December 31, 2013. A Day on Isla de Vieques.

After trying to get to Vieques by ferry last week and encountering an impossible, never ending line at the ticket counter we decided to take the 10 minute, $35 flight to get to the island. We boarded a 10 seater and after getting safety instructions from the pilot, the props were fired up and we taxied down the runway. What a fun flight. It was my first time traveling on such a small plane...so small that we were seated by weight. 

 

Vieques is most well known for its beaches. They are truly spectacular with soft white sand and crystal clear, warm water. Sun Bay Beach was almost deserted when we arrived, except for about 17 horses grazing in the field behind the beach. Nolan picked up a coconut that had fallen from one of the many palms lining the beach and was able to break it open so that we could enjoy the milk and the soft textured, sweet meat. 

  

 

After enjoying the water and lying in the sun, it was time to walk to the small town of Esperanza via the beach. Along the way we picked up a pocket fullmof beach glass. We settled on a small restaurant, enjoyed our piña coladas and waited and waited for our lunch orders to arrive. After waiting for well over an hour, two of us had to leave to catch plane back to Cieva and so were forced to cancel our order. The others were taking a later plane and got their food shortly after we left.

We were lucky to find a taxi within about 10 minutes. Back at the airport, we discovered a small open air cafe serving drinks and food. Since we hadn't eaten since breakfast we were ready to eat just about anything. Fortunately there were two local guys sitting near us. Seeing our dilemma as we perused the menu they quickly recommended the fried vegetable dumplings. We took their advice and were glad we did. 

We were again seated by weight on the flight back. After 10 minutes of spectacular scenery from the air, we landed in Cieva where Joanna was waiting to take us back to the condo. 

What a wonderful way to spend New Year's Eve.

December 27, 2013. El Yunque National Forest.

We started the day early, thinking that we could catch the ferry and go to the island of Viques for the day.unfortunately, the line for ferry tickets was very, very long and our chances of getting aboard we're next to impossible. And so, we switched to plan B and headed for the El Yunque Rain Forest for a hike to be followed by a swim at Loquillo Beach.

The El Yunque Rain Forest is a cool, mountainous, sub tropical rainforest.

The true sub tropical 'Rain forest' occupies very little area in Puerto Rico, only a single, crescent shaped, band on the windward side of the El Yunque mountains. It lies wholly within the El Yunque National Forest Reserve. This life zone is characterized by an annual total of 3,400 mm of rain. 

The trade winds blow from the north east and these mountains ( 3,500 ft elev. ) are in the north easternmost part of Puerto Rico. As the warm moist air rises when it meets the mountains and cools off, it dumps the rain...and intensifies the  wind. 

We hiked the steep Mt. Britton Trail which ended at an observation tower from which we could see the ocean when the mist cleared for a few seconds. The hike down was much easier than the trek up.

A stop at the beach for a swim was very refreshing. 

When we returned to the condo I made malanga chips. Malanga is a root vegetable native to the tropics. When I saw it Ralph's (the local grocery store) I was intrigued and decided to buy it and then figure out how to cook it. Thanks to online recipes, the chips were a hit.

Tomorrow: Seven Seas Beach.

  

December 24, 2013. Best Beaches...huh?

Sometimes it is best to take advice from TripAdvisor postings and travelers' blogs with a grain of salt. It is best to check the posting date and then be suspicious of words and phrases like "best ever" and "so amazing". We now have first hand experience with that kind of advice.

So many postings appeared about the southern side of the island when we looked up "best beaches in Puerto Rico". We certainly had already experienced some great beaches here in the eastern end and on the island of Culebra. However, we wanted to swim at the best even though it was about a two hour drive away. 

It was cloudy when we set off and it wasn't long before the torrential rain hit. However, like most rain events in Puerto Rico it passed quickly and the sun came out. We drove through  both urban and rural areas and again experienced the aggressiveness of many Puerto Rican drivers. Passing on the inside lane appears to be acceptable, as is passing on the shoulder if an inside lane is occupied. 

The scenery through the mountains was beautiful with colourful houses seemingly jutting out of those hills with cattle grazing on the slopes. Banana trees were a common sight. 

After two and a half hours of driving we arrived at Ponce where we stopped at a Burger King to ask directions to the beach. A crude map drawn on a sales receipt got us nowhere and so we asked the GPS to find us a beach. After another half an hour we ended up at a small beach at the Guanica Dry Forest. Since we expected to find white sand and crystal clear water, we were sorely disappointed. The beach was nothing spectacular. Even so, we all went for a swim and had some good laughs about being in the water after such a long drive as we watched an approaching thunder and lightening storm. 

After our quick dip we looked at the time and decided we had to get moving if we wanted to be back in Fajardo before dark. The drive back was easier than the drive down and even more scenic as we took a winding, narrow, cross country route through the countryside. (Our driver, Joanna may disagree as there was some necessary white knuckling along this route).

The driveway to our condo was a welcome sight after such a long day in the car. However, it was indeed a great Christmas Eve family outing and a day that will engender lots of laughs when one of us says, "Remember that Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico when..."

December 23, 2013. A Day in Old San Juan.

Now that there are seven of us, we have two cars. With one GPS, one car has to be the lead car and the other follows. This made for some interesting lane changes with signage not the best and aggressive Puerto Rican drivers out in full force. We did make it to the municipal parking lot with not too much effort and fortunately the tourist information centre was right across the street.

With maps and walking tour information in hand we set a meeting time and place and headed out. It was a hot day.

 Founded in 1521, San Juan is a well preserved example of what was a Spanish colonial town. Sections of the old city are surrounded by massive walls and several defensive structures and notable forts. These include the 16th-century Fort San Felipe del Morro and the 17th-century Fort San Cristóbal. The main central part of the city is characterized by narrow streets made of blue cobblestone and picturesque colonial buildings, some of which date back to the 16th and 17th century.

We roamed the streets, took pictures of statues, balconies, an above ground cemetery, forts, the turquoise waves crashing on the shoreline and even San Juan cats. I read a sign telling us not to feed the cats. Puerto Rico has feeding stations for cats and provides medical attention for them when needed. We did notice a number of stray dogs roaming the streets.

          

             

By the time 3 pm rolled around, the most important site for me was the good coffee shop recommended to us by a parks person at the fort. I had the best cappuccino ever. Puerto Rico grows some great coffee. We sat at the outdoor cafe and were eventually joined my two other members of our group...beer for them and another cappuccino for me.

The seven of us enjoyed an authentic Puerto Rican meal before driving back to Fajardo. Old San Juan is a must see if you visit Puerto Rico. 

December 20, 2013. Culebra

 Taking the ferry from Fajardo to Culebra is a great way to get to what has been described as one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. The round trip fare (over an hour each way) is a mere $5. However we were warned that lineups to buy tickets are often long and that many have been disappointed to find out that they waited in line for hours and couldn't get on the boat. Although we did stand in line for about 45 minutes, once we had our tickets we were pleasantly surprised to be ushered to a very short boarding lane for the 9 am ferry. We discovered that we were moved to the first line to board because there is a special line for those traveling with small children and for those over 60 and their party. Sometimes it pays to be over 60 and this time it worked out well for the five of us. I am not saying who the agent thought was over 60. 

Boarding with the first group allowed us to get good seats on deck. These were very important seats to have on the trip as many people, especially those in the cabin, got seasick. The crew was busy handing out "barf" bags, selling seasickness pills and cleaning up after those who were sick. It was really quite funny to those of us who kept our breakfast. As he offered up "barf bags" one crew member called out, "happy meals, get your happy meals here" while another tossed a full bag in the trash while saying, "pizza sauce." 

After we landed we took one of the many buses that were taking passengers to Flamenco Beach, a absolutely beautiful beach. The water was warm, the sand was soft and white, and the temperature was just right for swimming, sunning and walking on this pristine beach. The 2,200 people who call Culebra home like to keep it this way.

   

A walk to one end of the beach revealed part of Culebra's past. A derelict US army tank sits on the beach as if ready to head out.                                                                                                                           

Lunch at one of the park entrance small concession stands was inexpensive, Puerto Rican and still remains a mystery. Although we ordered what we thought were crab and shrimp turnovers, we are still not sure what we ate.

Leaving the island involved another lineup but we were again able to get good outside seats on the ferry deck. The seas were much calmer at 5 pm and very few barf bags were distributed. Our final lineup for the day was on dry land as we stood for another 30 minutes waiting to pay for our $5 per day parking. 

After the short drive back to our condo we ate a light meal and everyone went to bed early. The sun, sand and sea has a way of using up one's daily allotment of energy. What a great tired!

December 17 - 18, 2013. Fajardo.

Our flight from Atlanta to San Juan was uneventful, probably because we has prepaid for early boarding, which on Southwest Airlines is highly recommended because there is no assigned seating. Extra legroom was great to have on a 3 1/2 hour flight aboard a full plane. 

Upon arrival at the airport we picked up our rental car and drove 45 minutes to our condo in Fajardo. This two story condo is part of a large, secure complex with several pools, tennis court and fitness room. It features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a well equipped kitchen and a balcony view of the water. 

Sleep followed a delicious meal at a local restaurant. In the morning we headed for the beach. The water was warm, the sun was bright and the beach almost deserted. Time at the beach was followed by a dip in the waterslide pool. 

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping and sightseeing. The downtown area looks almost like a ghost town with many shops boarded up. It looks like the few bigger stores on the main highway have lured shoppers away from the downtown area.  A stop at an ice cream shop completed our day.

Tomorrow, maybe more of the same...I certainly hope so!

The view from our balcony.

December 16, Hanging Out in Auburn

              

Life in Auburn continues to be pretty laid back. We walk Jackie each day, go to yoga a few times a week, take in some basketball games and hang out with Jessica and Nolan. We did get to a "meeting" this week and enjoyed the conversation and the people. Everyone is so friendly here.

Tomorrow morning we head to Puerto Rico for three weeks! Other family members will join the four of us later in the week. Here's hoping the weather up north doesn't interfere with anyone's flights.

December 9, Football, Basketball, Yoga and Cookies

Saturday was another exciting day for Auburn Tigers football fans. They beat Missouri and will now take on Florida for the National title. Although I am not a football fan it was easy to get caught up in the excitement, especially at a football party where everyone was wearing Auburn colours and cheering on the team. 

Besides watching football, we have attended a couple of Auburn Tigers Women's basketball games. Admittance to the stadium is a mere $5. Besides good basketball, the entertainment provided by the band, mascot, cheer team, dancers and half time contests is worth the price of admission. The girls won both games which made the games even more fun to watch.   

YogaFly studio offers new students a great deal. For $12  each we get to attend as many yoga classes as we want for 12 days which is ideal for the length of our stay. We have taken in three classes so far and hope that yoga is compensating for all the party foods we have consumed.

Speaking of party foods, I went to another fun party with Jessica yesterday afternoon; a Christmas cookie decorating party. The hostess had the most festive decorations I have ever seen, along with lots of coloured frosting, easy applicators and yummy snacks. Since gingerbread cookie decorating is a family tradition it was reminiscent of fun times at the kitchen table in Bedford.

December 1, 2013. Football Frenzy in Auburn

0When we drove into Auburn on Thursday afternoon there was not only a lot of traffic, but a definite celebratory atmosphere. Most people, including children and even infants were dressed in the distinctive orange and blue Auburn University colours. Cars sported Auburn University stickers, license plates and many had AU flags flying from their car windows. Homes were decorated in Auburn colours. We knew something was up and soon found out that the biggest university football game in the country was to take place on Saturday. People had arrived as early as Tuesday to stake out their tailgate spots, RVs were parked everywhere and football fans had traveled a long way to see this game, whether live at the 87,000seat stadium, at their tailgate site set up complete with flat screen tv, generator and lots of food, or at the many private parties being held in the homes of a town staunchly behind their Auburn Tigers, who were playing the number one team in the country, and arch rivals, Alabama.

On game day we walked downtown to experience the football frenzy. The atmosphere was truly electric. There were thousands of tailgate parties happening, thousands of families dressed in orange and blue, and thousands of people chanting "War Eagle". Since we were wearing our Auburn t shirts, we fit in nicely and knew to respond to the "war eagle" greeting with "war eagle". I had my picture taken with two complete strangers who were dressed in their finest Auburn Tiger garb.

We watched the game on tv with some diehard fans. I found myself caught up in the excitement and responding to Auburn's upset win over Alabama with loud cheers and high fives. As is an Auburn tradition, much toilet paper was strewn over specially built wires at the main intersection of the town. Up until late last year the tissue was strewn over a very special tree but unfortunately an Alabama fan poisoned the tree and it had to be taken down. That guy has apparently served time for the crime.

Although much of the town partied until late into the night, I was in bed by 10, having had enough excitement for one day!