Puerto Rico

Hello again.  Since I've last written, we have travelled through some of Puerto Rico as well as both Vieques, Culebra, and even a stop in St Thomas…

Before we had left the DR we had initially wanted to go from Luperon to Samana and check out the whales hanging out there in that bay during this time of year,  but a weather window to Puerto Rico presented itself and we couldn't resist, so we set out from Luperon straight to Boqueron, Puerto Rico.  This trip took us along the dreaded northern coast of Dominican Republic and across the notorious Mona Passage. Frank planned such a perfect window, that we ended up with a nice 2 day and 2 night sail with small seas, fair winds, and trails of phosphorescence in our wake, all of which helped melt away the anxiety we had built up about this portion of our trip.  Catching a 3 ft mahi didn't hurt our mood either. Going from spending weeks in a third world country to Puerto Rico (which is essentially a Spanish speaking America, fully equipped with Walmarts and McDonalds), was surreal to say the least.  And even though this was the furthest we have gone up to this point, we felt like we right back home, which was bittersweet.  To be honest, Frank and I were a little underwhelmed by Puerto Rico itself.   It felt much like being in Miami, as it is very Americanized, and coming from the simplicity of the Bahamas and the way of life in Dominican Republic, we felt we had traveled a long way to end up right back at square one.  Perhaps it was the culture shock of being surrounded by all the things we love to hate but I was not ready to be back in America yet.  This certainly didn't stop us from gorging ourselves on Wendy's til we got sick to our stomachs, as well as enjoy the luxury of having things be so easily available. But still.  

The one thing we did genuinely enjoy while there was renting a car and driving through the mountains that make up the center of the island.  For anyone visiting Puerto Rico, I would highly highly recommend it.  Frank and I had to drive to West Marine way over in San Juan (on the northeast corner of the island) from Boqueron (in the southwest corner), so we decided to make the best of it and take the scenic route. Driving up across and around the mountains on sketchy roads with sheer drop offs on either side and steep 30% grades was a little intimidating at first, but well worth it.  The ride is pretty much through a jungle in the mountains sprinkled with houses precariously perched in seemingly impossible ways on the super steep slopes.  The roads snake their way through bamboo forests and rainbow eucalyptus groves with lush Tarzan-like vines draping from the cliff sides.  Winding across the summit ridge line, you'll pass through countless coffee plantations and banana farms.  Tiny villages with yummy baked goods to offer dot the valleys, burned out cars occasionally left abandoned on the side of the road are slowly being reclaimed by the jungle, and families can be seen going about their daily business on horseback.   All of this works together to transport you back in time and away from the Americanization that seems so rampant on the coast.  It was about a six hour drive in the end running from Rincon east through the country roads before eventually getting back to the highway and our business at hand.  When we set out, we had no real plans, we just sort of quickly glanced at the map and chose what looked to be the steepest, and least travelled roads so long as they were heading generally eastward. Once we set out, we would randomly choose a direction at any given intersection, a type of exploring we have come to refers to as "car hikes."   Frank and I have a long history of car hiking beginning way back when we first met and drove a loop across the US some 13 years ago.  More often than not, these car hikes have led us to some of the most beautiful places we have been able to find.  Being lost and not knowing what's around the next corner is one of the most thrilling parts of traveling for us.  This particular car hike was one of my favorites...

This was off the side of the highway :)

Rainbow Eucalyptus  

Bamboo everywhere...

First mate on watch

Sailing along the southern coast of mainland, PR.

Oyster/Clam stand in Boqueron where you eat
fresh shucked shellfish right then and there.

These black clams are native to Boqueron and were so
so so delicious.  

More Caves and Abandoned Spaces….

We found after spending over 3 weeks in Luperon that there is so much to do.  We found another cave to explore after Nick spoke with some real estate agents about possibly buying some property on the island.  They took Frank and Nick on a tour that included property sitting over this awesome cave.  The next day, we rented motorcycles again so that we could explore this cave some more.  Needless to say, it was beautiful….

We also found an abandoned marina that was also pretty cool….

Luperon Blows…

After hearing from another cruiser that there were caves and blowholes nearby our anchorage, we decided to go and check it out for ourselves.  Apparently there was a plan for a development in this area but it seems that it was abandoned mid-project.  Getting to it was easy as it was just a matter of following a path through the woods…Not much to say except that it was beautiful.  Another lovely surprise from Luperon….   

This is where we beached our dinghy

Pretty staircase in the abandoned building...

That would've been a lovely view

Awesome caves...

And crazy tree roots...

Isn't DR amazing?

There she blows…

27 Cascadas...

We had heard about the 27 waterfalls from the locals, and that it was a must-see while in the Dominican Republic, so we all decided that…well, we must go and see it.  We rented motorcycles from Papo at 500 pesos a day (about $10) and set out early so that we could have a leisurely ride through the countryside.  The motorcycle ride was a major highlight of the trip and we really got to see how the locals get around as this is the predominant mode of transportation here.  I can't exactly say that it was safe, riding here is a bit of a free for all (*see note below about this).  Trucks and cars aren't hesitant about tailgating 5 feet behind you, and since there doesn't seem to be any road rules, it was one of those survive the moment situations.  A bit scary but still so much fun!

Since the waterfalls are a major attraction (rated on TripAdvisor as one the top ten things to do in the DR), you can imagine that this is a bit of a tourist trap.  When you first arrive, you are given the option to do the first 7 waterfalls, the first 12, or all 27.  It is done with a guide along with mandatory helmets and lifejackets.  Little did I know, at the time, that I had gotten major food poisoning the day before.  I was suffering from some mild symptoms earlier in the morning, but I had written it off, and so, foolishly I opted  to do all 27 since we had come so far (plus, I was pretty excited about jumping off some waterfalls).  Little did I know what I was getting myself into.  For the first hour, we were pretty much just hiking up the mountain.  I had no idea that we'd be hiking for so long, and my body was not happy with me.  Since we didn't know that we'd be hiking for so long, none of us thought to bring water.  About 20 minutes in, my symptoms were really starting to kick in and I was fighting off cold sweats and bouts of nausea, wondering if I would make it up the mountain without vomiting or shitting myself in my teeny bikini.  Luckily I had taken Immodium earlier in the day, and so I was spared the embarrassment of the latter, but I simply could not enjoy the beauty of the hike up.   After what seemed an eternity, we finally got to the top, where at that point I felt I had conquered Everest and looked to my guide as if he were my own personal sherpa.  Admittedly, I was harboring a bit of unwarranted contempt for him as he did not slow down AT ALL  during the hike, and was completely unaware of my woes.  I wasn't exactly about to communicate to him in my broken Spanish "food poisoning,"  nor was I going to attempt to gesticulate "major diarrhea" and "want to die," and so I silently suffered with Frank and Lindsay being the only sympathetic ones waiting up for me during the hike.  

By the time we had reached the top, I was so drenched in sweat that I could not wait to get in the water.  Jumping off the first waterfall was like heaven on earth.  As soon as the cold water hit my body, I felt exponentially better.  My nausea went away and I was able to ignore my upset stomach.  It was an awesome time back down the mountain, and we had a blast sliding and jumping each of the falls.  It took about another hour or so, and let me tell you, it was so beautiful and well worth the trip.  I don't know if it was pure mental willpower preventing me from really being sick during the excursion, or if it was the effects of the Immodium, or simply adrenaline, but by time I got home that afternoon I had a full fledged fever along with muscle aches.  I could hardly muster the energy to go to the bathroom every hour for the next 24 hours.  At one point I was convinced I had the Zika virus, and luckily that was not the case and I was back to normal within 2 days.  I had no idea what got me so sick, but I felt very fortunate that I was able to hold off for long enough that day to enjoy another little treasure of the Dominican Republic.  

Photo courtesy of Lindsay @sailboatfurminger.com

Photo courtesy of Lindsay @sailboatfurminger.com

*A word of caution though if you do decide to rent motorcycles here (or even a taxi for that matter) there really are not any rules at all.. Stop lights as far as I can tell are only there to determine who is the bravest. The only helmets I've seen were the ones they gave us for jumping off of the waterfalls . Passing two trucks at a time on a blind curve while going as fast as you possibly can is the norm. I'm still trying to figure out if the streets in town are ment to be one way or not. On top of that there are huge potholes, random herds of cattle, stray dogs, children, horses, chicken, broken down cars, etc all in the road so it can be a bit exciting at times. 

PS-Sorry if this post was tainted with my lovely descriptions of my food poisoning, but I really wanted to illustrate just how much I enjoyed the waterfalls even though I was so sick.