PLENTY TO SEE INLAND, TOO

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993                   TAG: 9302140274
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: F-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JEAN CRAMER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
PLENTY TO SEE INLAND, TOO
Growing in profusion beside the roads of El Yunque Rain Forest is a flower that looks like impatiens. Islanders call it miramelinda - "Look at me, I'm pretty." So is this island.
One third of Puerto Rico's inhabitants live in San Juan. The rest live "out on the island," as they say. For a country about the size of Connecticut (110 miles by 35 miles), the terrain is unexpectedly varied.
The 272 miles of coastline edge quiet bays and surfing beaches, offering a wide choice of water sports. Several offshore islands provide hideaways for humans and wildlife.
Inland from the coastal plain most of the island is mountainous with a central spine, the Cordillera Range, acting as a 1,000- to 3,000-foot weather barrier between the wetter northern coast and the almost desert-like southern coast. The highest of the Cordillera's jagged, cloud-covered peaks, Cerro Punta, reaches 4,398 feet. Terraced coffee plantations and lush forests cover much of this area.
Parador Hacienda Gripinas, near the mountain village of Jayuya, is on a former coffee-producer's estate. The winding, narrow, mountain road may be too much of a thrill for some travelers, but a gracious reception at this hacienda in jungle-like surroundings draws others back for repeat visits.
In the Luquillo Mountains, the Caribbean National Forest better known as El Yunque, is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Forest System. The 28,000 acre nature reserve was protected even by the Spanish. Trails to lookouts and waterfalls lead through four distinct forests, from the giant tabonuco trees on the lower slopes to the dwarf trees on the peaks.
More than 100 billion gallons of rain fall here annually, so while some trails are paved, others may be muddy and slippery. Interpretive centers provide maps and other information and arrange guided walks.
Poncenos, who reside in Puerto Rico's second largest city, consider themselves more traditional and a little more artistic, intellectual, aristocratic than the northern folks in San Juan. The Caribbean coast port of Ponce once was a wealthy center for the coffee and sugar cane industries. After years of neglect, the city's delicate "Ponce creole" architecture has been rediscovered. An extensive renovation project is bringing back to life many of Ponce's ornate mansions, marketplaces, churches, and promenades.
The city also boasts a fine art museum designed by Edward Durell Stone and a Museum of Puerto Rican Music.
While in the area visitors can tour Hacienda Buena Vista, a restored coffee and sugar cane mill and estate; Castillo Serralles, a Spanish Revival mansion, once owned by the producers of Don Q rum; and an ancient burial ground and recreated Taino Indian village.
Another day trip from San Juan could include a visit to Arecibo Observatory, which has the world's largest radar-radiotelescope, and Rio Camuy Cave Park, a spectacular cave system.
Patron saints days are celebrated in villages throughout the island. See "Qui Pasa" (the free, official visitors' guide) for a calendar of these festivals.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB