paradise: found -- a few months early

Just four days in Vieques makes for a lifetime of memories--from swimming in the warm, calm water in Esperanza's Sun Bay, to swimming at night in the largest bioluminescent bay in the world, to kayaking through dense mangrove forests, to lazing around on a warm shaded porch with nothing but the iquanas and the ocean to watch.

Begin with a drive across Puerto Rico, from San Juan to Fajardo--take your time getting there, and ask your driver to tell you all about the island on the way. If you're lucky, you'll get someone who will take you along the northeastern coast of the island--bringing you in perfect view of the Puerto Rican rainforest before you get to Fajardo and purchase your tickets for the Vieques ferry.

walk on the beach...lay under a palm tree...swim in the 80 degree, crystal clear waters of the Caribbean...drink a fruity drink...forget that you have a life beyond Latitude: 18.13º N Longitude: 65.40º W...dream about making your life there.
But don't miss out on Abe. A character out of the how-to book on life in the Caribbean, Abe runs one of several kayaking and snorkelling businesses on the island....he runs "at least 3, sometimes 4 trips a day--at least 7, sometimes 8 days a week." They range in length and product...but you shouldn't miss the six hour trip that begins in Mosquito Bay and meanders through desolate mangrove forests and caverns, where in lieu of padling your kayak, you pull yourself along by the roots of the trees. After the mangrove forest, Abe will take you across the bay to a secluded beach, where snorkelling is remarkable and the simple dinner he brought for you is the best meal of your life.

i promise you you won't be disappointed.
-----
for the history buff in you:
Beginning as a Spanish Virgin Island and then annexed by Spain into the nation of Puerto Rico, Vieques had a thriving economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries--highlighted by the sugar cane industry and the coffee industry. Starting in the late 19th century, however, numerous rebellions against working conditions in the sugar plantations, combined with falling prices of sugar, lead to an economic crisis during the 1930's. Residents began leaving Vieques to the nearby St. Croix, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico--clearing out the island for what would be it's legacy in the American consciousness.
In the early 1940s, The US Navy seized the opportunity of the sugar crisis on Vieques to purchase more than 70% of the island's land and begin bombing practice and munitions testing on the island. The Navy even went so far as to, in 1947, begin plans to relocate the entire population of the island to St. Croix. Amazingly, after almost five decades of local uprisings against this suggested movement, including human blockades against military Puerto Rico and the residents of Vieques were able to issue an ultimatum to the US Navy, declaring, among other things:

We accuse the U.S. Navy of polluting our air, water and land and contributing significantly to the high level of cancer and other diseases related to the degradation of the environment that affect our population. We make them responsible for all the dead, wounded, ill and other victims of their military activities during these six decades, and for the profound psychological damage caused to our children.
We declare that the Navy is an usurping entity of our territory, whose presence and activities violate the natural right of the people of Vieques to enjoy our natural resources and the right to peace.
We hold the US government responsible for any harm or injury against any Puerto Rican who exercise his or her right to defend our land.
On May 1, 2003, the US Navy left the island of Vieques--leaving a legacy of uranium deposits, unexploded munitions, and an extraordinarily high rate of cancer in its wake. Over 60% of the island has become the largest Wildlife Sanctuary in the Caribbean under the protection of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service--much of that space will never be able to house people, because of the amount of environmental and physical damage caused.
fix your jones for paradise found @ enchanted-isle.com, vieques-island.com, Trade Winds Guest House, and abessnorkelling.com
Posted by sarah t. at 12:05 PM
1 Comments
Vieques is a beautiful island indeed, and everyone should add it to their "Must do before I die" List. I am a native of Puerto Rico and know all there is to do there. Vieques is one of the most precious jewels that Puerto Rico posseses.
Here is some great information on the island and many photos. Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
Post a Comment
« Home