Thoughts on Puerto Rico

From the Lonely Planet Guide: "Puerto Rico - A bustling island whose shiny consumerism rubs up against an unspoiled interior. Four centuries of Spanish Caribbean culture comes face to face with the American convenience store."

Second-most cliched picture from the touristy parts: the streets of San Juan

That description does not do justice to what you find in Puerto Rico - it doesn't even begin to describe the schizophrenic (or as some may say, multi-faceted!) yet appealing nature of the place. I assure you that this particular juxtaposition of cultures, along with the combination of today's politico-economic reality with a historic picturesque past creates several striking incongruities, starting right at the airport. It's quite modern and streamlined...right until you pick up your bags and head outside. The humidity is a reminder that it's the tropics...and the mood is tropically laid-back too! I looked about for taxis and after sometime one showed up. Meanwhile a gent ambled up and asked me if I was on business and headed to such-and-such hotel. A pick-up had been arranged. He referred me to a lady standing by, chatting animatedly on her cellphone - she motioned me to wait, then put her call on hold and pointed me to another lady, next to a kiosk where apparently the promised pick-up would materialize. It did, about twenty minutes later - and the driver pointedly offered chilled bottled water to all the folks boarding the bus, before turning his attention to bags and whatnot! I was getting attuned to the pace of things...and it kind of reminded me of Delhi airport (minus the free bottled water, of course!). And then as the bus took off for the hotel at an easy 45mph it was disorienting to find brand-new freeway-style roads...with little mom-and-pop shops and shacks right next to them! Shades of Bombay, for sure.

Anyway, the place is chock-a-block (and there's a story for that phrase, so typically Indian-English!) with tourists, typically en familiale...for if there's one thing Puerto Rico does right, it is that there's something for everyone. Nice beaches, the old town with it's history steadily supplanted by luxury shopping, the tropical forests (comes with ATV rides that rush you through!), water sports and whatnot. So the whole family can enjoy the place - each person content with his/ her own brand of R&R. As for me, I wandered around, a bit disoriented, sampling each activity and moving on to the next. Meanwhile everyone kept asking if I've been to San Juan, the old town particularly - since it was "very European". It was the atmosphere, they said, "so European!".

Later, as I sat by the hotel pool and nursed a moody mojito, the waitress asked me if I liked Puerto Rico - to which I replied, yes of course! She brightened visibly, and then her face fell when I went on to mention that parts of what I'd seen reminded me of India. She really didn't like that, and shimmered away quickly. Musing further, I thought about it and felt that I'd been wrong. It wasn't as much India I was reminded of, as it was a car - a Mitsubishi, to be precise. If you've been to a Mitsusbishi dealership in the US, then you'll know this - the salespeople are very competent and specific in telling you how Mitsubishi has taken the best parts of BMW, Audi and Lexus and stuck them all into their cars...so there's the European handling, the interiors to rival Audi and things like electroluminescent gauges that take a cue from Lexus. That is what I was reminded of in Puerto Rico - a grab-bag combining a bunch of great features, with the hope that it would all add up to something absolutely stunning. Doesn't happen, really. It stays a sum of parts then, and one that doesn't somehow become greater than the whole.

Before sunrise, before sunset

This is about two films that I saw a couple of months ago. The first is called Before Sunrise and it's sequel, Before Sunset. I watched both, transfixed, unable to get a glass of water or answer the phone. There were no stunning action sequences, no steamy dalliance, no special effects spectacle, not even a catchy soundtrack. Just two people deep in conversation. An unusual premise...of course, it helps that the films seem to be set in a time before text messaging, email and global roaming cellphones!

If you haven't seen either, watch them. At least watch the second one (though it is a sequel, it stands by itself quite well). And then try to recall the last long (over one hour!) meaningful conversation you had with someone you cared for. That's what I was doing quite involuntarily, and it took me a while to get there...but then I was preoccupied, watching the movie again...!

Also tried to think of other actors and actresses who could have done an equally beautiful job (any suggestions?) - and I didn't have too many possibilities - in the second film, Julie Delpy is that elusive combination of practical and ethereal, idealistic yet pessimistic. And Ethan Hawke is up to the task too, but I think he may have needed a new toothbrush.