In search of the Perfect Beach

Gringo Beach, otherwise known as Playa Gallito

So four days after cramming as much information in as we could about the island, the property and its functioning, Eric finally packed up and we dropped him at the airport. It was now just going to be us and whatever our creative imaginations, and luck, would have for us.

We were now free to explore the island at our whim and so that’s just what we did. The first thing Chase wanted to do was stop at Gringo Beach for a quick dip to refresh himself. This is a little beach between the airport and the W Resort (the only resort on the island), so named apparently because of the white guy that used to keep it clean and tidy. This was a draw, but also was its accessibility.

Road 200 runs beside the Atlantic shoreline here and you can pull into a dirt road that stretches into a small promontory that’s just big enough to fit a few cars. Gringo beach sprawls out to the east of this. It's not a big beach, it's just a narrow strip of yellow sand book-ended by rocky outcrops; not too impressive but it was a beach nevertheless and was nice enough to take a dip. Not only that, it was convenient, no one was there, and we could leave the car right on the promontory, in plain sight, so I didn’t have to worry about anything happening to it. 

Above image from http://www.vieques-island.com/

But we wanted to find those amazingly beautiful beaches we had seen in pictures representing Vieques (like right). Where were they?

We needed to go to the Caribbean side of Vieques, which was on the southern side. This area here wasn’t sheltered enough; the strong trade winds that we had experienced in San Juan also seemed to batter this shore. We weren’t going to find any calm, crystal clear waters in this environment.

According to the free fold out map you’ll find all over Vieques, there were a bunch of beaches along the southern side, and we hoped upon hope this was where we were going to find those perfect beaches. So we headed for Esperanza, that charming little town on the opposite end of the island.

To the east of the Malecon in Esperanza in front of a huge dirt parking lot, the beach of Esperanza unfurls dramatically. It wasn’t that it was a perfect beach, but it was surprisingly charming after the dirt junk yard that concealed it from the road. 

It had an allure like the town it belonged to. It’s slender beach was dirty yellow and stretched out in either direction interrupted by a small boat launch and two piers at either side protruding into a cerulean sea, one long, the other quite short. A handful of tiny colourful boats idled lazily in this sheltered area protected by a grassy island (Cayo de Afuera) a hundred or so metres out. This scene resonates with the essence of the historical fishing village it is.

If only that ugly parking lot didn’t break the illusion. It would make for a nice grassy park area, shaded by the trees that are already there and the colourful food shacks that are situated to one side of the lot, don't you think?

One other point of interest was this statue we found of a bust standing sentinel by the boat launch. It is a memorial to Ángel Rodríguez Cristóbal. He was a Puerto Rican native, a Vietnam Vet., and an activist who became involved with the Viequense fishermen in their fight against the presence of the United States Navy in Vieques. 

After his arrest in May 1979, along with twenty other protesters who were participating in an act of religious civil disobedience on a beach in an area occupied by the navy, he was sentenced to six months in a prison in Florida. The abrupt, sad end to this story is that he was murdered in his prison cell only a month before he was to be freed, allegedly beaten to death by federal officers. While the authorities claim it was a suicide[1], locals believe he was assassinated by the US government for defending the territorial integrity of Vieques[2]. He was 33 years old.

The statue is bequeathed by The Fishermen’s Association of Vieques and translation of some of the inscription in Spanish reads:

“When the cause is just, there is no need to fear.” And,
“…Upon his assassination, he enters the pantheon of the immortals whose deaths defines a piece of Puerto Rican history.”

But back to more trivial matters: the beach quest. Esperanza beach was nice, but the water was not the clear, turquoise-tinged liquid we were looking for, nor the sand powdery fine and white. After testing the waters, we moved on. 

What about Sun Bay?We had passed the entrance to this beach on our first day here, and it was just east of Esperanza. As one of the most popular beaches on the island surely it had something to offer.

The full name of this reserve is Balneario Sun Bay. There are a number of beaches around Puerto Rico with this title and it basically means they are public beaches, that is, they are controlled by the Department of Natural Resources and the Municipal government's Department of Sports and Recreation. The name is somewhat misleading I think, it should really be called a "private beach" as it is fenced off and access is controlled by a gate where you must pay a fee if you go by car (which was unmanned this day). But it also means that it is maintained and contains public facilities like toilets and life-guard stands, and you can even camp there. This piqued my interest mainly because it must mean it was clean, which seems to be a rarity around this place.

We drove into the gate down a stretch of road that passed a large grassy parkland speckled with horses grazing and then continued passed a large car park till we seemed to be running along a country road with a charming wooden fence. We finally came to the beach and continued on a sandy path parallel to the shore. The road continued down the entire length of the beach and there was more parking along here; this made me happier again, for as you can see, that was my main priority - making the car visible.
 This was all looking much better.

This bahia, as beaches are called in Spanish, was a lot more attractive, the sea was much more opalescent in colour, though the sand wasn't quite the stuff of etheral dreams. Contained within a large protective bay this expansive beach stretches far and wide along it's arc. It is fringed by an abundance of tropical plants such as palms and sea-grape bushes which are intermittently speckled with funky looking life-guard stands. Two cays sprout up in the middle of the bay like turtle shells and in the distance to the west the only ‘real’ mountains on the island make an appearance, including Mount Pirata, the tallest peak.

From this viewpoint Vieques started looking more like the tropical island it was supposed to be, and this made for a good start. If nothing else came along this would do quite fine, though it was a little disappointing to find that this 'real' beach was a lot further from our house than we had anticipated. But still it was there, and on a nice hot day it was sure to be rewarding.


However, today unfortunately, the weather was turning and the sky was getting dark, making it not really conducive to beach-going. The clouds rolling in were really dramatic looking, as these pictures show, and while we were happy that it looked as if it was finally going to rain we weren’t really up for getting stuck in a downpour. So with our days mission somewhat complete we set off for home.

And the most interesting thing about it, that you won't get just anywhere, are all the horses just hanging out about the place grazing: in the park, along side the beach - even in the middle of the road as we found out when trying to leave...

But this was only the beginning of our quest to find the perfect beach. We'd seen Gringo beach, Esperanza Beach and Sun Bay. Next on our list was Red and Blue beach in the Wildlife Refuge on the south east of the island.

To be Continued...

The House on the Hill - Our New Home

My earlier posts talked about the correspondence we'd had with Eric, the home-owner, before we came to Vieques. You might recall in that post that I said we'd be staying in a guest apartment to which I had thought something like, wow, a whole apartment to ourselves, must be quite a nice place. Normally, if anything, we stay in a guest room when we house-sit, so for the place to have a completely separate living quarters, my imagination ignited.

I had also included in that post a panoramic photo that Eric sent to us which contained two houses planted in the middle of a hilly green landscape (re-posted above), of which beneath he had written, "the one in the middle is where you'll be staying."

What did that mean? He didn't say "that's where we are" or something like that. I focused in on that 'you'.

Chase was dismissive of the comment, but for me it fueled the fire, proving the assumptions that I had formed that the guesthouse was completely separate from the main house. Not only that, it also meant that the grand mansion, or hacienda, to the left was HIS house, and that the other one, not as fancy but still prominent, would be ours! I also assumed that we'd be able to come and go from that big hacienda of theirs and enjoy whatever extra comfort it had to offer.

View to our neighbour's hacienda from the orchard - much further
away than I thought

So, I thought I was set, because no matter how primitive the rest of the island was going to be, it wouldn't matter, because I was going to be in house-sitter heaven.

Well, that big hacienda? Of course, that's the neighbour's house, as Chase and any sensible person would've realised from the beginning.

The house in the middle is Eric's house plus the guesthouse. The whole thing is built into a hill and the guest house is tucked underneath the main house.

And while it's all quite nice and comfortable, it's no mansion. But it wasn't built to be one (vis-à-vis the house next door); it was just built to be this guy's refuge from the world at large, and obviously for him it suits perfectly.

The owner, Eric, is quite eccentric, as artists are known to be, and in this manner he has built for himself and his wife (who is already back in New York) a strangely befitting island house. He was quite boastful about how he built a lot of things himself and how he watched over the whole process because the Viequense aren't really reliable. It sounds like a real nightmare to get something built out here and to get it built well. Most materials have to be shipped out here because there's not much choice here and things can get mucked up in the process. It's pretty cool but I do think he made it out to sound grander than it was; though I guess to every man the saying is true, a house is his castle, and when you've had major input it really does becomes your baby.

In the upstairs main living quarters, in his uncanny design, roller doors replace any windows - and walls for that matter - on the three sides pointing towards the view. When the doors are up the living area completely opens out to the elements - no screens or balconies, and the view melds into the furnishings. In the back is the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and a bedroom. There's also a loft containing another bed and Eric's work area. It's quite an interesting design, who would've thought roller doors on a house? Not only that, it's a pretty good alternative to bars on the windows - nobody's going to be breaking into that one.

In keeping with the tropical vibe, the floors are tiled and the walls are whitewashed concrete with dark wood doors, frames and rafters. His 3-D art adorns most walls, but my favourite is a huge painting as you walk in the door with a brilliant splash of burning red popping out of it. He also has a lot of antique furniture and bit's and pieces that fill out the space and make it quirky.

Our apartment is much smaller, but still roomy and it's quite cute really, but a little dull compared to upstairs. The rooms flow into one another through cased openings making it feel much larger and the living room and kitchen at the front contain large french doors (screened and glass). The bedroom in the back is open to the living room and to a small closet area which leads to the bathroom - the only room with doors - and back to the kitchen. The first thing I noticed was the TV (but expectedly, no reception) and a DVD player. There was also a bookshelf bursting with books and we were also connected to the internet - my saviour! Surely there would be enough here to satisfy my boredom.

This was ultimately quite comfortable and very adequate for us; really, what more could one ask for? But I was a little disappointed (and I'm not talking about my earlier mix-up with the houses). The problem was, we were regulated to the guesthouse - just the guesthouse. Upstairs, and its contents, would be off-limits during our stay.

Part of the fun of house-sitting is getting to live in someone's nice house and pretend it's yours for a while, and while I shouldn't grumble, it's free, we are still working for our rent - looking after the property. And in that respect, I feel more like free labour than house-sitters.

But while I was urked at first I'm over it now, especially considering we found a few things about upstairs that wouldn't make it comfortable for us. For one, there's no air-conditioning, and there is actually an air-conditioning unit in the wall of our apartment (though it doesn't work very well, it's still available if we need it). And while with the roller doors up you can get an awesome breeze flowing through, with no screens, I wouldn't like all the bugs and mosquitos coming in, especially at night, and it still gets pretty hot up there in the afternoon with the sun blazing straight at it as it sets.

I do understand a little of where he's coming from, he has people do this every year and he's had a number of people that I guess have been a little less than trustworthy. And it could've been worse. There is a little dusty old tin casita on the property - that could've been our home!

But forget all that, the best part of this place, without a doubt, is the view. From up here you look down over the property and out over what seems is all of Vieques and to the sea beyond. On clear days, you can see the outline of the mountains of the Sierra de Luquillo range on the mainland, and it really is impressive.

The second - or equal - best part is the dogs.

Finally some dogs to take care of after a plethora of cats (the last being four at once!) to house-sit. But I was pretty apprehensive at first, it was three rottweilers. And it took me longer than the average person to realise what three rottweilers means: these weren't just pets - they were guard dogs...

But I hung on to the fact that Eric had said they were "loveable" in his ad, and turns out he was right. The best surprise was that they weren't all big, one had recently died and they had a new little dog - Jasper, a stray they found in Colorado (what a contrast). She is a wiry miniature doberman-type mutt and she is cute and full of mischief - just the way I like them. The other two dogs are huge, and scary looking, but luckily they took to us. Oprah is getting on and isn't as agile anymore, she usually hangs out by herself, but Auggie is strong and likes a lot of attention. The first thing he did when he came over to me was practically push me over as he sat his big hefty hind on my foot!

Auggie getting the love from Chase, Oprah lying down, and Jasper getting into everyone's business in the front

The property is quite large, 14 acres, but only about 7 are useable, and it would be really nice if it wasn't parched like the rest of the land on this island. I felt like I was out at my sister's husband's family farm in Cobar instead of on a tropical island orchard, except where that was flat, this was hilly, and in place of gum trees there were tangled vines and tropical fruit trees. But the orange and yellow that tinged the surroundings and the dust that kicked up at your heels as you walked, that was just the same.

The photo above is taken from the bottom of a small steep slope that drops off not far from the front of the house. At the far end in the photo the orchard curves down the hill to the left on a long steep section that ends at the bottom of the driveway by the gate. We took a wander down there on our first day and I had my first encounter with ant-hills on the island. Luckily they weren't fire ants - which I hear are so much worse, no, just regular old stinging ants, but it was enough to ensure my absense from the orchard from here on out.

The orchard consists mostly of lime trees, quite a few, along with a three or four starfruit trees and a couple of cashew and olive trees. The cashew trees were the most interesting - and most useless, things growing. I didn't know that a cashew grew at the bottom of a big red apple-like fruit, and just one per apple. It's also encased in a hard, poisonous shell. Eric was telling us there was a whole process of roasting the nut to get the shell off and remove the poison. No wonder they were so expensive to buy! Funnily enough Eric was trying to roast them himself. I think I'd leave it to the professionals, the same with the olives, but I guess he was enjoying the novelty of it. There was also a guanabana, sometimes called guyabano, tree which was a completely new fruit for me. In English it's called a soursop tree, which some people might be more familiar with.
The orchard would need to be mowed regularly and the trees watered when it didn't rain, which, considering the state of things, was going to be quite often at present. This wouldn't be a fun task as we had to water each tree by hand with the hose, and the mowing would be quite a precarious task. On such a steep hill you need to mow backwards, otherwise you could lose control.

L-R, T-B: guanabana, pineapple, chillies & cashews

Up by the house was also a small vegetable garden full of blooming cherry tomatoes and rows of basil. There was also rocket (arugula), chinese cabbage, eggplant and some fine looking red chillies (not that I'd be having anything to do with those). An attempt at a bean vine wasn't doing too well, Eric thinks the iguanas got into them, but the lettuce was still going strong near them. I just wished there was some coriander (cilantro), that's my favourite, and is a key ingredient to my guacamole.

Speaking of, where was the avocado tree he'd told us about? There were a bunch of fruit trees speckled across the property. I saw two large mango trees. They already had mangoes dripping off of the branches and I was salivating just looking at them, but they were too small and hard to eat just yet. The banana trees and papaya trees were accounted for, we were looking forward to those; and then there was the pomegranates down by the gate and a passionfruit vine climbing the pergola in the courtyard, which weren't much use to us, we're not really a fan of either, but it was nice to have them. There was even a pineapple sitting plump in the middle of a clump of fronds like it didn't really belong there, for some reason I thought they grew like coconuts.

Then we saw the avocado tree - a little bitty thing, still an infant, almost inconspicuous. That wasn't even worth mentioning! There wasn't going to be any fruit from that for a couple of years. No guacamole. Oh well, we had tonnes of other fruit to fill us up with.


Bananas; mangoes and basil; mangoes with a view; and papaya trees

The courtyard, just outside our door, is a really nice little area and a great place for entertaining or just relaxing. The pergola as I mentioned above is covered a passionfruit vine on one end and the other with a Puerto Rican climber that blooms with lovely purple flowers in two tones. Underneath is a picnic table and hammock which catches a wonderful breeze. There's also a BBQ area with a home-made brick grill. This is all fringed by a tropical garden and punctuated by three big palm trees.

 So our only pertinent duties will be to keep the main areas mowed up, and if we didn't do it regularly it'd get away on us. Eric seemed jaded by his last lot of sitters not keeping up with things. If only we could've made him see that we would be his best house-sitters ever things could've started out a lot easier. The other tasks would be maintaining the garden and caring for the dogs. Oprah has a bunch of medicine she needs to take but the other two will be easy to look after.

Of course, for most of this when I say "we" I mean "Chase". Chase of course would be doing the mowing and the trimming and fixing anything that needed fixing. I could help with feeding the dogs and the vegetable garden, but the rest was him. My job wasn't much more than hanging out - and writing, hopefully.

 With that in mind I was a little anxious. I was already balking at writing and things were stirring deep within me, even though I tried to suppress them. It was different here, really different, like a completely foreign world, and it was awfully primitive.

Chase was set though, he thrives in the wilderness. He had plenty of work to keep him busy it seeemed - in between naps in the hammock.