Well it's been a fairly eventful week with exploring, welcoming seven chicks, and seeing the blood moon. So, let's get started...
The weather was nice most of the week and there were a couple beaches I hadn't been too. The first was in an area I'd already visited but the beach was not accessible at that time. The second, was a bit harder to find, even with directions.
During a previous excursion I found a couple hiking trails in the southeast part of the National Wildlife Refuge. You remember this place, it's the part of the island the US Navy used as a bombing range; and it still has unexploded ordinance on it. But at the time, I didn't have enough water so elected to return another day for an early morning hike. This was the day.
I got the refuge about 0800 hours only to find the road leading to the trail heads closed. Returning, I saw the road to Playa Pata Prieta (the beach I couldn't visit before) was open. This is a small secluded beach that sits in a small semi-protected bay.
This is the non-swimming part
The swimming part of the beach is in the background
Again, the swimming part of the beach is in the background
Beach art - wind chimes made from rocks
More beach art
The next beach to visit is located west of Esperanza. I talked to J of the Esperanza Inn and found out the road on the map, really wasn't a road; it's a dried creek bed. He told me where to park and said it was about a 10 minute hike to 'Playa Negra' (Black Sand Beach).
This is a deep dry creek bed
What a naturally cool mix of black and beige sand.
Not sure if I'd mentioned this in previous posts, but Carol has about 40 chickens. Well, with that many hens around, it was kinda hard to keep track of if they are nesting outside the coop. One did and got away with hatching a clutch of seven.
I found the hen and two chicks had already hatched
And the remaining five soon joined them
Mama is already teaching her chicks how to find food
One of the many good things about being on a small island is, after the sun goes down, it gets dark, Colorado mountain top or New Mexico desert dark. We did have some intermittent cloud cover but it was still a good night.
Here are a few of my shots of the eclipse. These shots were taken with my Nikon 3200 DSLR camera with an 18mm to 270mm Sigma zoom lens; nothing fancy, or high dollar.
The beginning of the eclipse
With the cloud cover I elected not to do time lapse, just me and my tripod
And then the blood moon started taking over
During the week I also visited another house sitter and acquired these bananas. Returning to Carol's I hung them under an awning to let them finish ripening. One thing to remember when hanging bananas is the birds and rodents like them more than people do. So, hang them where the rodents can't climb to them and cover them to keep the birds from eating them.
Well another week has gone by. The weather has been great for the most part with a few rain showers popping up now and then. Yes, they do kinda slow things down, but 'mon, don't you worry bout it, it's island life'.
I went to a few more beaches, harvested and shelled a few more coconuts, gathered eggs, swatted mosquitoes, and got a job. Can you believe that, somebody actually offered me and I accepted a job.
One definite advantage about being here during this particular time of year, there are very few tourists. Yes, some of the restaurants, bars, and tour operators may be closed or on reduced hours, you can still eat, drink, and see what Vieques has to offer. Personally, I've had no challenges, and have not been told of any either.
Thus far the beaches have been abandoned. Of all the ones I've been on, the only ones that have had people on them had a paved road leading to the parking area.
Another big difference has been the signage on the beaches. Here are some sings I normally see on the beaches or at least by the parking areas.
Then, I go to beaches here on Vieques, and see signs like this all over the place. As you can see, they are not only in the parking areas, but right on the water as well.
So if you ever come to Vieques, please, take this warning and watch where the hell you walk and swim. Stingrays do temporary damage, exploding bombs are permanent.
Once I made my way along several miles of dirt roads, found the beach I was looking for. I made my way past the signs, to the water and yes, the trek was worth it. Playa Chive is one of the secluded beaches I found. It's not really a single beach, but more a peninsula with several small, really secluded beaches for your enjoyment.
Playa Chiva
I tried to get to a place called "Secret Beach", but when I came to a pond in the road and a closed gate on the other side I elected stop. Mainly because I didn't know how deep the pond was, but the locked gate had a lot to do with it.
Spending most of my afternoons at the house, hiding from the sun as it baked the remaining water from the soils, I spent a lot of time watching the chickens. Hey, they were really the only living things moving.
Carol has a total of about forty chickens, mostly adults but also babies and 'juveniles'. Some have not even hatched yet. The babies are the neatest ones to watch as they are learning how to find food, and sometimes get too close to moms scratching feet; thus getting knocked down the hill.
Okay, now let's talk a little about me getting a job.
A couple weeks ago I received a call asking me about house sitting. I explained that I was already committed and agreed to try to find someone. As we were finishing the telephone conversation, the lady said she had to get back to work in the yard with her husband. Being my nature, I offered to help them if needed. She said thanks and said she would get back to me.
I couldn't find anybody to house sit for this couple and that issue went away.
Last weekend, I got another call and the lady asked if I was serious about helping. I told her I was and she asked how much I charged. I simply told her the could pay me whatever they thought was fair. Agreeing to work a couple days a week, and getting the directions, the plan was set.
After driving past the house, I finally found it and arrived Monday morning at 0830 hours. As I pulled into the driveway, her husband was right behind me. She went to introduce us and I blurted out "I know that guy from horse shoes". Last year I spent my Friday afternoons pitching shoes and having drinks with some of the local US mainlanders.
Anyway, I talked to the husband, found out what the job was and we agreed on payment. As it turns out, I'd basically be helping their full time employee take care of the yard and some basic handyman type stuff. We only work from 0800 to 1200 hours, which is perfect and so far, I've been employed for two days. Hey, who knows, I might be able to get back into the workforce; NOT.
Here is the updated map of my travels around this beautiful island of Vieques.
Realizing this is my second trip here and I haven't really told you about Vieques. In this posting, along with my current stay, you'll get some of the islands stats, not much though.
Isla de Vieques, or commonly referred to simply as Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico.Located about 8 miles east of the Puerto Rican mainland, it measures about 21 miles (34 km) long by 4 miles (6 km) wide. The main town of Isabel Segunda (or "Isabel II"), is the administrative center on the northern side of the island, with the smaller village of Esperanza on the south side.Most of the approximately 10,000 inhabitants reside in the numerous barrios (neighborhoods) scattered throughout the island.
The island's name is a Spanish spelling of an American Indian word (likely Taíno) said to mean "Small Island". It also has the nickname "Isla Nena", translated from the Spanish as "Little Girl Island", alluding to its perception as Puerto Rico's little sister.
Vieques is best known internationally for a series of protests against the United States Navy's use of the island as a bombing range and testing ground, which led to the navy's departure in 2003. Today the former navy land which encompasses about 50 percent of the island is a national wildlife refuge.
Within the refuge are numerous beaches, commonly listed among the top beaches in the Caribbean for their azure-colored waters and white sands.While many of these beaches still retain their “Navy” names, they are also known by their local names as well.
A FEW WORDS OF CAUTION:Under Naval control until 2003, the refuge was used as a bombing range.Currently much of the refuge, especially the east end, remains closed as the search and removal of unexploded ordinance continues.Stay on the marked roads and trails, be observant, and become familiar with these signs.
Okay, now for what's been going on in my little part of the world.
With decent weather, I spent a few days wandering around the island. Thus far, in my two visits here, I've been to almost all the beaches, some of the 'tourist' attractions, and quite a few restaurants and bars. The bars mainly for conversing with the locals of course.
We'll start with the 2nd Annual Festival de la Arepa (flat bread) in Isabel II. I was at the festival on Saturday, from about 1500 to 1700 hours. There really wasn't much to see or do, but as with all Latino events I've been to, there was music and dancing. As you will notice, not everybody wants to participate in a festival celebrating flat bread.
Stage for the Festival de la Arepa
While hanging around the house, it became evident this is a very peaceful place, where everybody, including animals all get along.
'Fat cat' sharing breakfast with some juvenile chickens
Mamma with her ten chick
An iguana getting afternoon sun
But there were many times, I left the comfort of my hammock to venture out and discover more parts of Vieques I had not seen.
As mentioned before a large part of the island is a National Wildlife Refuge controlled by the U.S. Government. Since four wheel drive vehicles are recommended on the east end, and it's mostly closed for unexploded ordnance removal, I stayed away. Who knows, I may rent a Jeep and head west, but until that time, I returned to the west end.
Boardwalk leading to Laguna Kiani
Don't let the shot of this boardwalk fool you, it's less than 200 yards from start to finish. It has two lagoon viewing points, but the rest of the walk is mangrove swamp. It's still a nice walk, but with the drought, the swamp was dry.
Mangrove swamp
Molting lizard, getting some sun and eating it's own skin
Being on an island, surrounded by beautiful beaches is the kind of place I could hang out for a while. Yes, my home in Florida is within an hour of one of the top 10 beaches in the US, the combination of sand and trade wind breezes can't be beat.
Yep, that's the main island of Puerto Rico in the background
Same beach, (Punta Arenas), just farther from the point
This is Punta Boca Quebrada, another secluded beach
This is the road to follow to Punta Boca Quebrada
And of course, it wouldn't be Latin America without horses wandering freely.
Horses wandering the Mosquito Pier road
Here's the updated map of places I've been on Vieques. It includes attractions, lodging, bars, and restaurants.
So Tropical Storm Erika did intensify and wreaked havoc on the island of Dominica causing several deaths due to flooding. Thankfully, it weakened as she made her way north.
Here of Vieques, we had winds around 50 mph and a few inches of rain. With the extent of the drought here, more rain would have been nice. The island didn't sustain major damage and about the only inconvenience we had was a power outage that lasted several hours. It went out about 2030 hrs and came back on around 0600 hrs.
As the storm moved on, the clouds and wind dissipated, leaving us with a slight breeze. At night, we were left with a slight breeze and wet grounds from the rain, which brought in mosquitoes. These little pests were buzzing all night long.
It doesn't matter if all your windows and doors closed, mosquitoes know how to get in. They cling to your cloths and pets, taking a free ride when you enter the house. And with the majority of homes here not having air conditioners, who keeps their homes closed up. I'm left with two options to keep the mosquitoes from pestering me and keeping me awake at night; generate a stronger breeze with fans or get a mosquito net.
A couple days after the storms, the weather cleared and it was time to explore a little. I'd been told about the ruins of an old sugar mill and some old US Navy bunkers on the west side of the island.
Road to Sugar Mill ruins, and Bunker Road
Grabbing my camera and some water I drove west, past the airport and 'Mosquito Pier'. Turning left on the first paved road, I found the sugar mill ruins almost at the end of the road. There is a secured radar station at the end of this road.
Path leading to sugar mill ruins
Ruins seen from the road
More ruins seen from the road
These next pictures cannot be seen from the road. Enter the forest by the round sign marking the ruins and walk a short distance. You'll see the buildings through the trees. Be careful because the area is overgrown and covered with debris. As with any ruins, these are still decaying and can fall, slip, or move at any time.
Turning around, I headed back up the same road, turning left onto the first paved road. Along this road you will find several bunkers. These are the easy ones, also the newer ones, as they are right beside the road. There are also bunkers that can be found deeper in the forest, but I didn't search them out. After looking at a few, I figured, a bunker is a bunker; no need to get stuck by thorns, or eaten by mosquitoes.
This horse is grazing on the side of a bunker
Group of three bunkers along the road
This is one of the group of three
Some are empty
Some are full. This one is unsecured and the stuff belongs to the post office
Here is a map of the places I've been to on Vieques. The sugar mill ruins and bunkers are marked with yellow "star" pins.
