Immaculate Conception Parish | Guayanilla, Puerto Rico — History, Heart, and Hidden Beauty | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

Guayanilla, Puerto Rico | History, Heart, and Hidden Beauty

Posted onLeave a comment

Click on image to watch the video It was a warm Sep­tem­ber morn­ing in 2025, and my wife and I were wrap­ping up our last day of explo­ration in Puer­to Rico’s south­ern coast before head­ing back to the San Juan metro area. We had just checked out of the charm­ing Guáni­ca 1929 Hotel, an ele­gant, fam­i­­ly-run prop­er­ty that had been our Con­tin­ue reading…
San Jose Parish | Peñuelas | Beauty, History and Resilience | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando

Peñuelas | Beauty, History and Resilience

Posted onLeave a comment

A Cloudy Begin­ning in the Val­ley of Flam­boy­ans It was one of those gray Puer­to Rican morn­ings — humid, over­cast, and with a driz­zle that made every­thing shine just a lit­tle more. My wife and I were head­ed to Peñue­las, a small town on the south­west coast of Puer­to Rico, tucked between Ponce to the east, Adjun­tas to the north, Con­tin­ue reading…
Ponce Fire Engine | Ponce, Puerto Rico: Exploring the City of Lions, History, and Elegance (Part 1) | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

Rediscovering Ponce’s Hidden Treasures
“Part 2 of Our Ponce, Puerto Rico Adventure”

Posted on

When most trav­el­ers think of Puer­to Rico, Old San Juan instant­ly comes to mind, with its col­or­ful streets, his­toric forts, and bustling plazas. But ven­ture south, and you’ll find Ponce, a city with a rich his­to­ry, stun­ning archi­tec­ture, and cul­tur­al trea­sures that are often over­looked. In our first Ponce arti­cle, we explored the town from the inside out, cov­er­ing the Con­tin­ue reading…
Federico Degetau Square | Ponce, Puerto Rico: Exploring the City of Lions, History, and Elegance (Part 1) | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

Ponce, Puerto Rico, the City of Lions, History and Elegance
“Part 1”

Posted on

When you think of Puer­to Rico, your mind may jump straight to Old San Juan with its col­or­ful streets and his­toric forts. But trav­el south, and you’ll find a city with just as much his­to­ry, charm, and character—Ponce. Known as La Per­la del Sur (the Pearl of the South), Ponce is Puer­to Rico’s sec­ond-largest city and, some would argue, its Con­tin­ue reading…
Mar Chiquita | A Day in Manatí, Puerto Rico: History, Culture & Adventure | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

A Day in Manatí, Puerto Rico: History, Culture & Adventure

Posted on2 Comments

When you hear the name Man­atí, you might think of the gen­tle sea cow that drifts slow­ly through warm waters. But in Puer­to Rico, Man­atí is not just an aquat­ic mam­mal — it’s also a live­ly coastal town on the north-cen­­tral shore, full of his­to­ry, tra­di­tion, and nat­ur­al beau­ty. My wife and I recent­ly spent a day explor­ing this fas­ci­nat­ing Con­tin­ue reading…
Bad Bunny Hometown Mural | Vega Baja, Puerto Rico- Beaches, Culture & A Touch of Bad Bunny | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico: Beaches, Culture & A Touch of Bad Bunny

Posted on

If you’ve nev­er been to Vega Baja, Puer­to Rico, you’re miss­ing one of the island’s most charm­ing towns. Nes­tled on the north-cen­­tral coast, Vega Baja blends stun­ning beach­es, pre­served his­to­ry and warm local hos­pi­tal­i­ty. It’s spot­less, invit­ing, and full of sur­pris­es — the kind of place that makes you feel wel­come the moment you arrive. And yes… this is the Con­tin­ue reading…
satellite | Why Your Smart(click on image to see it larger)

Why Your Smartphone GPS Fails in Remote Areas (How To Fix It)

Posted on

Have you ever been strand­ed because your phone’s GPS failed? It hap­pened to my wife and I while trav­el­ing through an Indi­an reser­va­tion in Ten­nessee. And it’s not the only time. Just a few weeks ago, we found our­selves in the mid­dle of Oro­co­vis —smack dab in the cen­ter of Puer­to Rico— star­ing at a blink­ing blue dot on a Con­tin­ue reading…
This is what you'll find if you walk about 100 steps into the wilderness. | Discovering Ciales, Puerto Rico - Coffee, Culture & Natural Beauty | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

Discovering Ciales, Puerto Rico: Coffee, Culture & Natural Beauty

Posted on

Have you ever explored your own back­yard only to find you’ve missed some­thing amaz­ing? That was the case for me with Ciales — a lush, green town tucked away in Puer­to Rico’s north-cen­­tral moun­tains. I’ve lived on this island for over 60 years, yet some­how, I’d nev­er set foot in Ciales. Fun­ny thing is, I had neigh­bors from there when Con­tin­ue reading…
Puente Colora'o | The Story Behind Puerto Rico’s Town That Wasn’t: Morovis
| Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

The Story Behind Puerto Rico’s Town That Wasn’t: Morovis 

Posted on

When you think of Puer­to Rico, you prob­a­bly imag­ine beach­es, music, or the bus­tle of Old San Juan. But what if I told you there’s a small inland town that’s more famous for some­thing it “didn’t do”? That town is Moro­vis, Puer­to Rico—a qui­et spot in the island’s north-cen­­tral region that may not be on most people’s radar. But it Con­tin­ue reading…
Chorro de Doña Juana | Discover Orocovis: Puerto Rico's Heartbeat! | Puerto Rico By GPS | Orlando Mergal

Discover Orocovis: Puerto Rico’s Heartbeat!

Posted on

When most peo­ple think of Puer­to Rico, they imag­ine white-sand beach­es, old San Juan, or El Yunque. But what if I told you that one of the most authen­tic, scenic, and cul­tur­al­ly rich places in Puer­to Rico is tucked away in the very cen­ter of the island? That place is Oro­co­vis — a small moun­tain town full of big sur­pris­es. Con­tin­ue reading…