Vieques

We had more luck! Nacho was able to arrange a relatively cheap visit to Vieques after he spent time with family members in Puerto Rico who have some connections on the island. Learning more about Vieques, especially from the island itself, was my number one wish for this trip, so I am happy as a clam having spent a whole day there. We left early, early Tuesday morning to drive to Fajardo to catch a ferry, arriving in Vieques around 10:30am.



This is the Vieques II, our transporter.



My best guess is that this is a remnant of the activism to get the US Navy out of Vieques. "Fuera la Marina de Vieques ya."





We were shuttled to the Sea Gate inn, a beautiful little complex with lots of pets (the owner is one of the founders of the Puerto Rico Humane Society, so there are horses and dogs and cats everywhere).









Miguel, born and raised in Puerto Rico but recently returned from Rhode Island, took a few of us out in a car to tour the area and see the very best views of Vieques. He is involved in tourism working at the inn, but had a whole lot to say about the millions of dollars spent on land by foreigners from North America and various parts of Europe. He explained the gentrification in the city, pointing to the public housing projects that were built when the prices for housing got too high due to billionaires with dreams of propiedad con una vista. He took us to the 2nd highest house in Vieques to wander out onto the flat roof. The view was amazing, softening the story about how the couple that owns this house is only in it for 2 weeks a year. The rest of the year they rent it or pay someone to maintain the property. Miguel pointed to the coast line, able to name the owners of nearly every large complex (owners of Subway, Mr. such-and-such, Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so). Miguel and his partner recently moved from Rhode Island because they found property in Vieques and because Miguel's mother is sick. His parents have a house on the island, so Miguel and his partner are staying there while they wait to build on their own little plot of land. He has a complex view of the economic and cultural implications of tourism on the island. For example, there is talk about building a bridge from Vieques to the main island (7 miles at the smallest gap), but people are very protective of the beaches and the bays. They won't allow chain restaurants on the island after having experienced the economic downturn after U.S. corporations pulled out. There were tax incentives at one time so that U.S. businesses would come to the islands (read: colonization and exploiting cheap labor), but that relationship ended and companies left so quickly that there was huge unemployment and recession. No great solution there. Anyway, now there are not chains or big companies, though many are owned by foreigners. So, while many are against building this bridge because they are weary of the destruction that comes with more travel to and from the island, many are in favor of the added business and opportunity for economic growth and development. Whatever that means... it's complicated, and I had not heard anyone speak so equally of the pros and cons as Miguel was able to with us. Cool.

After our driving/walking tour with Miguel we stopped by a bakery for Cubanos (my new favorite sandwich with pickles and pig) and Limbers (my new favorite popsicle, served in a cup and not sold in stores). We wandered around in the little museum inside of the last fort built by the Spanish, and then I took a nap at the Sea Gate before we went to the bio luminescent bay!!

Around 6pm we jumped into a 15 passenger van and set out to meet our guides for the bay. True to form, we had no idea what to expect from this guided kayaking tour through the bay. We greased our bodies with homemade bug spray (deet kills the little living things in the water) and loaded into the back of a pickup and another van with absolute blind faith. The van struggled to start, the doors didn't fully close, the seats were loose from the floor, and the road to the bay was full of bumps and pits that made the trailer go crash, bang behind us. 10 minutes or so was all it took and we were at the water. We climbed into plastic kayaks, followed our guide's red head lamp out to the middle of the bay, and then jumped into the water to stir up the glowing miracles in the water. The more we moved, the more they twinkled. It was like having a firework sparkler attached to our fingers as we doggy paddled around the kayaks. We twirled and kicked and splashed until we couldn't stand the salt water any more and a few of us felt the sting of a jellyfish. I can't explain it, but it was a very different ocean experience and well worth the trip. I hope to have some pictures of us playing in the water, though I doubt we captured any of the glow.

We rode back in the van, then walked around town to a place called Bananas to meet our taxi to the Sea Gate. It was a beautiful walk--half moon, some stars, dark streets until we got to the strip of lights and bars along the beach.

I managed to finish an entire memoir during the trip: The Other Side Of Paradise by Staceyann Chin. Thanks to Jenne for the signed gift from Staceyann's reading in Chicago. :)