March 5th, 2014
Oh yes!! Still cold and snowy. Looking foward to daylight savings on Sunday!! Life’s simple pleasures like a short getaway to the island of Culebra. My last post is from the beautiful Flamenco Beach.
Culebra is very laid back; you disconnect from the ordinary.
Club Seabourne is located on Fulladoza Bay, with its own private dock in case you arrive by boat. It is a boutique hotel. Tel. 787-742-3169 Website? http://www.clubseabourne.com
Relaxing by the pool or bar…
The restaurant? Guava….Caribbean Creative Fusion under Chef Maira Isabel.
So now that I have given an excuse to get rid of your coats and boots….all you need in Culebra is your bathing suit and flip flops!!
March 3rd, 2014
The snow continues as I write this post. An all day snow event. March has come in like a lion and we are all hoping it will leave like a lamb.
Warmer temperatures, preferably in a Caribbean island would be just the perfect Spring Get-A-Way. That’s what I am thinking about today. Culebra is the island I have just in mind to introduce you to, if you do not know it already.
Puerto Rico owns 2 islands: Vieques and Culebra. Vieques is now a bit more commercialized. Culebra is still just like I remember it so many years ago. Nothing has changed…still that quiet and tranquil atmosphere, with amazing beaches and topography.
There are several ways to get there, including flying from San Juan. But, the majority of people take the ferry. Puerto Rico owns the ferries, but a competitor has a private ferry which as of this writing I have a feeling is not going to be doing the trips unless something changes. The thing is that the private ferry is so much faster than the locally owned ferry. I will leave it at that. I experienced them both.
The ferry leaves from the Port of Fajardo. The local ferry will take almost 2 hours, at $2.25 per person. You also will find other passengers on the trip….local color with the fighting cock.
For the most part the trip is pretty good. But, the sea can get a little rough at times. Don’t worry, the captains are experienced. Leave the “mainland” and heading east, our ferry left at 5 p.m. Culebra is 17 miles east of Puerto Rico.
We arrived in Dewey….yes, there is another Dewey, also named after Admiral George Dewey. This is the center of the island on the west coast. It is where the ferries arrive and also where the airport is located.
Dewey has a handful of streets…the Culebrenses are friendly and are happy to answer questions. Culebra is 7 x 5 miles. The island has cliffs, sandy coral beaches, and mangrove forests.
Culebra has 10 beaches, 4 forests, 8 bays, 4 lagoons and 24 keys. It also has the Luis Pena Natural Reserve one of the best snorkeling spots in Culebra and just across from the private residence I was so lucky to be staying.
One of those beaches is amazing and if you are in Culebra just for the day…then it is a must. It is called Flamenco Beach.
When my husband and I used to visit Culebra so many years ago, it was just the beach. Now, you can find places to eat, like the Puertorican kiosks, shops and even a camping site.
Roosters and hens roam around the island…part of the local color. Following the path to beach….
Flamenco Beach is ranked among the best beaches in the Caribbean. It is the only beach in Culebra with lifeguards, showers, bathrooms and changing rooms.
Walking its coastline, you will come face to face with one of the 2 tanks on this beach. In 1939 the U.S. Navy began to use Culebra as a gunnery and bombing practice site. This ended in 1975 when the operations moved to the other island…Vieques. A lot of controversy never to be forgotten.
Near this tank…a great place for snorkeling.
The posts on Culebra do not end here…..lodging is next! Stay warm!! Spring is around the corner.
February 16th, 2014
When I was younger Sundays, did not mean a thing. As I matured, I found that Sundays are magical. It is that day of the week where you can just relax, cook outdoors, read a good book….it is your own time. No worries. Monday is the next day, and you will worry about that when it gets there.
Visiting the Island of Culebra off Puerto Rico….Laid back Caribbean Island. There is a slower time. It is so scenic. The sounds of the waves is all it takes to put you to sleep under a palm tree.
When visiting Culebra, and I will tell you more about it in a later post…..lunch at the Dinghy Dock is very relaxing. At dockside. It is located outside the Dewey Draw Bridge on Calle Fulladoza. Tel. 787-742-0233. Locals mingle and Dinghy Dock serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
 
Entering Dinghy Dock and sitting at dockside….it is an open air restaurant with full bar, serving American and Puertorican food.
The view of the anchored boats and of the fish expecting a treat from your table.
A full bar and grab a table, please. Remember, you are on island time…..no rush.
It was the perfect place to stop for lunch after touring the island with family. On our table the following was ordered.
Beef Fajitas
Two orders of the local bean burritos.
And after I had been eating lechon asado (roasted pig), morcillas (blood sausages), pastelillos (turnovers), plantains….it was time to eat fish. So, my sushi grade seared tuna hit the spot!!
No dessert for us….we were completely satisfied.
Visiting Culebra….priceless!!
February 13th, 2014
 
You cannot blame me for the continuation of my posts on the Island of Puerto Rico. Have you looked outside today? Delaware Beaches are getting rain but the tri-state area is getting snow. So, Puerto Rico, is a quick get-away for many. Only a few hours from major airports in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, PA. No passport needed. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the U.S. English is spoken for the most part throughout the island.
One of my favorite cities in Puerto Rico is Old San Juan. Strolling through Old San Juan will set you back over 500 years. Gorgeous cobblestone streets, wear comfortable shoes. This walled city is so unique that the United Nations Educational Scientific & Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. It is a 7 block museum, where people, live, shop, dine, and party.
A few months ago a friend stayed in Old San Juan with her husband. Both were so surprised to see and experience how Spanish the island is. Not Latin American but Spanish from Spain…food, buildings, and traditions.
I don’t have to think twice when someone asks me where to stay in Old San Juan. My answer is always the same: El Convento Hotel, located at 100 Cristo St. Tel. 787-723-9020. Website? http://www.elconvento.com.
 
Hotel Convento…the word convento is convent; it was a Carmelite Convent 356 years ago. In 1959, under Operation Bootstrap….Operation Bootstrap gave U.S. companies tax incentives to come to Puerto Rico. Hotels, Pharmaceutical companies and Oil companies came to the island looking for those benefits.
Robert Frederic Woolworth, heir to the Woolworth fortune, began converting the convent into the El Convento Hotel in 1959. Since then, other major renovations have taken place in the 1990s and in the 2000s. The hotel has 58 rooms, and several restaurants.
 
El Convento has a rooftop pool. Visiting the Island of Puerto Rico would not be complete if you do not visit its beaches, as well. El Convento has beach and pool privileges at La Concha Hotel located on Ashford Avenue in the Condado section of San Juan and in Isla Verde at the Marriott Hotel. These are both great beaches if you are in San Juan.
The forecast for the Delaware Beaches looks pretty good this week-end. Hard to believe that you think it is warm when the temperatures raise to 40 degrees!! Oh, well spring is around the corner.
See you,
February 10th, 2014
I think it probably was like 38 years ago when my husband and I attended a cockfight in San Juan at the Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico. Once was enough. Not into it and just like I don’t like bullfights…it is the same with cockfighting.
I heard today, February 10th, that a raid took place in New York State….called “Operation Angry Birds”. It was the largest cockfighting bust in the history of the state.
University of Delaware, where one of my sons graduated from, is one of the oldest universities in the U.S. Their mascot is the Fighting Blue Hens. That’s right, there is a lot of history why they became a symbol for the university. If you want to know more, please visit http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/history.html.
Gamecocks, gallos, fighting cocks are bred to fight. These fights can get very bloody. I was taking the ferry from Fajardo to Culebra, which is one of the islands owned by Puerto Rico. The other one is Vieques. These islands are between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Beautiful and getting more popular every year.
The sound of the rooster….it was 5 p.m. Was he ready to go to sleep? So, I went down to see what all that racket was about. There I saw him. He was beautiful. I am sure he was coming from San Juan after a fight. He was probably a winner. The owners let me take their photo and told me they had 6 more in their cages going back to Culebra.
Puertoricans are used to de Peleas de Gallos or Cockfighting….it is part of a heritage. That does not mean that everyone goes or approves of it, but I think it is there to stay.
In the meantime roosters roam the islands too. They are free and continue to be part of the local color.
Talk to you later.
February 9th, 2014
 
Puerto Rico is pretty popular this year. Many visitors looking for the swaying palm trees and warm weather. Too cold and snowy this winter.
Visiting the island of Puerto Rico is not just basking in the warm sun…the island is full of history.
When I saw the man selling the guiro I had to take his picture. I was never an expert playing this percussion instrument, but I don’t think you need to. Just play it.
The guiro is a traditional Puertorican music instrument believed to have originated from the Tainos. It is a notched hollowed-out instrument.
It is made by carving the shell of the gourd and carving parallel fluting on its surface.
To play it hold it on your left hand with the thumb inserted into the back hole to keep it in place. The right hand holds the scraper and plays the instrument. Check the photo above.
The scraper is also called a “pua”. Scrape up ad down. The guiro is usually played by a singer. It is more for folk music than for salsa.
See you!!
February 4th, 2014
For the past week, I have been visiting the island of Puerto Rico. I think I chose the right week….sorry, I know you are freezing up north.
My computer has been acting up, but don’t worry I have tons of photos to be posted when I get back home.
Traveling through the east side of Puerto Rico has taken me to Memory Lane. I grew up in Puerto Rico; in the town of Humacao.
North of Humacao is a town called Naguabo. It is also called The Sunrise City. They say that the first rays of the sun are received in this town as it rises in the east. Naguabo was founded in 1794.
I remember my grandfather getting up early on some Sundays and driving to Naguabo to get little whole fried fish. They were so delicious.
This town is also known for chapin which is a trunkfish. Best pastelillos de chapin or trunkfish fritters are found in Naguabo.
Just the other day at El Makito we had them. We also had mofongo stuffed with chapin, as well, shown on this photo in the background…on the right.
Coming up on February 14th through February 16th is the Chapin Festival. So, if you are driving around the island you might want to stop and sample this delicacy. Chapin can grow up to 12 inches and they feed on reefs.
I was taking in the views from the newly malecon or promenade. Could it be possible that at some time in the future Naguabo could be known as Puerto Rico’s own Portofino? It definitely has potential.
If you are spending time in Puerto Rico, please note that every second Friday of the month there is usually some sort of party going on the malecon.
Talk to you later. Have a good one!!
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