PUERTO RICO - Vieques - 2015 - House Sitting - Chap 3 - Changing Locations

House and pet sitting assignment 1 of 3 is now in the books; thank you Carrie and Barry.  This was a truly enjoyable experience, the birds kept the sounds of nature alive, the dogs were great companions, and the cats, well they were cats and only came around when it was time to eat.

Now I'm off the my favorite guesthouse on Isla de Vieques, The Esperanza Inn.  Even though it's not right on the beach (only three doors up), its close enough.  That and absolutely everything you need, bars, restaurants, convenient stores, and did I mention rum, is within a couple minute walk.

Esperanza Inn; my guesthouse of choice on Vieques

I'll only be here for a few days as Carol, the owner of house two prepares for her departure.  With any luck tropical storm Danny will pass without leaving any major cleanup.  The new tropical depression seems to be moving slow enough, that airports will be running on schedule.

But while I'm here, let's take a look around Esperanza and 'update' you on changes from last year.  Keep in mind, this is a small place so while many things will remain the same, there is always newness and excitement.

PUERTO RICO - Vieques - 2015 - House Sitting - Chap 2 - TS Danny May Visit

This may be a little premature, but it sure looks like Tropical Storm Danny with become a hurricane and make a run at or by Puerto Rico.

Projected path of TS Danny as of 19 Aug - 2300 hrs

But before we talk about hurricanes, here's what went on in the past week.

PUERTO RICO - Vieques - 2015 - House Sitting - Chap 1 - Carrie & Barry

Another adventure in house and pet sitting has started.  This is the first of three homes I’ll be watching over the next few months.  So, let’s get started.

Arriving at San Juan International Airport (SJU), I was running late to catch my commuter flight to Vieques Island.  

 Hustling, I got my bag and found the Vieques Air Link (VAL) ticket counter to check in.  The attendant told me, they were waiting and would escort me from here. He ushered me to the waiting area where the attendant and a pilot continued without me.  Within 10 minutes another VAL agent came and escorted me out of the terminal to a waiting van.
 

I boarded the aircraft in the seat directly behind the copilot chair, the pilot was next; the remaining seven seats were empty.  He informed me I was the only passenger and gave me the safety briefing.  Chuckling, I told him, “if the plane goes down, I’ll be the number two man off the plane, you know how to work the doors”.

Preflight checklist complete, we taxi for takeoff.

The takeoff