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.
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