PUERTO RICO - Vieques - 2014 - House Sitting - Chapter 6 - In and Around Esperanza

Esperanza is the small town (more a village than a town) on the touristy side of Vieques.  It's mainly comprised of lodging, bars, restaurants, and excursion businesses.  There is a grocery store where visitors can obtain necessities and household items.

Horses wander the streets

Additionally, it's a thriving community of locals.  You can meet friendly people, watch some local sports activities at the ball field, and feel comfortable while walking around. 

It's a great place to hang your hat, fish from the shore, charter a boat to fish offshore (Vieques Sport Fishing), have a good meal, or a cold beer.  On the other hand, you can simply watch the sun rise and fall.  As we talked about in an earlier posting, you can be as active or inactive as you want.  It's your decision.

EDITORIAL COMMENT; for those that follow me know this is a clue that the next bit of reading is going to be harsh, fact based as of the time I was in a place, and a little opinionated.

The internet reporting of rampant violence is OLD NEWS.  I've talked to at least 15 residents of Vieques, including expatriates from the continental United States, and Puerto Ricans who have lived all or most of their life on Vieques.  Their response to the question of violent crime has been the same.  Yes, a couple two years ago, there was a surge in crime; but that came with a surge of police from the main island.  The majority of the violent crime was between Puerto Rican drug gangs and did not involve tourists.  Their violence was very "surgical" in that measures were taken to avoid any involvement with tourists. 

Since 2012 and early 2013 police identified, apprehended, and incarcerated the criminals; returning Vieques to a peaceful piece of paradise.

With that in mind, you, as the tourist must be constantly aware of your surroundings.  There are places in your hometown that you would not go alone (back alleys, isolated beaches, known gang areas, etc).  Equally, you would not leave your camera, i-phone, or wallet lying around unprotected; don't be personally lazy about your own safety here or any other place either.  Hell, if you leave a piece of luggage unattended in an airport, TSA and police go nuts; be responsible.

I realize some of you may have been offended by my editorial comment.  But, the bottom line is that no matter if we're at home or on vacation, we must all take responsibility for our own actions or lack thereof.  Things change as time goes on and while the internet is great for informing us, it's often times outdated.

Okay, we'll now resume our normal blog programming.

Yesterday I visited a couple beaches that are frequented by tourists and locals alike.  This being the off-season, a good number of the people there were locals but there were also some tourists. On many of the beaches, you'll find locals walking their dogs, both leashed and unleashed.  This is quite different from many places I've been in that the majority of dogs are social, not aggressive.

Shashee and Mutshee at Playa Caracas (Red Beach)

Lucy and a stray playing at Sun Bay

Sun Bay is a large beach where camping is permitted.  The main portion of the beach has a playground with tents pitched on either side. 

Sun Bay

Sun Bay camping area

Another beach, Playa Caracas, or known as "Red Beach" by the locals is located within the US Wildlife Refuge in the Camp Garcia area. 

Playa Caracas (Red Beach)

The beach at Esperanza Bay

The past couple of days I've enjoyed long beach walks with Lucy (the dog at Esperanza Inn), from Esperanza Bay to Sun Bay.  The sun had already risen into the sky, but from what I saw, and by the name of the beach, Sun Bay, it looks like a good spot to be at sunrise.

Returning to the Inn, I noticed a couple of boys throwing mangos into the tree knocking down more.  They would pick them up, eat them, and repeat the process.  The lower mangos are not as ripe as the ones in the treetop and since the tree was behind a fence, they couldn't climb and pick fresh mangos. 

Mango tree in front of Esperanza Inn

After delivering organic sprouts with Carol, we had dinner at the "Banana" to finalize the details of my next house/pet sitting gig.  We'd already gone over things, but I wanted to make sure I had the dosage of preventative meds right.  From there, we called it a night and I walked back to the Inn.

Let me take a minute here and say that I've eaten in a few restaurants around the island and thus far I have to say Bananas is either the top or at the top of my list.  Every time I've been there the service and food were great.  The price is average for the island, but being on the malecon is a definite plus.

Entrance to "Bananas"

The atmosphere is such that while you're enjoying a tropical drink, your meal, and another tropical drink you can also engage in casual conversation.  The gentle breeze blowing in from the Esperanza Bay stimulates your mind into dreaming about living "like this" full-time.  This is how a nice meal should be done, conversation, day-dreaming, and watching island-life pass by.

Your view to Esperanza Bay (directly behind me as I took this shot)

If you come to Vieques, this is a place to put on your "must eat and drink at" list.  Visiting Bananas website or their Facebook page, looking at pictures, and reading reviews is ONLY your starting point.  You have got to go here to activate your senses of smell, taste, and touch.

My final night at the Esperanza Inn was again uneventful.  Carol picked me up around 1030 hours and after dropping her off at the airport my next assignment has begun.