and it snows the next morning...
Spent 2 1/2 weeks in San Juan with the AF in '04 and loved it. Since it was with the AF I worked a total of 4 days and spent the rest of the time snorkeling, parasailing, fishing, drinking, PTing and pretty much having a good time.
In fact, I've often told my wife we need to head down there for a long weekend just to get away.
+1 on the PR idea. GO!
Pretty much any of the islands will give you a similar climate.
Along with Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands are also US territory.
Stonewall, where in PR with AF since Ramey AFB closed?
PR ANG base in SJ.
'Puelto RRRico' (crudely imitating the distinctive Puerto Rican Spanish accent in print ;D) is a commonwealth of the U.S. of A. No passport is needed, just treat it like a state. Ditto with the U.S. Virgin Islands. You get a larger duty-free allowance coming back from PR or the USVI.
Of course, it goes without saying that CAP does have a wing, and if I remember correctly, conducts its official business in both English and Spanish.
If you go further inland from the major cities, be aware that Spanish is the mother tongue there and few understand English.
Aruba and Curaçao (pronounce it 'cura-zao') also are highly recommended. Ditto with Sint Maarten/St. Martin - if you want the ultimate in plane spotting, go to Maho Beach on the Dutch side of St. Maarten - big jet action landing at the airport with only feet to spare from the beach! Check this out:
(http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1308562/M/)
Linky: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1308562/M/
You get just as good a view from the beachfront bars in the background.
Stonewall the reason I asked, when I was both SER DCP and Florida DCP, we made an annual trip to PR to do the Region inspection of the Wing. That's back when the SER LO had a USAF aircraft assigned. The cadets from Ramey AFB and Rosie Roads Navy used to fly up to Florida for their encampments since the PR encampment was totally in spanish. Many of the Ramey cadet never went off base to learn spanish, so that';s why they came to Florida.