While the cottage was not exactly what I expected, a few hours of tidying has provided me a with a very comfortable home for the next seven weeks. It is safely gated, has neighbors just close enough, and any doubts I had about the house vanished when I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean outside my bedroom window. Of course there are coqui (frogs) and roosters, too!
My first few days:
The view from my deck continues to take my breath away. 180 degrees wide, looking at the big island of Puerto Rico, it's sister Culebra, and all the way to St. Croix. The coffee in Puerto Rico is some of the best in the world, but somehow it tasted even better than I remembered. After a stop at the mercado for groceries, I ventured down to the town square to listen to local Christmas music, and then found myself on the pier waiting for the fish boats to come in. Ivan and George had just brought in a bucket of conch, and one lobster. Lucky me....my first day on the island and I went home with groceries, a pound of fresh conch and a three pound lobster. The conch is marinating for cheviche & the lobster and I had dinner together. Yum Yum. Spent most of the day orienting myself to the island - driving around, determining where the main roads are, and the best routes to the many, many beaches. Stopped for a beer in Esperanza, on the far side of the island. There is a long boardwalk along the Caribbean, and tons of outdoor bars. Mostly touristy, but a few old local spots with dancing, singing, dominos, families, and some type of gaming. I am still trying to figure out the funny little betting that was going on - kind of Roulette with horses.
Speaking of horses, the Pacifino horses run wild here. Everywhere! I have to keep the gate closed at my cottage or the horses will come inside the grounds and eat the fruit from the mango and papaya trees. Yes, there are bananas and coconuts at my cottage, too. And my new favorite, starfruit. I had coffee in town at Roy's Espresso Bar, while waiting for the dive shop to open. Met two delightful women who own the shop, sold me snorkel gear, and directed me to a the best beaches for my level of water activity. Spent the day on a soft, beige sandy Blue Beach. I had forgotten how warm the Caribbean is!!! As much as I enjoyed the beach, lobster risotto for dinner was equally amazing. Oh yeah!
The US Military had a large presence on the island until 1991. Thus, there are still bunkers, barracks, old vehicles, and bombs present. Yes, bombs. Seems the government was not able to find all of their explosives when the left, so there are areas near the beaches that are off limits with signs that read "no trespassing on beach and surrounding waters explosive hazard". Hmmmmm.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday there is a farmers market. All the produce I ever dreamed about is here. Trying my hand a root vegetables and plantains this week.
