When we reached Puerto Rico, our first stop was Mayaguez on
the west coast to check in with Customs and Immigration. The two officers who greeted us were by far
the kindest we’d ever come across. They
filled us in on where things were and told the children everything they 'must
see' while in Puerto Rico.
When we were
ready to venture out, they even had a taxi called for us and warned us not to
pay over $8. The dock
where we had to disembark from our dinghy, however, was far from the nicest
we’d encountered. Along the cement wall
were huge, black fenders, which left their mark on anything that touched
them. By the time we’d crawled up the
wall and fenders (there was no ladder), we each had nice black smears along our
elbows and knees. The dinghy itself,
after sitting there for half a day, also got a handsome black mustache along
its entire bow. The officers felt bad,
saying, “We’ve told them we need a ladder here for a long time, but they
haven’t built one.” Gotta love government prioritizing...
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| Note the huge, black fender of death |
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| Cool jellyfish that floated by while we waited for Mark to finish paperwork. |
We felt like we’d hit the jackpot when the cab pulled into a
strip mall, complete with Kmart, Sam’s, and a movie theater!!
It was a huge treat to see a movie while it
was still in the theater, so we made it a point to make the 1:30 showing of The
Croods (in English with Spanish subtitles).
Most people in Puerto Rico speak very fluent English, so it was a fun
middle ground for me. I could eavesdrop
and practice translating, but still communicate easily. Many times, I would begin a conversation in
Spanish, and they would switch to English automatically. I’m not sure if they were saving me from my
rudimentary Spanish, or wanting to practice their English. The former, I’m sure!
There were many things to see and do while in Puerto Rico. It is a beautiful country. As we moved along the south coast, we visited
Boqueron, Guilligan’s Island, Isla de Muertos, and Salinas. We also rented a car and took trips inland to
see San Juan, Arecibo, and El Yunque National Forest. Each trip offered rich learning
opportunities, making for many “field trips”.
BOQUERON
A cruiser stop, for sure. The town itself is very small, but it is said
to have a wild night life. When we
dinghied into the dock, we were welcomed by a group of cruisers enjoying cold
Medellas (local beer) and exchanging stories.
It seems that many boaters have come here and never left!
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| Seagull parking lot by dinghy dock |
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| local sailboat in the harbor |
GUILLIGAN’S ISLAND
Mangroves surround this park, making it
a calm, shaded getaway for locals. A
ferry brings them from the mainland, and they come loaded with coolers, chairs,
swim floats, and dominoes! Picnic tables
and shallow water make this a wonderful spot to spend a warm afternoon. The kids played for hours on the paddleboard
and kayak in the calm waters.
We also met some windsurfers
who love the winds that come through the bay every afternoon. A retired Microsoft guy, 64, originally from
Germany, lives here and in Seattle part time each year. He finally bought a home 9 years ago, and
loves windsurfing every day he can. He
offered free, private lessons, but none of us were brave enough to take him up
on it! We witnessed up close and personal just how fast those things can go! Several came gliding by our stern as we were anchored!
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| Guilligan's Island Ferry |
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| Local family enjoying dominoes |
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| Riding through the mangroves |
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| Windsurfer's paradise! |
ISLA DE MUERTOS
A small, protected island located off the
southern shore. We hiked through cacti
forests to reach a lighthouse, which was built in the early 1800s. The climb was long on a hot day, and we’d
only brought one waterbottle! Oops. But it was nice to have some more down time
with Meryl and Walter from Flying Cloud.
Elizabeth took photos the entire way up, and Michael was hunting for
termite nests.
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| View from the lighthouse |
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| Cactus up close (photo by Elizabeth) |
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| Walking and talking! (photo by E) |
SALINAS
A popular hurricane hideout filled with cruising
boats and locals. The Marina de Salinas
offers laundry, showers, and a great bar where we played many games of dominoes
with our buddy boats SeaSchell, WindLass, and Flying Cloud. Elizabeth and Michael were excited to find a
small playground, something they haven’t seen since our time in Charleston,
SC! The conveniences available quickly
made this our home base. From here, we
rented a car to travel and provision.
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