ruta del corazón criollo

I was fortunate to spend a week in Caguas ("Ka' wahs") PR. I was in the Plaza Santiago R Palmer in the old section of town and was led to the sOffice of Tourism by a non-English speaking policeman. the Office of Tourism is across the street from the NW corner of the Plaza. the phone number is 787-653-8833 ext 2960. The answering message is in Spanish so just dial the extension and it will put you thru to the Tourist office.The office is managed by Norma Lizardo Santiago and she is assisted by among others Abigail Cuadrado and Betsey Roldan. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful and all are bi-lingual.I found the staff to be very knowledgeable and proud of their community and willing to spend all of the time necessary to tell you about the sights and activities that would be of interest to you.I have visited many tourist offices in the US and parts of Europe and this is the most friendly office I have visited.If you park around the Plaza the parking meters take cash or Credit/Debit cards only. If you park adjacent to the Plaza notice the Painted space number and go to the parking station in the middle of the block to pay for parking. If you don't the current parking ticket is $25.Be sure to inquire about the museums. There are about 9 or so in the area around the Plaza. They all cover a single subject and are interesting. The big drawback is that all of the descriptions of the exhibits are in Spanish and the museum staff is not necessarily bi-lingual. However if you have a modicum of Spanish and you couple it with their modicum of English you can understand the exhibits.One of my favorite museums was the Composers Museum. This museum features the history of Puerto Rican and some Caribbean Composers. Marta, my guide, is from Ecuador and is bi-lingual. She is extremely knowledgeable about the composers and their music and is an excellent guide. I don't know if any of the other members of the staff are bi-lingual so you'll have to experience that yourself if Marta is not available.Also if you are fortunate enough to be in Caguas on the last Friday of the month be sure to inquire about the al Fresco music and culinary festival. It features a street party with music and local food close to the Plaza.Especially if in season, check out the Botanical Gardens. We were there out of season and found the gardens to be very nice but think that they would be beautiful in season. They are open Thursday thru Sunday only.