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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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We have just gotten back from a lovely vacation in JAMACIA. My family and I (two kids) spent ten days at the Sombra apartments/villas situated just outside of Ocho Rios. The complex includes 4 buildings that each included 4 two bedroom villas 2 three bedroom villas (or penthouse villas for a total of 24 villas. We stayed in a three room villa that had a penthouse suite upstairs with a kingsize (giant) bed, another room with a kingsize and the last included 2 twin beds. We had a cook/maid who cooked breakfast and dinner. She made excellent Jamaican cuisine and anything else you requested. There was a mini-mart across the road that had many items and the rest you could find at the supermarket in town. Our family went with 16 other relatives on a annual family vacation and we filled up 2 two bedrooms and 2 penthouses. The penthouses could be combined to form a 6 bedrooms super penthouse. The 2 cooks also combined and fixed dinner for the 13 of us. The grounds included a swimming pool, a gazebo, and a small private beach. There was also a protected sandy cove right off the shore. To the west was a private house and to the east was Chibony's marina and then Sandals Ocho Rios. There were only a few other villas occupied until Good Friday when the owners came up from Kingston for the long weekend. Then it became quite crowded and a tad uncomfortable after living in almost complete isolation for 8 days. To dispel many rumors about the natives of JAMACIA I want to say a few words. They are kind, considerate and helpful people once you get to know them. Yes, they drive very aggressively and there are people who push you into buying stuff (say no politely a few times) but over all they are very friendly. We struck up a relationship with the owners of the above mentioned mini-mart and one of the many boat owners who cruise the shores looking for business. His name was Lipton and his boat was the red La Zully. He took us to Paradise Reef, up the White River and to Regaee Beach. If you are looking for a good charming captain to take you somewhere look for him and the mention us, The Gibbon's. Over all the trip was a great success. We had a great dinner one night at the Almond Tree and saw many attractions like Dunns River's Falls, Noel Cowards house, The Bob Marley Masalium, and Harmony Hall. I would recommend Sombra for a relaxing place to spend some time.
My husband and I spent the week of April 6-13th at the Couples Resort in Jamaica. We found this resort and the island to be a mixture of both good and bad. We checked in at Boston's Logan Airport at approximately 8:00AM. The actual flight time is about 3 1/2 hours, but once one arrives at Montego Bay Airport, there are very long waits in various customs lines. Our bags were eventually taken by a bag handler who took them to the bus designated for Couples. The baggage handler stood at the door of the bus and made sure you gave him a tip before allowing you on the bus. The bus driver was friendly and pointed out many of the other resorts and hotels en route to Ocho Rios. When we arrived at Couples, the bus driver asked that if we were happy with our ride, that he would appreciate a gesture of our appreciation. We felt that whenever we stepped off of resort property, we were constantly asked for tips. A fellow guest put it perfectly when he said, "I've never tipped so much before in my life." The room we were assigned was nice and very clean, however we instantly noticed a buzzing sound. Upon going out to the balcony, we discovered that we were located directly above a very large air conditioning unit. My husband knew that he would not be able to have a restful night's sleep with such noise and we asked that our room be changed. It took a few minutes for the front desk to find us another room, and we were very happy with our new room. It had a king size four poster bed and the room was accented with mahogany colored furnishings. Our previous room was a bit smaller, and the bed was a bleached green color. Our balcony overlooked the ocean and had a very nice view. The rooms on the other side of the hallway were considered mountainside views. There were suites within the main hotel which had their own Jacuzzis. For more privacy, there were also bungalows which were set back from the main building. They were surrounded by their own fences, and had their own Jacuzzis. These units weren't as close to the beach and had what was probably considered a mountain view. The grounds had several large Jacuzzis and two, two person Jacuzzi's located in the resort's jungle area. The jungle consisted of some lush greenery and a bird aviary, which was a large frame unit covered in some sort of wire fencing. There were quite a few of the same white bird, 1 peacock, some ducks, 2 macaws, some pheasants, and some other birds which we didn't know the name of. There are various hammocks, and lawn games scattered throughout the property. Two gazebos (one mountainview, the other ocean view) were the favorite sites of weddings, which were performed on property. It isn't uncommon to see many brides and grooms walking around and getting their videos and pictures taken before, during and after the ceremonies. Weddings and renewal of vows were very popular and included within price of the package. The Couples brochure showed a beautiful pool bar, but we never saw it, since it was located on the clothing optional island. It's not really clothing optional but a nude island; the watersports department runs a motor boat back and forth to the island whenever anyone wants to go over or come back. There is also supposed to be a snack bar available to those using the island. There are 5 dining areas in the resort. The restaurant built on stilts above the water was for pasta. The entrees there consisted basically of several sauces available for several types of pasta. There wasn't a lasagna or manicotti option, for example. There is a salad and dessert bar there. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being excellent, I would say it rates as a 6. There is an outside grill located on beach level which served French fries, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and maybe an occasional rib eye steak. My husband said the chicken was good, the hamburgers were good sometimes, other times they either tasted gamy or of lower quality meat. We didn't try the hot dogs because they were of suspicious color. The breakfasts were dismal. Served buffet style each morning, we found the menu never changed. Each morning the scrambled eggs looked very runny(worries about salmonella poisoning), the made to order omelets were okay. The breads tended to be good, and there was usually a nice selection of tropical fruits: papayas, mangoes, pineapple, melons, etc.. The waffle iron was broken while we were there and there seemed to be little urgency in repairing it. After the first couple of mornings, we opted to have a continental style breakfast served in our room. Lunch was also buffet style and also not so good. The dishes would vary a little bit, but much of it seemed to be the same old stuff, just prepared in a slightly different way. There is a continental restaurant and Le Gourmet, which along with the restaurant built on stilts, were only open in the evenings. The continental restaurant is okay. There is a guitar player who comes by each table to serenade biggest influence is country music. Le Gourmet was the best restaurant, the service was more polite and the dining room was lovely. A piano player entertained on a grand piano. The menus at the three restaurants gave 4 or 5 selections for entrees, but the menu only changed weekly. There was one daily dinner special, however. We couldn't recommend the food highly. We may have been spoiled by the cruise we took last fall... the food on board in the dining rooms was excellent. Several people we knew, including my husband were not feeling well by midweek. We aren't sure whether to attribute it to the food, drink, or both. There were two bars... the one poolside and the piano bar. The poolside bar was always open, and only served Red Stripe beer, plus other frozen and mixed drinks. I found the frozen drinks to be unlike the ones we have at home. The strawberry daiquiris tasted like icy punch, the pina coladas didn't taste like there was any pineapple juice or Coco Lopez in them... they were very milky tasting. The piano bar was more quiet and located inside. It often smelled very musty in there, was open only during evenings and also was the only source of an alternate beer... Heineken. We took advantage of the activities that were offered to us. The horseback riding was brief (1/2 hour rides), but good. We avoided going on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because craft vendors were allowed on property and they were camped out en route to the stables. It was kind of a bother when they try to stop you to show off their wares. Definitely take the sunset catamaran cruise. It was good fun; the people who ran it were very pleasant and for the only time on our trip specifically told us that tips would not be accepted. There was snorkeling and water-skiing sometimes, but the water was often choppy, and was often canceled due to the rough surf conditions. There were scuba diving clinics in the pool and if you aren't certified, you can get certification for the length of your stay. Only problem was we heard that the scuba trips to make the actual ocean dives were canceled several times for no apparent reason. We did find out that one of the days it was canceled was due to the fact that the instructor decided to ditch his obligations and go out with several people who had chartered a fishing boat for the morning. There were also water kayaks, sailboards, hobie cats, and sunfishes available for use. The evening entertainment often started at 9:30PM. It ranged from decent to unusual. The local acts that we saw were bands, a contortionist, fireeater, etc. We heard very little reggae and no steel drum music... maybe they have a low budget for entertainment. We found the few Jamaican people we met outside the resort as well as employees within the compound to range in personalities. I think 1/3 are generally nice, warm people who are genuine in their concern for the tourist, 1/3 were perhaps accommodating to you in person, but were generally unfriendly and insincere with their hospitality, 1/3 weren't nice at all, displaying hostility or perhaps unhappiness at being at the beck and call of tourists. We heard that the Couples resort had recently been undergoing a change in management. We could see proof of this in the somewhat disorganized schedule of events, the openly unhappy countenance of the workers, etc. We met several couples who had made many return trips to this resort, perhaps even their seventh, and eighth. We also met many people who have decided that it isn't the place for them. Although Jamaica can be very beautiful with it's ocean and beaches, and mountains, it is also very poor and evidence of that is everywhere. An Englishman we met while on vacation had actually visited 4 years before and believed that the country is back sliding rather than improving. We don't think we'll return to Jamaica anytime soon.
My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Sandals Dunns River so I
thought I'd write up a brief report.
First off, the flight (from the UK) wasn't too bad, except that the
plane stopped in Kingston on the way to Montego Bay which added
another hour and a half to our already long (9.5 hours) flight time!
The bus ride to the resort wasn't half as bad as we had been led to
believe but we did pass one nasty smash on the way. Once we'd got
used to the Jamaican tradition of a) tooting the horn as you
overtake and b) overtaking *anywhere* - we were fine!
Arriving at Sandals we were greeted by happy, friendly faces; our
luggage was taken from us and we were given a glass of champagne
each. We waited while the receptionist went through the paperwork
and were then taken to our room by one of the bellboys. The room was
fantastic - the only problem was the view (wed upgraded to a
"Luxury Oceanview" which turned out not to have much of an ocean
view at all unless you hung off the balcony by your toenails!
Anyway, we asked to be moved to a better room and the receptionist
was really nice - she had no better rooms in our category or the two
categories above ours available until the next day. So, the next day
we got moved into a better room!
The restaurants there were wonderful - the Teppenyaki (oriental) was
definitely the best but the International, Italian, and Windies were
good too. It took us a while to get used to not having to pay and
just getting up and leaving, but then we soon cottoned on that
equally, we could ask for *two* appetizers, or have "one of
everything" from the dessert trolley! :-) It was great having drinks
freely available too - working our way through the cocktail list was
a major feature of the holiday!
The facilities were amazing - we were worried that there might be
big queues for some of the activities, but the resort seems to have
been very carefully planned with this in mind - we never had trouble
finding a lounger, swapping in our beach towels for clean ones, or
doing any of the activities we wanted to. We tried tennis, table
tennis, pitchnputt, pool, snorkeling, wind surfing, water-skiing,
aquatrike-ing, swimming, and of course just lounging around. We
liked the way the playmakers (which we thought sounded alarmingly
American!) didnt even slightly force you to join in to the "team"
activities if you didnt want to.
We went over to Sandals Ocho Rios one evening, with the intention of
eating there, seeing what it was like and then maybe spending a day
there later on. However, that one evening was sufficient for us to
see all we wanted to see of the resort - its a lot smaller than
Dunns River, and a lot more sedate and relaxed seeming (Dunns River
was quite upbeat and lively). We were glad wed chosen Dunns River,
but obviously that wouldnt be everyone's preference! The restaurant
we ate at (Tex Mex) was nice.
We did the Mary Ann cruise trip ("The Booze Cruise") to Dunns River
Falls, which was another great experience. Make sure to take
disposable underwater cameras! We used a total of 8 (!) films, of
which two were disposable underwater ones.
We spent more money than we thought we would given the "All-
inclusive" nature of the resort, but didnt ever feel we were being
charged for things that should have been included. Things we paid
for were: souvenirs (we bought five t-shirts!) and postcards; a half-
hour massage each; I got 5 braids put in my hair; the Mary Ann
cruise; and three photographs from the resort photographer. Talking
of postcards - we sent our postcards the day after we arrived and
they arrived in the UK the day after we got back!
I dont think theres much else to say except to say that it really
was the holiday of a lifetime - we would heartily recommend it to
anyone wanting a really luxurious, every-whim-catered-for holiday.
And definitely try the "Sex on the Beach" cocktail! :-)
Vicky (wishing she was back there now instead of at work!)
The Ultimate Guide To Boscobel Beach Went to Boscobel in May, 1996 and loved it! Went back again in April, 1997 and had even more fun. My kids (girls) are now 4 and 7 and they can't wait to go back. There is an "unofficial" web page for Boscobel (and the other SuperClubs) at www.superclubs.com which will give you an fairly accurate overview of the resort. Be aware that this site is sponsored by a travel agency, not SuperClubs. While two trips cannot qualify us as experts, here is some information that you might find helpful in deciding on Boscobel or getting the most out of your trip. GETTING THERE: The bus ride from the airport is 2 - 2 1/2 hours, depending on traffic. It's a two lane road and the drivers tend to be aggressive, but in 6 trips to Jamaica we've never seen a major accident. All in all, it's not a bad ride and gives you a good introduction to the island. This is a third-world country and there is a good deal of poverty, but there are also many beautiful homes (our bus driver told us that this is where the "doctors, lawyers, and smugglers" live.) The road roughly follows the coastline and you get to see lots of clear, blue water. Make sure that everyone uses the bathroom first as there is usually only one stop along way. The mid-point stop is at a small shop/bar where you can grab a Ting (grapefruit soda) or a Red Stripe (the only beer in Jamaica) and begin your vacation! You may want to also to try the meat patties, a Jamaican specialty. You can catch a commuter plane from MoBay to Ocho Rios but it is expensive ($75pp each way) and you miss the bus experience. Check-in at the hotel is relatively painless. You are greeted at the entrance with a glass of champagne (this is new this year). We arrived at about 1 pm and had to wait 1/2 hour for our room to be ready. Some others had to wait until 5:30. YOUR ROOM: The brochure for Boscobel is fairly accurate, and, as is usual in brochures of this type, the rooms are photographed with a wide-angle lens to make them look larger than life. Both times we stayed at BB we had the "Junior Suite" which the resort has more of than any other room type. These rooms are relatively large, with a oversized sliding glass door, a king size bed, and a two single beds which double as couches. The two singles are separated by a half-height wall and are one step down from the main level of the room. There is a large bathroom with sunken tub (not as glamorous as it might sound). The room is equipped with a blow drier, iron and ironing board, a small refrigerator, coffee maker, and a color television (all of the nets plus Disney, ESPN, CNN, HBO, and others). The closet is adequate, but drawer space is scarce. The rooms are relatively clean but very humid. We found the air conditioner to be overpowering even at it's lowest setting and kept it off at night. On a quality scale, the rooms are more along the lines of an older Holiday Inn than a Hyatt. Remember, this is third-world country! The accommodations are no better or worse than we've seen at other all- inclusives we've been to in Jamaica. If you're like us, you won't spend much time in the room anyway! EATING AND DRINKING: The food at BB is good, not great, but just what we expected. Food is available just about any time you want them and there is plenty of variety. There are five places to eat... 1. The Terrace: This is the most popular eating area. It is a large covered, but open air terrace situated next to the pool. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here buffet style. Breakfasts include a variety of fruits, pancakes, eggs, breads, cereals, etc. The coffee is great! Lunch includes salads, fruit, sandwiches, pizza, and several hot dishes. The dinner selections vary from night to night (themes include Jamaican, Chinese, American, etc.) and always include salads, fruit, and an assortment of hot entrees and sides. At lunch and dinner there is a large variety of desserts, this being one area where we saw a marked improvement over our previous visit. 2. The Pavilion: This is a "sit down" open-air restaurant for families, with food selections from a menu. We found that the food selections were similar, if not the same, as in the Terrace. A good choice only if you want a change of atmosphere, we found the Terrace had a better variety and was more efficient. 3. Allegro: This is a small, "adults only" restaurant with an Italian theme. Reservations are necessary and can be made at the front desk at 9am on the day you wish to dine. Reservations fill up quickly! This restaurant requires slacks for men (the only time you will need anything other than bathing suits or shorts.) The food, on average, is a couple notches above that in the Terrace (and they serve better wine!). Service is very good. While the restaurant was a quiet change of pace from the rest of the resort, it strives to be too "American". Personally, we would have liked to see more of a Jamaican flavor to the menu. 4. Bar-B-Que Park: Located near the pool, this is typical cook-out fare, with burgers, dogs, and fries, along with some fruit and salad items. Popular with the kids. 5. Beach Bar: This is the resort's "secret" place to get a great lunch. In addition to burgers and dogs, they serve jerk chicken starting at about noon. Be aware, the chicken goes quickly. In addition, continental breakfast is available through room service. Room service is ordered the night before by hanging a order card on your door. We heard that, more often than not, these cards were not picked up. In fact, our only experience with the room service was being brought someone else's order. Our advice is to not bother. There are five bars, and you can get just about anything you want to drink any time you want it. Premium brands and more types of rum than you ever thought existed. Strategically placed soft drink dispensers are a hit with the kids. Here is one surprising experience shared by a couple we met: Their first night at BB was their wedding anniversary and they tried to get a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Their waiter quoted them a price of $65. Seems somewhat petty to be able to get unlimited drinks from the bar, but not a bottle of champagne. SPORTS/ACTIVITIES: There is a relatively large pool (certainly not Olympic sized as the brochure claims) in the center of the property that is open to everyone. There is also a smaller pool and Jacuzzi for adults only. There are tennis courts (never used them) and golf is included but the course is off property (again, never used it or even ran into anyone who did.) Snorkeling, as well as other water sports including kayaks, sunfish, banana-boat, etc., are available right from the beach at no charge. The snorkeling is fun for beginners but there is not a lot to see. SCUBA diving is also included and seemed quite popular (never did it.) Snorkeling and SCUBA require advance sign-up, and the day before is recommended. The trips tend to fill up more quickly in the later part of the week (when guests have figured out the procedure.) "Showtime" is the nightly activity on the Terrace (sometimes on the beach.) Each night, a different show is presented. The shows are primarily geared toward adults; however, the show on the beach included Jamaican dancers, fire-eaters, etc. and was popular with everyone. There is a disco which is open from 10pm until "the last guest leaves". My guess is that most guests are exhausted by this time (we never made it.) THE KID'S ACTIVITIES: There are four different centers for kids, with one center for infants through age 3, one for 4-7, one for 8-12, and another for teens. These centers offer a variety of age-appropriate activities for kids and operate from 9am until 10pm. We typically kept our kids out of the centers during the day but checked them in for the evening activities; however, it is entirely possible to keep your kids in the activities all day. In addition, private "SuperNannies" are available 24 hours a day for $2.50 per hour (for up to three kids). We never used this service but it seemed to be popular. There is a small playground and a "zoo" which is nothing more than a few caged small animals. A daily schedule of events is available on the chalkboard near the entrance to the Pavilion, and printed versions are available near the front desk. DOING BUSINESS: Want to buy souvenirs, crafts, or t-shirts? Want a driver to go into town? Need anything? Talk to John Wayne. He is a friendly local and he knows everyone! John Wayne, and his "co-workers" set up shop just outside the Boscobel property. To find him, walk from the resort toward the beach and turn right. Head toward the scuba office and walk onto the dock. There is a fence on the far side of the dock, and John Wayne can be found just over the fence. These are hard working, appreciative people. Please tell him that Donna and Marc from Virginia sent you!! This is also the place for you and your kids, especially if they are girls, to get their hair braided. Everybody does it, including adults. Don't have it done on resort, as it costs too much ($60 vs $25 off property) and the quality isn't that great. You can take a shopping trip into town; however, for the same amount of money, John Wayne will arrange a cab and driver. Have the driver take you into town and be sure to stop at a "jerk pit" for the best pork and chicken you have ever tasted (try the Double V.) OTHER RANDOM TIPS: You do not need money at the resort as there is no tipping and everything is included. A couple of people have posted messages stating that they were pressured into tipping, but we haven't experienced this in two visits. You will, however, need tip money whenever you leave the resort - Make sure that you leave home with plenty of ones and fives (change is hard to come by.) Don't waste time converting your money in to Jamaica dollars, as U.S. dollars are accepted (and preferred) everywhere. The Straw Market in Ocho Rios is quite an experience. Picture row after row of vendors, each selling basically the same thing. Although the vendors will leave you alone if you say no, you might find them to be a bit aggressive. If you want hand-crafted souvenirs without enduring the straw market, several vendors are brought onto the BB property on Wednesday evenings. Their offerings are the same as you see at the straw market. When you are off of the resort there are many people trying to sell you things (including ganga, or marijuana). The Jamaicans are very nice people; however, and if you are not interested you just have to say so. When making purchase, remember that the prices are negotiable - they EXPECT to bargain. Don't miss Dunn's River Falls, where you climb a 900 ft. waterfall. It was a lot of fun! The falls can be fairly intense in places, but our athletic 4 and 7 year old girls did not have a problem. At the conclusion of your climb you must navigate through a group of "vendors" before getting back to your bus. Walk quickly ... we found these vendors to be VERY aggressive! There is a charge for the falls trip; however, it is included with some packages (if it is included in your package you will need to go through a manager to avoid paying.) In addition to the falls, there are several other excursions available from the tour desk. All are at an additional fee. We've been to Jamaica several times and have never needed anything other than summer clothes - It's warm all the time. The only time you'll need anything other than shorts and swimwear is if you go to the "adult" restaurant, and then you'll only need "nice casual" attire. "SuperCents" are given as prizes for many activities. The kids get a kick out of collecting these over the course of the stay. SuperCents can be traded in for small prizes. Nobody moves very quickly in Jamaica, which takes some time for "city folks" to get used to (we're from the Washington DC area). But just relax, grab a drink, and say "no problem, mon"!
Spent the first 10 days of April on Providenciales with my husband and 2 daughters. I think we have finally found the perfect island. Weather was warm & sunny and mid humidity. We stayed at the Ocean Club in a 1 bedroom deluxe. It was huge with full kitchen, a/c, w/d, and screened in balcony on the 3rd floor where we watched the sun go down over Grace Bay every night. The hotel was great, island people super friendly, and the beaches the best we have seen in the world. The island itself is not very pretty (flat & dusty)but the beaches more than make up for it. There are only 8 major hotels on the 12 miles of Grace Bay so the island is VERY uncrowded. Every beach we tried we were the only ones on it. Snorkeling was good but not great. Restaurants were very good with a lot of different dining options, many within 10 minutes from hotel. We tried Gecko grill, Coco Bistro, Caicos Cafe, Anaconia, Sunset Bar & Grill, Tikki Hut, The Terrace, and the barbecue buffet at Le Deck. All were super, all outdoors in different settings. Prices for my family of 4 was approximately $100.00 including a bottle of wine, dessert, tax and tip. There are many day sail trip options to snorkel and have beach barbecues on deserted islands. We sailed on "Two Fingers" and had a great day. Stay away from Ocean Outback Trips-they left us standing in front of the hotel on 2 different days. The hotel told us they had bumped people before without notifying them. In addition to Grace Bay try Jack Cooper beach (only at low tide) Long Bay Beach, and Taylor Bay (where Dick Clarke has a house), and Malcolm Road Beach. Each one is better than the last. Only bad point was pesty mosquitoes at night at the restaurants by Grace Bay. The kids got eaten alive. We also checked out Beaches Resort. Nice pool with waterfall but the rooms didn't have a lot of privacy, and the atmosphere around the pool reminded me of a cruise ship---a lot of noise and kids. Grace Bay Hotel of course was incredible--no kids allowed and the restaurant was superb!
Mon., Mar 31 Just before our plane landed in San Juan for our sixth trip to Puerto Rico we watched a beautiful sunset at 36,000 feet. As we landed about 7:25 p.m., we rolled past the replica of Amelia Earhart's plane piloted by Linda Finch the Texas business woman who is reenacting the historic flight. It had landed at 7:00 p.m. and I felt very honored to be there where history was being made. It was partly cloudy over PR when we landed and stayed that way for several days, although after just arriving from the land of ice, snow and 36 degrees we were thankful for the small relief from the intense Caribbean sunshine this provided. By the second day we were both red skinned though we used a lot of creams. Our first night we stayed in San Juan so we could do some sightseeing in Old San Juan the next morning. We rented a car at the airport and drove to the Radisson Normandie. Tue, Apr 1 We awoke early so even with a two hour time difference we were able to drive into Old San Juan easily, find parking, and were waiting for "El Morro" one of the oldest forts in the new world to open its gates. Puerto Rico was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the new world. It had become a vital passageway to the riches of the Americas so this fort was built in 1539 by the Spanish to protect the territories it had claimed from attempts by England, France, and Holland to take them over. It was really impressive to explore this six level fort overlooking a beautiful view of sand beaches, palm trees and the Atlantic Ocean and dream of the days when real soldiers stood on these same walls and fought against pirates and marauding nations. The museum there is filled with stories of its history. Next, we strolled over to the "Casa Blanca" museum a beautiful 16th century house built for Juan Ponce de Leon explorer, colonizer and first governor of Puerto Rico. However, while it was in the process of construction he died in Cuba. His family lived there for 250 years and today it is a museum with many authentic articles of furniture from that era as well as beautiful gardens. After a tasty meal at our favorite "La Bonbonera" a bakery/cafe, we headed for Fajardo a city on the eastern coast of PR, to drop off our rental car and catch the ferry to Vieques, pronounced (bee AY kase), affectionately dubbed by a famous Puerto Rican author as "Isla Nena" or little girl island, as it is a small island owned by PR just about 9 miles off the east coast. It is about an hour by ferry and tickets cost just $2 one-way. The sea was calm and the trip was scenic, as there are many islands dotting this side of PR. When we arrived a cab took us to our Parador "The Crow's Nest." A jeep was waiting for us, so after settling in to our nice three room suite with a bedroom, bath, kitchen, dining room and both inside & private outside porches all for a mere $75 per day, we had a very tasty evening meal and headed out with map in hand to explore the island. Wed, Apr 2 We spent most of the day on two dives off the southern coast of the island in the green waters of the Caribbean sea. We saw the hugest lobster we had ever seen in our lives with front pinchers longer than Jim's arms and a body about 9 inches across. We also found an area where fisherman discarded the shells of conch after they removed the meat. We brought several of them up into the boat and took them back to our quarters to clean them up for souvenirs. After soaking them in a solution of bleach and water all night they cleaned up beautifully with a brush. Thu, Apr 3 Exploring the island. Vieques is a sleepy island full of natural resources and history. It is an island where the US military has had a controversial role since 1947 when it expropriated two-thirds of the island for military use and relocated large numbers of its residents on the US Virgins. The population was forced to live on only one-third of the island. Today, the Navy and Marines open their areas to the public, unless they are conducting exercises there. In some ways this has been good as it has prevented land grabbing of the island's unspoiled beauty, but there are many who believe the military presence will be scaled back. I sat next to a Puerto Rican woman, while waiting for the ferry, who is an urban planner. She told me that there were already plans for the development of the island in the event that the military lands are given back to the government of Vieques. Many of the paradors and restaurants are owned by Americans from the mainland, but this influence is not as prevalent as on Culebra, PR's other small island off its northeastern coast. Generally, they are not as amiable as the Puerto Ricans. The island has large numbers of wild horses everywhere dating back to the days of the Spanish. As a vessel was sailing to the new world with a cargo of horses, the ship was damaged in a terrible storm and was ready to sink so the horses were set free, to save them from drowning. They swam to the island and today are everywhere. Anyone who wants a horse and has the room to care for one can own one easily, so there are many cowboys too. Many times we had to slow down or stop our Jeep for them. We went walking on the man-made US Navy Mosquito pier and afterwards along the beach there we found many shells. Most of the conch were broken and we already had several so we picked up other smaller shells, sponge, corals and a starfish. Angie is teaching learning disabled children this year so asked us to bring postcards and sea shells. We could have filled suitcases with all the shells so limited ourselves to the best and sturdiest as we would have to drag them around for the next week. Fort Conde de Mirasol, built in the 1840s was the last Spanish fort to be built in the new world. It houses a museum rich with stories of the Igneri & Taino Indians, Spanish, Danish, English, French and U.S. influences on its history for those who are lucky enough to be able to read Spanish. The Indian artifacts found on the island and in archeological digs there are some of the finest evidences of the earliest occupants of the Caribbean islands. I met one of the archeologists of PR there who had discovered some of the artifacts that were on display. Many of the spices of the Caribbean are made on Vieques where you can buy them for a song, but since our luggage was full up with sea shells, we had to pass on this trip. The island has hundreds of beaches, some with easy access but many are very secluded and are seemingly impossible to get to. This helps to keep them gorgeous and unspoiled. Towards evening a very light mist began and we were afraid that our planned trip to Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay would be canceled. Fortunately, this only added to the splendor of one of the most magnificent excursions we have ever had on PR. A couple of years ago, we visited the Phosphorescent Bay in Parquera, PR but of the three spots in the world where this phenomena exists, Vieques is a thousand times more brilliant. We appeared as golden ghosts, as we swam in the water where there are almost 750,000 luminescent organisms per gallon of water. When you cupped your arms together the water running down your arms appeared to be filled with gold dust. Everyone was laughing as we swam together. When we returned to the boat our swim suits glowed. We enjoyed this experience so much and will certainly go back again when we are able. Fri, Apr 4 We knew the ferries were not running on Thursday, but hoped the seas would quiet down by the time we had to leave. But I understand why they don't run when the seas are rough. I have heard of times when virtually everyone on the boat was vomiting from seasickness and with a potential load of 400 people that could be a pretty big mess. Anyway, we drove early to the ferry and after learning it was not operating, drove to the airport. That was a fun experience of its own. Tickets were only $15 per person but because of our amount of luggage, including all our Scuba gear and seashells we paid an extra $25. Still not bad for the experience. It was a small plane about 8 passengers and a low flight that took only 15 minutes. The view was tremendous. And in no time we were again in Fajardo. We called the car rental to get us and after renting another Toyota Tercel we headed out for the west of the island. I wanted to take the easy route through Carolina since I am the navigator and know that route well. I also wanted to stop and see the new museum at "El Yunque" their world class rain forest, but for some reason Jim didn't want to go through the rain forest but rather wanted to travel along the southeastern coast which we had never before traveled. I knew it was the only part of the island perimeter without a good road, though they are working on completing one, but since it was Jim's birthday I decided to humor him and go along that route. "Ruta Panoramica" was really better named "Ruta from Hell" Jim told me later, if he had only known we would have gone the way I wanted but it was interesting nonetheless. We were nearly run over head-on by a huge sugarcane truck rambling down the mountain and we saw the funniest thing we have ever seen at an intersection stoplight in Humacao. There were five young bulls or steers standing at the cross walk with no human being in sight except those in the many cars at this busy light. One of the steers started to step down in the cross walk but stepped back up when a car gently nudged him. So they waited patiently and when the light turned green all five walked single file in the cross walk and up onto the narrow sidewalk on the other side of the street and continued on their way as if they knew exactly where they were going. Truly this would have won the prize for the world's funniest videos if it were submitted. We were pretty exhausted from the winding and turning mountain roads by the time we finally reached our destination in Joyuda. We had a tasty meal on a pier restaurant named "Vista Bahia" overlooking a beautiful bay in the Caribbean Sea, ran into Mayaguez for a Rex Cream, made a few calls, then relaxed in our suite for the rest of the evening. When we opened the curtains the sea was right in front of our window. It was really awesome. Scott, our son, surprised us by calling us that evening and wishing Jim a Happy Birthday. Sat, Apr 5 We found the Bella Vista Adventist Church without a hitch and enjoyed the SS class in English, while Jim wore headphones for the church services. After church we went to the Mayaguez Plaza in the town center to meet some friends. The plaza has a statue of Christopher Columbus in it as they believe that he landed there. We spent a few hours visiting with them in their home and they made us feel very welcome and comfortable. We ate a very nice meal of rice beans and some other native foods and fruits. Mmmmm!! After we left them we went to visit a second family of friends and I learned to make tostones and sururillos, native Puerto Rican appetizers. We had a good time visiting, mostly in Spanish, but Jim found a good friend in Ricky who nearly talked his ear off and showed him many of the things he had made and colored. We finished the day at the Rex Cream with ice cream made of frozen fruit whirred with sugar. Mmmmm!! I think we stopped there at least once every day we were on this side of the island. I have not seen this kind of ice cream invented by the Chinese in any other city except Mayaguez. Sun, Apr 6 We were leaving for Maricao this day, but since our room wasn't available until 2:00 p.m., we were looking for something to do in the morning. We had gone diving last year with Jose, whose boat was slipped in at the Joyuda harbor just up the road from where we were checking out, so decided to drive by and see if there was any chance we could go on a dive with him. We had called another couple who offer dives to Desecheo as soon as we arrived on Friday, but they had not returned our call and I thought that with the seas so rough in the north they probably weren't going out anyway. So we were surprised to find that Jose was there and luckily two divers were no shows so he had room in the boat for us to go. He wasn't going to Desecheo, but rather to the southern part of the island where it was more calm. We dove a wall dive off Parquera at 125 feet, the deepest I had ever been. We had great visibility, but the long boat ride had left me a little sea sick and I had to hang over the back of the boat for the whole trip back to Joyuda. After losing all my breakfast, I made Jim take me back in to Mayaguez for a Rex Cream which would make my stomach feel better. While there we encountered a Bike-a-thon for the Adventist Radio station and hundreds of bikers trapped our car in the center of town. I took some photos of Ricky on his little bicycle at the front of the pack. He is very photogenic and seemed delighted to have his pictures taken. After talking with some friends for a while we were given a police escort out of town so we could continue our journey to Maricao where we would be staying at an old coffee hacienda in the mountains. At supper on the verandah of the hacienda, I told Jim how blessed I felt to be there and how good God had been, to keep us safe 125 feet under the sea and then to end the day on this mountain top. It was so peaceful and tranquil after enduring the seasickness and the intensity of the dive. I was feeling a little weak and worn out so really appreciated being away from TVs, telephones and was looking forward to going to bed early and getting a good night's rest which was impossible in the sad excuse of a bed we had in Joyuda. Little did I know then how wrong I was. After the meal was finished I asked if we could see the comet Hale- Bopp from there. I had been looking forward to seeing it from PR, but every night there had been a cloud cover in the northern sky that prevented me from seeing it. "Oh yes," they said and took me over to the side of the porch where Hale-Bopp was clearly visible. A brother and sister own the hacienda and the brother told me "It will bring good luck to those who see the comet." Jim and I went to our room which had an old plantation style window with wooden boards that folded out to open. It had four doors two on top and two on the bottom which when all were opened extended all the way from the ceiling to the floor. Because we were trying to dry our Scuba gear, we had all four flaps open and there was only a little X railing to keep one from falling out. Our room was on the second floor and I was so excited to realize that lying in bed I had the most awesome view of Hale-Bopp sitting right next to a huge palm tree. It was brighter than I had ever seen it. It was so dark in the mountains with no city lights and I just laid there silently praying and watching the comet. Jim had just fallen asleep when suddenly directly across the small stone road from our room a man came running out of his room screaming very loudly. "HELP ME!! I USED COCAINE AND I THINK I AM HAVING A HEART ATTACK!! HELP ME!! HELP ME!! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!! When I first began to hear his cries for help, I was kind of shocked and thought, "Would someone do this for a joke?" But immediately I realized, "NO, this is for real." I said to Jim, who was beginning to wake up and heard the man yelling for help, "Did you hear what he said?" He hadn't. I was the only one to hear the man's words. Jim got up, got on some shorts, told me to stay in the room, and he went to try to find someone to help. I was watching the man from the window. He ran to the office screaming all the way. When he got there it was closed and boarded up. I saw him sit down and begin to have tremors and then he began to convulse violently. He laid down and his body was stiff and jumping 3 or 4 inches off the porch. I looked the opposite way down the road and saw two men walking towards the office. I called out to them, telling them a man had used cocaine and was dying. They were Germans and one was a doctor. He ran down to try to help the young man and I left the room to come down to help too. The doctor needed some things like a flashlight and towels, which I ran back and found in my room. The two Germans began giving him CPR and artificial respiration. The doctor said if he had a certain drug it could counteract the effect of the cocaine, but of course he didn't have it. Meanwhile, Jim had found someone to call with a cellular phone for an ambulance. Little did we know then that there are some bureaucratic problems going on right now in PR with ambulances and hospitals. It seems that there is a battle for the management of hospitals to be removed from governmental control and given to private interests. Anyway, a hospital that was 5 minutes from the hacienda refused to send an ambulance since they closed at 8:00 p.m. and they got the call about 8:30. Every time we saw flashing lights we thought it would be an ambulance only to see one, two and finally three police cars arrive. The owner told me as I sat next to him with both of us silently praying that there was no good explanation for this no show of an ambulance. He also said, "We are very lucky that you were here." because I heard the man's words. The police tried calling the next city over in Las Marias but were told it was not their jurisdiction. After 45 minutes and the Germans near exhaustion there was still no ambulance. Finally, after several calls an ambulance appeared, although it was nothing more than a van driven by someone untrained in life-saving skills. He handed the Germans an oxygen tank, which was of no value without a pump to keep the man breathing. The Germans were exhausted and said without any equipment it is all over for this man. They folded his arms, helped to put him on the stretcher and sent him off in an ambulance for God only knows where since the hospital was closed. His body was still twitching a little and he still had life in him but we all knew he wouldn't make it. The two Germans and Jim and I turned away incredulously, while the three Puerto Ricans there, other than the three officers, seemed to accept it much easier. If only I had known, there was a good Adventist hospital in the next town over about 35 minutes from there, but we assumed that when the hospital was called that help was on the way. The first officer to arrive asked me many questions in Spanish since I was the only witness to the man's words. I was thankful that I am able to speak it and understand it enough to be able to help. I told him though that the man had cried out totally in English. The three officers other than searching the room and asking me questions just stood by and did nothing. I was incredulous that they had absolutely no training in emergency life saving measures. xNeedless to say, I got almost no sleep that night. I kept seeing the young mans eyes and face struggling to live and hearing his cries. It was terrible!! I had never watched anyone die before and such a violent death was very hard for me to deal with. Also, like Jim said this could have been our own son. About 2 a.m. I heard a car drive up and the sister owner let three men into Hector's room. One was his father and I heard him sobbing his heart out for his son. I heard him say in Spanish that "He was only 24 years old. Mon, Apr 7 The first thing in the morning I talked to the sister owner. She had not slept all night either. She said that she was going to be writing a letter to the mayor and governor. She told me that they found only a few bottles of beer and no drugs in Hector's room. His father said he had lived in the U.S. but was living in PR now, he didn't use drugs, but that he had been despondent over his marriage. Hector had one son and had tried three times to commit suicide. They found crack cocaine at his home in Yauco. That could explain why he came alone to the mountains and why he called out in English. But it was obvious that after he realized that he was dying he wanted to live desperately. And it was such a pity because he was so young and strong and HE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE. Anyway, I am still trying to sort out why I happened to be there just that night, directly across the way, with my windows flung wide open. Was it providential or circumstantial and what is the lesson that I should learn from this experience? This has made Jim think very seriously, about my insistence upon living near the Adventist hospital. It has also made us aware of the need to carry the name and telephone numbers of a doctor from the area and the Bella Vista hospital when we travel into the interior on that side of the island. We went back into Mayaguez to pick up something for stomach indigestion, as I had emptied our bottle the previous night. While we were there we went to talk to a pastor friend about this experience. I was tired and depressed and would have just as soon returned to the U.S. mainland that very day. He tried his best to cheer me up and encourage me to continue with our vacation. We then headed to Parquera a resort area that really caters to tourists. It turned out to be a very good move although I don't usually like touristy places. We walked around the shops, checked out boat rentals, had a very nice meal, and fell into bed early. I slept good that night only waking up a couple of times thinking about the experience of the previous night. Jim thought about setting up a dive the next day, but I told him I just wanted to be alone with him not with a boat load of strangers. Tue, Apr 8 We rented a little boat for 4 hours and headed out towards a protected bay where we could do some snorkeling. With such a vast area it was hard to decide where to put down our anchor but we finally stopped in about four feet of water and began snorkeling. It was sunny and calm and it had a great effect of cheering me up. After Jim had gone back to rest a little while in the boat, I found an incredible field of starfish, just over an edge, where the water was maybe ten feet deep. I yelled at him to come and join me. It was so fun because you would see one then another and another. There were literally dozens of them of varying shapes, sizes and colors. We found some that were dead, that the salt water had preserved and tried to take a few. We found sea urchin skeletons and a beautiful large conch shell. We were like kids in a candy shop. I had more fun with just Jim and I in this little rental boat, than I did in the big fancy dive boats. After four hours of snorkeling, our skin was over-baked even though we used creams, so we escaped in our car to explore again. In San German we enjoyed talking with a little souvenir shop owner and then went to Sabana Grande for some "comida typica" or native food. It was great and the price to fill us both up, was $7. Next we headed back to Mayaguez to give one of our friends one of the conch shells she had been admiring since we had found another one snorkeling and already had one for each of our kids. And of course, this would give me the chance to get one last Rex Cream as we would be leaving the next morning for the central part of the island. Wed, Apr 9 We drove out of Parquera towards Ponce, the second largest city in PR. We must have hit a high school event as cars on the autopista had teenagers hanging out of the windows, flying down the road with #1 signs and writing on the windows. Finally, we got to the town square where there is a nice walking tour. After having a couple of "piraguas," or Puerto Rican snow cones to cool off and setting down in the plaza near the beautiful Lion's fountain, we set off to find the "Parque de Bombas" a strangely painted red and black building which was used as a fire station for many years. The building was originally constructed for a fair and was painted red & white to attract attention, but when it began to be used for a fire station the firemen changed the colors to red and black. Red was to signify the color of fire and the valor of the men who fought it, while black was the color left where the fire had burned. We spent some time in the Fox-Delicias Mall looking at souvenirs and Jim got a few T-shirts. Then we said goodbye to Ponce and headed for our destination of Coamo. Coamo has springs from within the mountains of 110 degrees. The water is full of minerals that are very good for your skin and health and has been visited by Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Edison and even Juan Ponce de Leon himself. He probably thought it was the fountain of youth he so earnestly sought. The road to the springs almost always has people jogging up and down it, as the people are very health conscious and many who live near it, visit it 3 or 4 times weekly. Jim and I went in for a while, left and went back again later. It was very relaxing and I felt my skin was so soft the next morning. We had about 50 channels on TV that night so I went to sleep after watching a movie with Jim to the sound of M.T.V. in Spanish. Thu, Apr 10 We awoke early and packed everything in our luggage as best we could so we could bring all our sea shells home. Then we headed for Old San Juan to do some more sightseeing before going to the airport. Our flight out wasn't until 5:50 p.m. so we were able to visit many interesting sights before leaving. We visited the Las Americas museum -- a wonderful collection of art from countries throughout the Americas. It brings together the art forms influenced by the three major races that together created the new race of the Caribbean people. The cross and religion art forms brought by the Europeans, the musical rhythms of the African race and many of the Indian art forms of pottery, boat building & weaving. It even included some examples of our early North American art such as the quilt and weather vanes. There were several exhibitions of artists there also. We visited a display of the early Indians that inhabited the island before the Spanish arrived in the Museum of Puerto Rican Culture across from El Morro. It was very good and added to the knowledge that I had already acquired at Ponce and Vieques. At the Museum of Art & History there were several displays of modern art that were really interesting and unusual. We stopped and visited the Museum of Pablo Casals, the world famous cellist whose influence did much to bring a love for classical music to his beloved Puerto Rico. After visiting several stores, picking up some cards with Puerto Rican art and having a sandwich on "criollo" bread, a native kind of french bread, we headed out to Carolina to drop off our rental car and go to the airport. As we lifted off the ground, I looked back and said farewell to Puerto Rico once again.
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