Morning Walk - 25 Oct 2010 - Rincon, PR

Here are some pictures from a normal morning walk along the beaches by Rincon, Puerto Rico.

Cabo Rojo Lighthouse -- Southwestern corner of Puerto Rico

A day-trip to the bayside town of Boqueron in the southwest corner of Puerto Rico gave us the opportunity to discover a beautiful, well-kept lighthouse and tour the grounds. The rocky point is amazing to stand on and look down. Behind the lighthouse, hidden in a cove, is a beautiful, secret beach.

Rincon Beaches -- Puerto Rico

Rincon, Puerto Rico, is home to several world-class surf breaks, but are there any that beginning surfers could ride? Strolling South along the beaches, we saw several easy surf breaks, ready to be ridden.

Moving through the US Mail

Not too many people would consider moving by simply sending their belongings through the US Mail. Ten boxes went into the mail system in Key West. Maura thought I was crazy and the clerk at the Post Office was not happy that I was testing her ability to handle large packages. She could barely fit into the space behind her counter and the packages almost added too much weight and bulk to an already overloaded situation. Checking the Delivery Confirmation a week later, one package had arrived in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, like it was supposed to, but was then returned because there was "insufficient information for delivery". Calls to Customer Service were a waste of time. I am thinking we could reduce the national deficit by simply eliminating government workers that do not serve any useful function, and they are easy to find. Brittany (employee number: FR8QC0) is currently my top selection. What would happen to the other 9 boxes? We jumped in the car to drive three hours to the far eastern end of Puerto Rico to stand in front of the Post Office counter in Fajardo and beg. One lucky phone call along the way found someone who told us "Yes" 7 of our packages had arrived that morning. By noon, we were driving crowded streets, searching for the Fajardo Post Office. The clerk was helpful and the 7 packages were soon stuffed in the car. The friendly attitude and helpfulness of the Puerto Rican Post Office workers was such a contrast to what we encountered at home.

Puerto Rico -- The New Apartment

Today we moved in to an apartment at Fish Eye View in Rincon. As the pictures show, it has a fantastic view of the Rincon peninsula and the sunsets are amazing. It also has a clear view of the remaining containment dome of an abandoned nuclear power plant, but nobody really seems to mind, even though one of the nearby roads is named Freak Street in its honor. The best part is that it is within walking distance of nine world-class surfing breaks, and centrally located in the Caribbean's hottest surf spot.

Puerto Rico -- 5 October 2010

Driving along the southern coast, we swung in to the marina area in Salinas. The Salinas Bay is home to many cruising sailboats. The local sail repair and canvas shop is run by a lady named Maryann. She has a pet cockatoo, I thought it was a parrot, that gets so excited about swinging on a rope that it almost kills you with laughter to watch. Maryann swings the rope and the bird screams "Weeeeee" as it reaches the top of the swing. Then we spent the night in Ponce, the second-largest city in Puerto Rico and a self-proclaimed laid-back alternative to the modernism and hustle of San Juan. The old architecture in downtown Ponce is definitely worth a trip to see. The next morning we continued on to Rincon, the surfing capital of the Caribbean. High season starts in a couple of months, so we decided to rent an apartment close to the beach for a couple of months to take advantage of the mostly deserted beaches before the crowds of surfers arrive.

Puerto Rico -- 3 October 2010

Woke up this morning at Hotel Belgica in the original downtown section of Ponce, the second-largest city in Puerto Rico. The hotel was built in 1832 and had a nice, classic feel to it. If it had anything hotter than luke-warm water, we would have enjoyed it much more. Yesterday afternoon was spent driving along the coast in the southeast corner of the island. A new expressway makes the driving faster, easier, and safer, but the old Route 3 gave us better views of the coastline and kept the adrenaline up. We ate dinner at a small downtown restaurant named Chef's Creations, a modern chef tucked away in an old colonial city. Good presentation of classic food, with modern prices.