Gasikara Kolotora sy Kolontsaina

Culebra, a.k.a., Snake Island, is still a sleepy little speck, just a hop from the mainland of Puerto Rico, where fine white sand beaches, coral reefs and friendly smiles abound. Go for the snorkeling, for the diving, or even just the sunbathing and people watching on Flamenco Beach, but don’t go looking for luxury in the form of high-end resorts or fine dining – it’s not there yet. And that’s the allure of Culebra: it’s an escape, not only from cold climates, but from the fast pace of life, the onslaught of media and marketing — Internet is slow and intermittent — and also from our consumer-based society (no ones trying to hawk anything anywhere on the island). Without ever leaving the U.S., you will be transported to another world, and a simpler time. My family spent a week searching for the best beaches, swimming, snorkeling and diving. We’re a hard bunch to please: I have two newly minted divers in my family, my son, 13, and daughter, 12, and their instructor, my dad, plus my divin

n 1958, Laurance Rockefeller threw an inaugural party for Dorado Beach, his luxury resort on the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The guests included millionaires, politicians, and movie stars. In the years that followed, Dorado became the most glamorous resort in the Caribbean, attracting everyone from Ava Gardner to John F. Kennedy. But, as time passed, resorts on other islands lured high-end travellers away, and Dorado eventually became a charming relic. In 2006, it closed. History had passed it by. Puerto Ricans could have been forgiven for thinking the same was true of the island generally. It had been one of the great postwar economic-development success stories, turning itself from a poor, largely rural society into a manufacturing powerhouse with a thriving middle class. But by the nineteen-nineties the economy had slowed, and then it went off the rails. Puerto Rico has been in and out of recession since 2006. Its unemployment rate is around fourteen per cent; forty-five per cen

I’ve wanted to go to Puerto Rico for a long time and I’m so happy that I finally have had the chance. Puerto Rico is a stunning tropical island, with American, Spanish and Caribbean influence. The natural beauty here is breathtaking and because the weather is so fantastic it’s not difficult to find yourself surrounded by it on any adventure you decide to take. After spending a few weeks there recently, I have put together my Top 7 Healthy & Fun Things to Do in Puerto Rico. These are not to be missed when visiting. Diving. If you have your dive certificate, I recommend driving to Guanica on the southwest coast and diving with Island Scuba. Dives begin at 8 a.m. and you must be at the shop at 7:30 a.m. It takes about 2.5 hours from San Juan. Puerto Rico photos from Angela Orecchio From the shop, you will take a dive boat 15 minutes from shore to a reef wall where you will dive to between 60-80 feet. There, you will see many fish and plants and possibly even a Caribbean Reef Shark

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Colombia and Puerto Rico continue to work on joint trade relations, this time in the groups and conventions tourism segment, Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Meet Puerto Rico, also known as the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, announced recently. Segarra gave a presentation on Puerto Rico as a destination for meetings and conventions to more than 80 Colombian businesses related to the tourism industry as part of the activities of the ANATO Tourism Showcase held in Colombia. "The participation of the organization in this event has exceeded our expectations. Puerto Rico has already forged a strong cultural connection here in Colombia, and now there is much interest in other areas – such asthe groups and conventions and tourism business segment,”Segarra said. He added that although the United States remains the major group travel market to Puerto Rico, they have seen an upward trend in international groups. In the fiscal year 2012-2013,Puerto Rico closed 3

The sky is a perfect cerulean, with not a cloud to be seen. The water is that wonderful Caribbean aquamarine that you see in pictures. It is 86 degrees in the sun and it’s not even 9 am. The waves roll the boat a bit uncomfortably for some. I can see my husband, Rafael, turning a bit green as he prepares his dive gear. We need to get under those waves quickly. One giant stride off the back of the boat and we are in the 80 degree water. Once the rest of the group joins us, down we go. We are diving “La Pared” in Guanica, Puerto Rico and it is a beautiful day for it. The visibility is about 65 feet so there is a lot to see. We follow the wall (la pared) down into what looks like an abyss. I have no idea how far down that goes, but it is very dark down there. I keep waiting for some giant creature to come swimming out of the dark at me. I can’t decide if I want that or not. I love seeing big animals, but I can do without being startled while underwater. We see black coral, a beautiful sp

This isn’t Puerto Rico’s first moment in the sun. Back in the Sixties, the island found itself fleetingly one of the most fashionable destinations in the Caribbean . Banned from Cuba , high-society “snowbirds” from the north-eastern United States were happy to slum it for a slice of easily accessible sunshine. Back then, John F Kennedy and Joan Crawford frequented what is now Ritz Carlton’s newly luxurious Dorado Beach resort, even though Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story had immortalised the island as a place of “diseases … hurricanes … money owing … bullets flying”. The locals were falling over themselves to leave for a new life in Brooklyn. Wealthy New Yorkers just wanted winter tans. For many would-be long-haul travellers it’s the lyrics of Bernstein’s America that still define Puerto Rico. But that was a long time ago. Now it’s enjoying a tourist renaissance: local chefs have developed innovative, sophisticated new styles; chic hotels are opening up; and for New Yorkers, in p

The construction of telecommunications towers threatens to destroy the habitat of the Puerto Rican "guabairo," or nightjar, an endangered species of bird found only in the southern part of the island, community leaders said Tuesday. Telecommunications company Soluwise began building the towers last May, Luis Garcia Mercado, a member of the Health and Environment Coalition in the Susua neighborhood of Sabana Grande and the Arenas neighborhood in Guanica, told Efe. Since then, the Puerto Rico-based company has removed 8,250 cubic meters (29,135 cubic feet) of soil, Garcia Mercado said, citing Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, or DRNA, figures. Soluwise was authorized by the Office of Management and Permits to remove just 43 cubic meters (1,520 cubic feet) of soil, the community activist said. When the "abuse" was detected, Garcia Mercado said, the Health and Environment Coalition, along with biologist Luis Martinez Acosta, visited the area that provid