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March, 2004
We arrived in Salinas, Puerto Rico on the morning of Friday, March 12th after a fairly peaceful voyage from Luperon, Dominican Republic. We anchored very near to some mangroves and though there were 50 boats in the anchorage we felt somewhat secluded. The next four days we spent doing laundry; helping our friends with computer issues; washing the boat; and riding our bikes around town exploring the city of Salinas. Then it was time to splurge ... marina, rental car, and hotels with air conditioning, cable TV, and other amenities which evade us in our current lifestyle. At last, it was time to experience the beauty of Puerto Rico. We spent three days touring around northwestern area of Puerto Rico. We left on Wednesday, March 17th in the early afternoon and decided to take our time traveling the "scenic" route to our hotel, Casa Grande. It was an amazing journey. Rankin expertly handling the weaving and zigzagging course up and down the sometimes one lane mountain roads often unable enjoy the scenic view for fear of missing a turn. Being the navigator, my attention was divided between the map in my lap which was the key to our arrival and the sudden, very steep drop off right outside my window. Without missing a turn, we safely arrived at the hotel Casa Grande. Casa Grande is located, what seemed to me, could be the middle of a rainforest. It is the site of a former coffee plantation, and this rustic getaway is owned by a former New York attorney, Steve, who decided to leave the fast lane for life as a hotelier and yoga instructor. Though neither Rankin nor I practice yoga and Casa Grande was lacking amenities (air conditions, cable TV, etc.) we sometimes miss, it was a divine getaway. There was no need for air conditioning because the cool, clean breeze swept off the mountains and supplied us natural air conditioning. The scenic view and various sounds of tropical life afforded us far better entertainment than TV. Specifically, admiring the vast forms of plant life which enveloped us and the unique, exquisite sounds of the forest. Mentioning this, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the diminutive coquí. This 1.5 inch tree frog has an enchanting cry which sounds like a bird, and adds a unique characteristic to the musical sounds of the forest. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
The next morning after a delightful breakfast, we drove to the Arecibo Observatory this time bypassing the scenic route. After an arduous jaunt, we reached the observatory a bit out of breath but in a little better shape. We spent four hours touring the museum before we stepped outside to view the radio telescope for ourselves. It's an impressive site.
Unfortunately, our photos couldn't capture the 1,000 ft. spherical reflector which uses a natural depression for its bowl basically a sinkhole. This dish is essentially located beneath the dome you see in the photos above. The radio waves collected by these reflectors are directed at a 900-ton triangular platform which hangs 450 ft. above the dish, held aloft by cables suspended from three gigantic towers. The dish at Arecibo is immobile, while the receiving and transmitting equipment, which hangs 50 stories in the air, can be steered and pointed by remote control equipment on the ground. It costs $3.5 million annually to operate this facility and has been responsible for several major discoveries, including detection of signals from the first pulsar and proving the existence of the quasar. Now, you can see why we spent four hours at the museum. We departed the observatory with a little more knowledge and definitely impressed by this engineering feat. That night we checked into the Buen Café Hotel Parador located near Arecibo (the city). I must say it did have a/c and cable TV and a very friendly staff, but it lacked the atmosphere of Casa Grande. All was not lost, there was a Sam's Club across the street, so the next morning we made a stop. Luckily, we only had an hour to shop so only a limited amount of financial damage could be done. Next, we drove patiently through the winding roads to the River Camuy Cave Park which houses an extensive network of underground caves. It was raining when we arrived, and unfortunately, it was closed due to the rain. Although we missed what was probably a unique tour, we decided to make the best of it. We took a major freeway (no curves) and headed to Ponce so we could see a movie. It may not sound like much, but we haven't gone to a movie since November, 2003. Actually, it had been such a long time, we didn't recognize any of the movies that were playing at the theatre. After some research, we saw Secret Window with Johnny Depp and it was pretty good. Then, we had a leisurely drive back to the boat (getting lost only once), unpacked (from our Sam's shopping spree) and after a couple more days of chores left Salinas for Vieques. Vieques is located seven miles east of Puerto Rico. It is a beautiful, untouched island mainly because the U.S. government owes a majority of the island. Actually, the U.S. government expropriated 70% of the island in 1940 to use as a military training facility (i.e. target bombardment, combat training, etc.). The government still owes the land, but does not currently conduct any training. This enables everyone to now enjoy the island and its pristine environment. We anchored at several different bays/harbours located on the south side of Vieques like Bahia Salinas del Sur, Bahia Ferro, Esperanza, and Green Beach. Each one with its own unique beauty and peaceful serenity. One of the most notable bays was Bahia Ferro. Bahia Ferro is a bioluminescent bay which means when you go for a late night swim everyone will see you because the bioluminescent produces a neon like blue color like sparklers around your body. Rankin jumped in for a swim while I watched in amazement trying to figure out how I could catch the moment on film. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, so no photos are available. It was a memorable experience. One of the most pleasant things about visiting Vieques (besides the beaches) was that once there, we were able to sail from place to place. After weeks of hearing the motor during our travels, the silence was heaven. Here are some of the photos during our trips between the bays/harbours.
On Wednesday, March 30th, we traveled from Green Beach on Vieques to Puerto del Rey Marina located south of Fajardo on the main island of Puerto Rico. This marina can accommodate 750 vessels and is considered the largest marina in the Caribbean. It's an excellent facility and the staff is very friendly and professional. The marina is so large that they provide a drop off and pick up service which means a trip to the marina office is just a golf cart ride away. Even though we only arrived yesterday, we met our neighbors Dave and Laura from Rainbow Connection who are located a couple of slips down. We also ran into two other couples who we had previously met during our travels. Bill and Lorraine from Schrado whom we met in Luperon and Bob and Lorelie whom we met last year in Georgetown. We have already rented a car and are running about doing chores ... there are always chores to do on a boat. We got most of our boat chores completed before Janie's arrival. Janie (Rankin's mother) visited us for a little over a week and we managed to visit quite a few sites in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands before her departure. Here are a few photos from her visit while in Puerto Rico.
Next we took Janie to explore Culebra and Culebrita, two islands in the Spanish Virgins. While in Culebra, we had a potluck with some fellow cruisers and were also able to do a little snorkeling. Our trip to Culebrita was short, but Rankin and Janie did do a bit of snorkeling and visited the "baths" which is a collection of huge boulders that entrap small pools. I heard it was wonderful. Now on to the U.S. Virgin Islands ... our next stop, just click on the link above or to see any additional updates of our travels, click on the What's Happening. |
