Puerto Rico’s "Highway of Love"

From Yahoo! News – Oddly Enough. There are too many great parts to this article, so I’m quoting liberally:

It’s the busiest day of the year on the darkened stretch of road where adventurous couples looking for a discreet and special way to say “I love you” join in a long-cherished tradition among islanders who pride themselves on their passion.

[…]

The road is home to more than a dozen motels with names like “Bambu,” “Rainbow” and “The Fountain,” all nestled among a throng of tile stores in the otherwise unassuming town of Caguas, about 20 miles south of San Juan, the capital.

“There’s a saying here that goes if you’re coming to Caguas, you’re looking for one of two things: to buy tiles or go to a motel,” said a smiling Yvonne Rodriguez, the owner of the 30-room Rainbow motel, one of Caguas’ oldest and most respected.

[…]

“We get a lot of famous people here, too,” said Cano Alicia, a 38-year-old handyman at the Rainbow. “But it doesn’t matter who you are, the same rule applies for everyone: what happens here, stays here.”

He said the motels serve an important function for islanders with big sexual appetites who need to maintain appearances in the socially conservative U.S. Caribbean territory of 4 million people.

This reminds me of the idea of “face” in Japanese society (and surely I don’t need to remind anyone about Japan’s “love hotels”).