2/22/13 Spanish Virgin Islands

Hi everyone,

After we left San Juan, it took us a day to get to Culebra. Culebra is the second-largest island in the Spanish Virgin Islands, and we chose it because it was said to be a beautiful island, not to mention on the route to the rest of the Virgin Islands. We spent several days in Culebra, exploring the town and the surrounding snorkeling waters. Culebra’s main town, Ensenada Honda, is small and can be easily explored on foot. On our first day there we walked through the touristy shops and streets and slowed down to what we call “island time.” Island time pervades many of the smaller, less inhabited islands, and it is a slower way of life. People don’t have concrete schedules. They aren’t in a hurry. They take the time to stop and say hello to each other as they pass by. Everything is relaxing on island time, and for some people it takes some getting used to. Once we had stretched our legs and gotten on “island time,” we stopped at the Dinghy Dock restaurant for drinks, then went home and went to bed. The next day, Julia and I established a rhythm that we would keep until we left. We had heard from a local that the best place to get internet was at the library, which was open from ten to four. We walked to the library every day at ten to do our school work. The library consisted of two small buildings connected by an open-air deck, and one of the buildings was the movie theater. Julia and I sat outside and did our lessons on the open-air deck. When we got hungry around lunch time, we walked to a local grocery store and got ice cream. The librarians were very friendly and we felt right at home as we worked on our lessons. Usually, we would wrap up around two or three o’clock, and we would call Island Cat with our handheld VHF to be picked up. Afterward, we would go snorkeling or fishing or just hang around the boat. One night we even went to see a movie at the library, The Dark Knight Rises. After six days or so, we moved to Flamenco bay on Culebra. Flamenco has been voted the second best beach in the world by the Discovery channel, so we were looking forward to seeing it. It was a white sand beach, a perfect crescent, dotted with palm trees and protected by barrier reefs. It even had tanks. Sherman tanks, to be precise. Culebra was used for target practice and training by the US navy, and the rusted hulks of two Sherman tanks stand guard over the northern tip of the beach. Here, there was excellent snorkeling, and we caught a lobster hiding in one of the rocky crevices underwater. We stayed in Flamenco bay for two days before heading to Culebrita. Culebrita is a smaller island about a mile from Culebra, and it is completely uninhabited. It is a popular boating destination, because there is absolutely nothing there but a protected beach and an abandoned lighthouse up on the ridge. We hiked up to the lighthouse after we got there and ascended the rusty spiral staircase up to the light. The view was well worth the hike. It offered a sweeping view of the ocean, as well as St. Thomas, USVI,  approximately eight miles away. Turquoise waters hinted at spectacular coral heads and diving in some areas, and in others water gnashed against jagged cliffs and sent clouds of mist high into the air. Surprisingly, the climate of Culebra and Culebrita is well suited for the growth of cactus, and their distinctive green arms dotted the landscape. Afterward, we walked down to the beach, and Julia and I swam back to Island Cat. We also explored a natural rock formation called the Jacuzzi's, which was a small rock bowl that filled with foamy, bubbly seawater after every wave. After a grilled hotdog lunch, we went spearfishing again and caught another lobster. Julia and I spent the afternoon in the water, swimming with masks in the shallow water next to the boat. The next day we walked the beach early in the morning before leaving. Dad and I found tiny tracks in the sand, which we realized were baby turtle prints. Some time during the night, a number of sea turtles had hatched and headed out into the ocean. We left Culebra as we found it: unpolluted, wild, and beautiful in every way. Our next destination was St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.

Culebra when we arrived at sunset.

Dad looking for unsuspecting lobsters at a reef in Culebra.

Fish swarming around a head of coral.

Here we are in the shade of a bus, trying to get Wi-Fi.

A beautiful day in Culebra!

A food stand in Culebra. This illustrates “island time” perfectly.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Probably because one of the local cats was getting a bit too close.

A lot of the local shops have few customers so the owners have time on their hands. Thus, plenty of murals.

A horse grazing near the library.

Julia and I sitting on the open-air deck at the library. Not exactly the Blackstone, is it?

Sitting around the table at the Dinghy Dock restaurant.

Mom and Julia at the restaurant.

Julia and I fishing off the boat at sunset.

Julia reeling in a fish as we head for Flamenco bay.

The crescent beach of Flamenco bay.

Julia and I swimming in to to beach to do some boogie boarding.

Mom relaxing at the helm.

One of the Sherman tanks, rusting on the beach.

Flamenco beach.

Dad standing in front of a tank. As you can see, it has been the target of a lot of graffiti.

Palm fronds with Island Cat in the background.

On the beach.

Welcome to Culebrita!

Landing to hike up to the lighthouse.

Cactus growing in Culebrita.

The anchorage as seen from the lighthouse.

The windward side of Culebrita, with St. Thomas visible in the background.

A coral reef visible from the lighthouse. As you can tell from the rusted metal struts in the foreground, the lighthouse is very old.

The anchorage. As you can see, it is a popular boating destination.

Mom, Julia, and I standing in an empty window frame at the lighthouse.

Julia swimming in one of the pools of the Jacuzzi’s.

The family sitting together on the edge of a natural pool.

2/21/2013 San Juan

Hi everyone,
           The past few days we have been staying in San Juan, and it has been a wonderful experience. The people here are very nice, and some of them speak English despite the native language being Spanish. Julia and I have been taking Spanish in school for two and four years respectively, so it is nice to finally be able to use it. The day we arrived in San Juan, we sailed in past the fort that guards the entrance, past the cruise ships loaded with tourists, and anchored in a tiny anchorage surrounded all sides with hotels and other modern conveniences. I immediately took interest in the small airfield located just inland, as every few minutes a small aircraft would take off or land. After traveling for 96 hours or so, we were all tired and we did not do anything other than sleep for the first day. Also, our dinghy motor wasn't running and the pontoon was leaking, which prevented us from going to land. When we finally fixed the problem, we went to land and started exploring on foot. San Juan is a wonderful place to explore. We walked over to a park on the ocean side and marveled at the incredible views. We made a loop along the water, admiring the views along the way. We ended our walk with a stop at the grocery store, and made our way home. Just before we got to the grocery store, we saw a homeless man whose sole life possessions were a bicycle and an orange cat resting in a joint compound bucket hanging off one of the handlebars. As we came to find out, he was one of many homeless people in San Juan, and afterward we realized that we had some extra cans of cat food that we could give him. Dad and I went back with a plastic bag full of food, but by that time the man had vanished. We gave them to another homeless man with dogs instead. Good deed done, we headed back to the boat for the night. The only problem was that the boat was located across a five lane highway full of traffic. As we stood there wondering how to cross, a bus pulled up. We told the driver that we weren't waiting for a bus, but he told us to get on anyway and he would take us across the highway. So, we hopped on and he dropped us off on the other side of the highway. He refused money and departed with just a "Good night!" In fact, every person we talked to here was like that; helpful, nice, and all around a good person.

The fort guarding San Juan. It is the first thing we saw when we entered the harbor.

Island Cat sitting at the dock in San Juan.

Mom at the beach in San Juan.

Dad, Julia, and I on a trail overlooking the water.

A sheltered bay with San Juan stretching into the distance.

Only in San Juan would you see a guy bicycling with his pet python wrapped around his neck. He saw me looking and asked if I wanted to try.

A really old church that looks out of place next to the hotels of San Juan. According to a sign on the door, this church is over five hundred years old. It was built when Christopher Columbus was alive. I wonder what he would say if he could see its surroundings now?

          The next day, we took the bus into Old San Juan at night to experience the night life and some cultural food. We went to Mojito’s restaurant and had a wonderful dinner. We had, among other things, plantains and yucca root, both of which were very good. Afterward, we were in no hurry to go back to the boat. With the temperature at night falling to 78 degrees or so, nighttime in Puerto Rico is not cold in the slightest. We took advantage of this, and wandered the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan while listening to faint strains of music echoing from performers and speakers alike. In San Juan, there is a curious mix of Spanish and English language, and neither one has a clear advantage. As we walked through squares and shops and perused restaurant menus, we heard both Puerto Rican music and music in English. It was an interesting mix. We went back to the boat with a  better appreciation for Puerto Rican food and music.
         We went into Old San Juan the next day as well, but this time we went to see the old fort that had guarded the entrance to the bay for centuries. We walked up the steep road to the fort, which was situated on a cliff over the edge of the harbor some 130 feet in the air. According to fort history, the Dutch laid siege to the harbor for a month and still couldn't take it. We explored the parapets and climbed up the lighthouse on top of the fort for a great view of San Juan, and also walked around the grounds outside the fort. The only time the fort was ever conquered was by the United States. It took around two hours for the US to force their surrender, after which time Puerto Rico belonged to America. It took us about the same amount of time to explore the fort, and afterward we walked around the streets of Old San Juan. We stopped for drinks near Pigeon Park, and watched kids feed the hundreds of pigeons that now called the park their home. It was a long day of exploring, and everyone was happily tired by the time we finally got back to the boat.

Julia and I eating Puerto Rican sweets from a street vendor in the background.

The family in a guard tower along the wall of the fort.

For some reason, the part of San Juan near the fort is absolutely loaded with stray cats. As we hiked up to the fort, we must have counted ten or fifteen cats lounging around on walkways and under trees.

The fort has substantial grounds, probably for defensive purposes. Now, those grounds are a popular park for flying kites and playing soccer, with a great view over the ocean.

Up on the higher levels of the fort, there is a sweeping view out over the ocean. The walls of the fort are incredibly thick, if you compare them to the size of the tourist in the picture.

Here we are on another one of the sentry towers, with the grounds in the background.

A view of the grounds, the crowds, and the ocean.

Here you can see the surf pounding the coastline. Where the people are standing, you may notice two sets of two concentric rings of metal on the ground. These are cannon tracks, and they allowed the cannons of the fort to swivel and protect a greater area of coast.

Who ever said that high school kids were supposed to be mature? Here we are rolling down the hill…

An obelisk erected to celebrate five hundred years of culture.

         A few days later, we decided to rent a car for the day. San Juan is nice to walk around, but there are only so many things that can be done. The main attraction for the day was El Yunque, the rainforest on  Puerto Rico. After driving for almost an hour, we arrived in El Yunque. The rainforest conditions are created by clouds condensing on the mountains of Puerto Rico, which means that El Yunque is located on a mountain range. We began the drive up to El Yunque, and immediately we started seeing incredible things. As we followed switchbacks up the mountain we saw giant trees wreathed in vines, clumps of bamboo so thick they could not be seen through, and the occasional waterfall cascading over bare rock down the mountainside. Our first stop was at an observation tower. We climbed up the spiraled, stone tower and gazed out over a green valley that stretched into the distance down to a white sand beach. If we turned away from the ocean, we were able to see the top of the mountain with clouds streaming over the summit. We watched a pair of hawks hunting over the forest, then descended the tower and continued on our way. When we reached the trail head, we got out and prepared to walk. This trail was the most popular out of all of the trails in El Yunque, because it ends in a spectacular waterfall. The hike to the waterfall took something like 20 minutes, but we heard it before we saw it. Oddly, it sounded more like the roar of the crowd at a football game than a waterfall. As we got closer, we found out why. Massachusetts Maritime Academy students had come to San Juan on a training ship, and for some reason they had chosen the middle of a rainforest to have their giant party. Watching college students drink beer out of aluminum cans and yell at each other was strangely at odds with the usual tranquility that one associates with a rainforest. Luckily, they left quickly and we watched the waterfall for a few more minutes before heading back. On the way down the mountain, we had lunch at a small outdoor restaurant. We finally left El Yunque around 2 o’clock, and afterward we went to stock up on food that we would need for the next leg of our journey: the Virgin Islands.

El Portal: The visitor center for El Yunque.

A waterfall visible through the trees.

This waterfall doesn’t look very big until you compare it to the size of the people in the picture.

Vine-choked trees hang over the winding road that leads up to the summit.

The observation tower that we stopped at.

The rolling green hills that lead down to the ocean.

Clouds obscuring the summit of El Yunque, with a tree full of red flowers in the foreground.

Giant bamboo plants stretching into the canopy of El Yunque.

Hiking along the trails of El Yunque, this is the type of view you would normally have.

The waterfall that we hiked to, complete with a natural pool and mossy boulders.

The outdoor restaurant in El Yunque.

We had to stop the car and wait for this iguana to cross the road on our way down from El Yunque.

Back in San Juan, a faint double rainbow stretches over the hotel district.

On one of our last days in San Juan, a local yacht club held a sailing regatta. Here, one of the race boats sails in front of a 440 foot megayacht. (Which, by the way, is one of the top ten largest megayachts in the world. Dad read about it in Showboat magazine.)

The coastguard shows off for us and the crowd at the dock. Here, they are recovering someone in the water. It was a test, of course, but an impressive sight nonetheless.

The sun rises over the coast of Puerto Rico as we set out on the next leg of our journey.