Shark!!!!....

We spent the whole day @ Playa Plata (Orchid). There was a new line of sea grass that had washed up over night. Lorrie and I have never seen it build up like that before. The water was not clear at all and the surf was up again. The skies were mostly clear though. I busied myself with balancing more rocks (I'll take pictures of the new art gallery later in the week). There was only one other couple on the beach today. We had seen them come to Playa Plata late yesterday and not having a shelter or an umbrella they didn't stay long. Today when they showed up I walked down to talk to them. I mentioned that the "Love Shack" (the only other make-shift cabana on the beach) was unoccupied and if they didn't grab it fast someone else would. So that's where they headed to. A few hours later when I was walking over to the eastern side of the beach to balance more rocks, I stopped to talk with the couple again. The guy, I can't remember his name now, was telling me how he would like to make some sort of cup holder for his shack. Hah...I told him I had already made two in our place down the beach and he could come on down and check it out if he wanted. I also told him I had some extra bamboo down our way that he was welcome to. A little later in the day he strolled down and grabbed the bamboo. I then told him about a big wad of yellow rope I saw on the eastern side when I was rock-balancing. I watched him head back down to the "love shack" and then over to the eastern side to retrieve the yellow rope. This was about 11 am. He spent the next 3 hours working on his shack. The cup holder project blossomed in a full-blown room addition to his place. His wife came down our way, scavenging rope for him, and spoke with us. I ask her how the project down their way was going. She said "He's happy...and will be impossible to live with now." I laughed because I knew how he felt. Think about it for sec...here's a guy, probably in his late 50's/early 60's, totally engrossed in building this little shack. I was watching him down there, trying to break these larger branches. He was swinging some kind of other big stick, banging on the smaller one. I ask Lorrie if I should offer him the use of my saw and knife..she said "nope...that'll just take all the fun out of it for him." Anyway...he was having a blast, nice to see.

It wasn't long after that, that I mentioned to Lorrie about getting some grub from Sol Food. I ask Lorrie if she wanted to drive to the Garcia gate and pick it up. Lorrie has never driven on Vieques. A little hesitant she agreed. While she was gone I walked down to the western side of Playa Plata. It was down there that I saw the nurse shark. When Lorrie came back I took her down and showed her, the shark was still cruising the same area. Later in the day if was cruising down the front of the beach, right in front of our cabana.

Lorrie returned from Sol Food with a "Bob Marley" (pulled pork) and a "Caribbean Jerk" (chicken) sandwich. She had a side of Cuban vegables and brownies for desert. Some of the best food we've ever had on the island. Cost was $23, how's that for "bang for your buck."

We left Playa Plata about 4pm. Tomorrow we head to Casa Dos Chivos. Hopefully in the next week the surf will let up and we can do some more snorkeling.

Before we leave Los Frutales I have to admit I was wrong. I guess last weekend was an anomaly  because it has been just perfect the last 5 days. Tonight, which is Friday, it's really quite. No TV. All we can hear is someone practicing their trumpet next door...well that and the coqui frogs. First impressions are lasting but seems like our first impressions of Los Frutales has really faded. We've noticed that many of the dishes in the house are from Crate and Barrel  Lorrie and I are familiar with their merchandise and it's good stuff. We also saw Pottery Barn  and CuisineArt. items. All these  are top shelf...well at least in our opinion. There are some Pier One items in the house, Lorrie mentioned it, I'm not sure which ones.  The chairs by the pool are really nice.  Airflow through the house is ok..not great, better airflow at Casa Dos Chivos. The roof-deck we hardly used at all. It's not really a comfortable space. I think maybe it's a work in progress.  It's hot and needs some kind of covered area, other than what they have on the west side.  The furniture in the house, while trendy, is not particularly comfortable, but we've found this with most all the places we've been. The custom chaise recliners at Quinta Jabali were probably the best furniture we've found yet.  The chaise chairs here at the pool area of Los Frutales run a very close second.   There are heavy shutters on the windows of Los Frutales. Other than the shutters there's a light wood framed screen. You have to open the screen to close/open the shutters, which the owners ask you to do when you leave the house or there's rain coming. When your on the main floor and you open the screen to access the heavy shutters, your leaning out of a second story window with nothing between you and the ground. That took some getting used to. I figured out that you could use the 2x2 wood that's in each of the bedrooms to get the shutters off their hooks so you can close them. The doors to the house are heavy Spanish type doors and they have a big padlock to secure them. Reminds me of some dungeon door and padlock. There's a queen bed in one bedroom and two twins in the other. There's a downstairs with the same setup, but we've not really spent in time down there. I just ask Lorrie what she would like to change about Los Frutales if she had the opportunity. She said "more comfortable furniture." I also just ask Lorrie how she would rate Los Frutales on a scale of 1-10. She gave it a 7.

Hasta Manana

Playa Escondida

Today...which was actually yesterday....we went to Playa Escondida. We had driven out to Playa Plata but someone was already in my cabana (we were lazy and slept in). So..we decided to head down to Escondida and check it out. When I had looked at it this past Feb there wasn't much of a beach. This time things looked much better. So...Lorrie and I set up at it for the day. It's not a very big beach but very secluded. Escondido translates to hidden or secret, or at least I think it does.

When I went to open up the back hatch on the Jeep I noticed a gecko on the handle. We had noticed him on the Jeep when we were leaving Los Frutales. I wonder if it was the same one and he made the trip all the way from Monte Santo?

Speaking of when we left check, out my wife opening the gate at Los Frutales before we left.

Now before you get the wrong idea I don't make her open it up every time, only when I'm filming or taking pictures. She's a real trooper.

Back to Escondio...we set up camp in a flash. I was beside myself because I didn't have to build a cabana this time. We backed the Jeep down very near to the beach.

Lorrie wasted no time heading out into the water, it was rather warm. I took a shot of her.



Not having to build a cabana left me with some pent up energy so I decided I was going to open up a coconut and get at some coconut water and fresh coconut. If you've ever opened one you know how much of a chore it is. Perfect little task to keep me busy for awhile. I took some pictures of my progress below:

Not sure how long it took me but I finally managed to get at the coconut. When I punched a hole in it to get at the water an odor, reminiscent of the south end of Terre Haute (the south end of Terre Haute is where the sewage plant is), became apparent. So much for coconut water. Next mission was spearfishing. So I got all my gear on and headed out. Lorrie took a shot of me "dressed to the nines".

I first went over to the point behind me in this picture. Visibility was fair, but there was still a lot of sand being stirred up. Saw some fish but not much of any size. Next I headed over to the other side of Escondida where I had done some rock balancing. Amazing coral over there, better than we've seen on  Orchid. I did see a few fish but didn't have any luck.   " Swing and a miss...Steeerrrike 2"

Worn out from the swim, I was out over an hour, I came back to shore and had some "canned" coconut water. It was a really nice day, hot, but having the privacy of the entire beach was wonderful.  After resting for a spell Lorrie and I headed back out into the water. Lorrie was floating around in the water and I grabbed the video cam. She knows that I'm no good at just floating and was showing off. I was filming her with an entirely different motive. The clips below:

Home run!!

Next Lorrie and I did some exploring on the west side of Escondida. We went all the way around to where you can almost see the eastern part of Playa Chiva.  We took some video along the way. I'll get it uploaded later. It was 3:30 and we decided to head back.

Lastly here's the drive going up to Los Frutales:



Today is Lorries birthday....and to celebrate we went to Coconuts for dinner. We were surprised to find out just how much the menu had changed. We also noticed there was NO ice cream. That is a shame. It seems they have a new chef and will be offering more salad items and more of an Italian slant on their entrees. I had crab cakes for appetizer, Lorrie had a salad. Lorrie had an Angus burger and I had fish and chips. I know...doesn't sound very exciting, but there just wasn't nearly the offering of entrees that they had in Feb. Food was fine. Waitress was absolutely wonderful best we've had on the island. Bill was $80, we had a $25 bar tab (Lorrie had 2 mojitos $16 and I had a scotch $10).

Headed back to the house and turned in early.

Lazy morning...light rain

Light rain this morning has cooled things off nicely. Lorrie and I were both ready for a lazy day. We've had three days now at Los Frutales, so we're really beginning to get a feel for the place.  I ask Lorrie last night, "What do you like best about this house?" She paused for a moment....and didn't really have an answer. Ok...I ask her "What do you like best about Casa Dos Chivos?" Before I could hardly finish the sentence she said "the veranda". So I ask her "What did you like best about Quinta Jabali?" She immediately said the covered porch by the pool. So that's kinda where we are at with Los Frutales. Things have quieted down somewhat from the weekend. The TV still plays..but not nearly as loud. A woman was obviously very upset this morning. We could hear her screaming at someone, either the children or the husband, it went on for quite some time, Lorrie and I got a chuckle out of it. But mostly this morning we are   enjoying the cooling effect of the rain.

We took some pictures yesterday around the house. Seems everywhere we turn we had a visitor. It's the neighbors cat, well that's what property manager said about it when I got the initial tour. Lorrie and I dont' mind. We have a cat at home so for us it felt right. Seems most every picture I took around the house she managed to get into the shot. We were walking out to the patio/arbor for morning coffee when I took this first shot.

The buoganville is beautiful.

You can see that this cat is not at all afraid of strangers. She jumped right up on Lorrie's lap.

Wouldn't you know it...as soon as I tell Lorrie she's got a new buddy the cat jumps  from her lap to mine. Lorrie got a laugh out of it all. We sat out on the patio and had coffee but it was really rather warm. Lorrie decided to go down to the pool and dangle her toes in the water. I took a couple shots of it.

Notice who made it into the picture again.

This is a shot of the screened-in dining room. I'm sitting in it now typing this. 

This last shot is of the little garden that's on the way up to the roof top.

Before I close this post out I think it's important that I point out some things we liked and noticed about Los Fruitales. These are some of the little things that a traveler will notice. There's nice cutlery with the kitchen and plenty of it. Nice appliances and plenty of flatware. The pillows in the bedrooms are very good and there's no shortage of them either. The internet connection has been flawless and fast. There is a surge protector for electronics. The notes with the house said it was in the master bedroom. Nothing in there. We ended up finding it in one of the cabinets in the kitchen. The notes with the house also said to be respectful fo the neighbors with the sound system throughout the house.  hmmm....

:-)

Coqui Frogs and Cartoon Network

Coqui Frogs.....Cartoon Network....kinda sounds the same if you say it real fast doesn't it.

Well....here's the deal. When Lorrie and I finally got back to the house from the airport we were exhausted, it had been a very long day. The house was smoking hot so we headed up to the roof-top to just cool off and check out the view. When we got up to the roof all of our attention was directed towards the blasting television from across the street. Take a concrete house, add a 50" television with surround sound and you've got acoustics that will rival  Van Halens 1980 World Invasion "Party 'Til You Die Tour"  (and I should know because I was on the 3rd row when they came to Indiana.) All we could hear was Cartoon Network being played, that and the occasional Coqui frog. The TV plays all the time.. at what sounds like full blast.

I'll admit...this is a different situation than what Lorrie and I have experienced on Vieques in prior trips. We are obviously in what is a local neighborhood. These are just normal people, living life....and I'm sure if you were born and raised here, the novelty of a Caribbean view and the serenade of the coqui frogs could easily get trumped by Cartoon Network, especially if your young. This morning when I went outside I could hear the theme song from Star-Trek playing. A little later, before we left, it was Bonanza (that or Big Valley, I wasn't sure). So we've had to do  a little adjusting  to our new environment, but it seems to be "growing" on us.

I took a picture of the house that the tv is in. It's right across from Los Frutales, the house we're renting. These houses are both right on the street.

Below is a very quick video of the house. We were in a hurry to get to the beach. I'll post more video of the house in the coming days.

The below video is me pulling out of the gated parking space for the house.

This video is of the road from Monte Santo that takes you right to the Garcia Gate.

This is video of the drive back to Orchid beach.

We spent the day at Orchid. I built another shelter in nearly the same spot as I did this past Feb. Nothing much had changed on the beach, except that there were no rock sculptures. I took the time to add a couple.  Shelter built, sculptures up, so I headed out to do some spearfishing. Lorrie was busy sun-worshipping. Lorrie grabbed a shot of me heading out with all my gear on:

Now I seriously didn't expect to get a thing. Oh...I figured I might fling a few shots but that's about it. Well let me tell you I was blown away when a mutton snapper came in range and I took aim and let her rip. I nailed it exactly where I was aiming. Ended up getting one more a little bit later. Lorrie and I cooked them up for supper. Great way to end my first day at the beach.

:-)

Houses for November trip decided....

We've booked "Los Frutales" for the first week in November and "Casa Dos Chivos" for the second week. All that's left now is to secure our rental car. We plan on doing a full video review of "Los Frutales".

Speaking of video, I just ordered another Kodak playsport video camera. Got it off of Amazon for $109. All the video on this blog was shot with that camera. Our first one bit the dust the last trip to the island.