Arrival and orientation completed, homeowners departed, it's now time to experience 'life as a local' on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Isla de Vieques is part of the commonwealth of Puerto
Rico. With a land mass measuring 21
miles long by 4 miles, Vieques is located about eight miles east of the
"big island" of Puerto Rico.
Formerly a US Navy bombing range, the eastern and western
ends of the island are now a US Wildlife Refuge. The rest of Vieques is divided into the
barrios (urban areas) of Isabel Segunda on the north and Esperanza to the
south. In 2010 the population had about
nine thousand inhabitants, with both English and Spanish recognized as the
official languages; although the majority of locals prefer to speak Spanish.
Okay, an entire blog posting can be written about the
geographics, demographics, culture, and history of Vieques, but I'll defer that
to geeky types and Wikipedia.
The house I'm sitting now (first of two) is constructed on
the side of a hill overlooking the Caribbean Sea. To the west is the main island of Puerto
Rico, to north the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico. It has two livable levels with a third level
under construction. The bottom level has
vacation rental units; the main level is occupied by the homeowners. The third level has a sunset observation
patio, which will also have rental units when construction is complete.
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| View from 3rd level looking east |
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| View from 3rd level looking north |
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| View from 3rd level looking west |
The property has a small front garden, parking on both
sides, and a sloping backyard that has plenty of fresh flowers, vegetables,
fruit, and citrus.
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| View from backyard looking up |
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| Another view from the backyard |
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| And the last view looking up from the yard |
Each day starts with coffee on the main level deck while
watching the sun climbing high above the eastern mountain range. As the sun rises, it highlights some homes
while keeping others shadowed.
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| Main level dining area |
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| Hawk looking for food |
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| He found it |
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| Mongoose on the lookout |
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| Mongoose family enjoying an evening meal |
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| Neighbors dogs - Who needs a yard when you have a flat roof? |
Friday I was invited to an afternoon of pitching horseshoes, drinking beer, telling stories, and a small cookout. Like the nightly sunset watching, this is a normal event for some of the expatriates from the US mainland. Basically, it's a boys night out in the afternoon.
Saturday morning was spent doing chores around the house. Around 1400 hours Carol (homeowner of my next
assignment here) called asking if I wanted to go to a nearby horse show. The show was scheduled to start at 1500 hours
but in typical Latin American style, it was late. In fact, so late, leaving around 1700 hours, we
hadn't seen a single horse saddled. Earlier
in the week, Carol had invited me and a few other people to her house for a dinner
party that evening, so continuing to wait for the show was out of the question.
Dinner was great, other new friendships began, and the
evening was perfect.
On those days when there are no planned activities, you can
always find things to do. No matter if,
you want to fish, swim, boat, or just lay on the beach; remember you ARE on an
island.
If water activities aren't your cup of tea, not a problem,
just partake of some land-based attractions.
Isabel Segunda is the island capital city where you'll find plenty of sights,
the ferry port, and a fort to name a few.
Esperanza, has a decent Malecon (like a boardwalk) where you can sit on
the beach with a tropical umbrella drink, or shop at the small booths.
Both Isabel Segunda and Esperanza have plenty of shops,
restaurants, and bars to browse, eat, or drink.
For me, what happens from the time I stop drinking coffee in
the morning to the time I start drinking rum and enjoying the sunset varies
each day.
Until next time...
Mike
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