Now we are ready to return to San Juan, going northward over the great
military road, one of the finest highways in the world.
It is macadamized, is fifty feet wide, ninety-seven miles in length, and
smooth and even as a boulevard. It crosses mountains which reach a
height of almost four thousand feet. It winds in and out among the
coffee-covered hills, giving us a fine view of the green mountains and
the deep valleys below.
Looking down we see patches of sugar cane and tobacco; groves of
bananas, cocoanut, and palm trees; hedges of strange growth; unknown
plants and vines, and fern-covered rocks.
Here and there is a rude cabin surrounded by bread-fruit and banana
trees. We pass picturesque little towns with blue and yellow houses and
quaint churches, their spires towering upward. In fifteen hours we would
reach San Juan, but we delay our journey in order to obtain a closer
view of the scenery and of the homes of the people.
Many happy hours we spend on the plantations in the country.
During these country rides and visits we get our knowledge of the animal
and plant life of the island.
Let us stop, then, for a few days, at a country home by the seashore.