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Never heard of Vieques?(vee ay Kays) We had only heard about it from a friend who had traveled there multiple times and continues to adore it. This small island (about 20 miles by 5 miles) is part of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea.
We were tired of Vermont winter and with mud season setting in, decided to get away. Our thoughts wandered all over the globe - the Yucatan (too hot), Portugal (too early to do the Camino hike), other places too far, or too whatever... but Vieques - only a short plane flight away, no visa required, warm sun and beaches - yes! sounds great. (March 11-20)
We really chose a wonderful place. We took Amtrak from Albany down to NYC to spend a night with Scott and Ilona - always so good to see those two! Next day – walked down to Penn station - LIRR to Jamaica and Airtrain to JFK. Then a quick 3.5 hour flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We lucked into a great taxi driver (Juan) who took as to our Airbnb for the night and promised to collect us the following morning for the drive to Ceiba where we were to catch the ferry to Vieques. Our first impression of Puerto Rico was that it's a crazy mix of US and Latin America - many of the same stores as in the US: good roads, lots of cars, but definitely with a Latin American vibe. The BnB was simple and clean and Juan picked us up just as we had planned and drove us to the ferry terminal at Cieba, about an hour and a quarter.
We really chose a wonderful place. We took Amtrak from Albany down to NYC to spend a night with Scott and Ilona - always so good to see those two! Next day – walked down to Penn station - LIRR to Jamaica and Airtrain to JFK. Then a quick 3.5 hour flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We lucked into a great taxi driver (Juan) who took as to our Airbnb for the night and promised to collect us the following morning for the drive to Ceiba where we were to catch the ferry to Vieques. Our first impression of Puerto Rico was that it's a crazy mix of US and Latin America - many of the same stores as in the US: good roads, lots of cars, but definitely with a Latin American vibe. The BnB was simple and clean and Juan picked us up just as we had planned and drove us to the ferry terminal at Cieba, about an hour and a quarter.
Now, the ferry is interesting - they only allow about 20% of their bookings to be online so we weren't able to get reservations, next all residents of Vieques are allowed priority for travel, then whatever number of seats remain are left for tourists. We arrived around 11:00 hoping to get on the 1:00 ferry, but had to wait until 3:00. Billy, as a "Golden Senior" (over 75) was a free traveler, Ann cost $2.00, then 1 bag each brought the round trip total to a grand sum of $6.00! About a 40 minute ride on the ferry brought us to Vieques. No tourists are allowed to bring cars on the island - there are some cars as well as golf cart-like vehicles to rent. We opted for a taxi which took us to our BnB on the opposite side of the island. There are 2 little towns on the island - Isabel Secunda is the larger town where the ferry comes in and Esperanza is a little beach town on the south side of the island which is where we stayed.
Our casita was a perfect getaway for us. It was behind the main house, very private, with a full kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, a lovely outdoor eating area, and even a washer/dryer for use. It was stocked with everything needed including coolers, beach chairs, beach towels... all we needed was groceries. Also, seemingly included were 2 outdoor cats who had obviously been fed there before as there was a bag of left over cat food, and they were meowing at the door every morning and evening! So we continued the tradition, bought more cat food and fed the friendly tyrants. There were 2 smallish grocery stores within walking distance that provided everything we needed. I had expected it to be a bit more like Costa Rica with lovely fruit, but its a different climate so no abundance of fresh fruit, everything needs to be brought over from the main island of Puerto Rico.
So, what do you do at a beach town? Check out the different beaches! I was absolutely struck by the colors of the waters, the white as well as black sand beaches, the warmth of the sun and the uncrowded beaches! We thought we may run into college students on spring break, but there really weren't many, it was more families. So, the days pleasantly blended into one another with lots of walking - to and from beaches, on beaches, to and from town, to and from grocery stores, relaxing, swimming, eating...
Interesting fact - we were walking home after dark and saw that many of the street lights at the top of the hill were red! Why would there be red street lights??? Come to find out that they are red so that they don't attract the hatching turtles which are supposed to follow the moon to the sea.
Another interesting fact - there are horses roaming free all over the island - in the streets, on the beaches. Check out a red lighted horse in these pictures.
Interesting fact - we were walking home after dark and saw that many of the street lights at the top of the hill were red! Why would there be red street lights??? Come to find out that they are red so that they don't attract the hatching turtles which are supposed to follow the moon to the sea.
Another interesting fact - there are horses roaming free all over the island - in the streets, on the beaches. Check out a red lighted horse in these pictures.
We rented a car for one day so that we could see the rest of the island. We had lunch in the main town of Isabel Segunda but agreed that Esperanza is much nicer, drove through a land preserve, saw old World War II bunkers, walked out on a long pier that was originally going to connect to the main island, walked up to an old fort overlooking the sea, and marveled at an enormous Ceiba tree with roots as tall as us.
An unfortunate part of the history of this island is that the US Navy used it as a bombing target for 60 years. Starting in November 1941, the navy used the range for military exercises. The operations were repeatedly protested by locals, for concerns related to the environmental damage and related health consequences caused by using the area for ordinance practice. These protests reached national attention in 1999. Military operations ended in 2001, with the Navy completely leaving the area in 2003. Upon the shutdown of the military operations, there was a cleanup process that was continuing into the mid 2010s and the ongoing cleanup costs were some of the most expensive decommissioned sites being cleaned up by the military. However, some portions of landscape are still heavily contaminated with chemicals, depleted uranium and other materials, especially in the former ordinance area. Consequently about half of the island is not accessible to people.
An unfortunate part of the history of this island is that the US Navy used it as a bombing target for 60 years. Starting in November 1941, the navy used the range for military exercises. The operations were repeatedly protested by locals, for concerns related to the environmental damage and related health consequences caused by using the area for ordinance practice. These protests reached national attention in 1999. Military operations ended in 2001, with the Navy completely leaving the area in 2003. Upon the shutdown of the military operations, there was a cleanup process that was continuing into the mid 2010s and the ongoing cleanup costs were some of the most expensive decommissioned sites being cleaned up by the military. However, some portions of landscape are still heavily contaminated with chemicals, depleted uranium and other materials, especially in the former ordinance area. Consequently about half of the island is not accessible to people.
One of the best experiences was the tour of the Bio-Bay.
Tour Details: We paid our fee and boarded the small old school bus a couple of hours after sundown. The bus had constellations and stars painted on the ceiling, and it proceeded down to a rutted, potholed dirt road, the bus rocking and bouncing as it crawled along. Arriving at Bio Bay each of the 18 adventurers were given a paddle and life vest, listened to safety instructions, and then two by two, removed our shoes and got into our tandem kayaks. Our leader had a soft orange light on the back of his kayak and like little ducklings we followed him out into the dark bay.
With amazement and wonder we watched as each time we dipped our paddles into the water, there was a swirl of brilliant blue light. “Look at the bottom of the kayak” I called to Billy, as it was though there were a stream of lights shining up through the kayak as we moved through the water.
Across the bay we gathered our kayaks around our guide as he taught us about bioluminescence. Bioluminescent bays or "bio bays" are bodies of water where microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates grow in quantities large enough to produce a "glow-in-the-dark" effect called bioluminescence. Dinoflagellates are small, single-celled organisms that are half animal half plant, and it is believed by scientists that their glow is a defense against predators. When you paddle or splash the water, these organisms shine in a neon blue-green color, making the water look as if it was lit by billions of glowing stars.
The configuration of this bay which has a narrow mouth to the Caribbean makes for a large concentration of the dinoflagellates. The quantity of microorganisms inexplicably doubled after Hurricane María in 2017 – ranging from an average of 1,000,000 to 2,100,000 per gallon of water. The lack of light pollution surrounding the Natural Reserve of Mosquito Bay and the mangrove swamps that feed the plankton make this natural spectacle a true wonder. The bay is protected so that you can only go out on the water with a licensed guide, no swimming is allowed, the bay is only open certain hours, and is totally closed at least 3 nights a month.
Now a quick note about the name of the bay - Mosquito Bay. No, it doesn’t mean it’s infested with mosquitoes. Mosquito Bay was named after Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresi’s ship, El Mosquito since it was a small, fast ship. Because of the glowing water, many of the pirate’s enemies considered the area to be “black magic” due to the bioluminescence. In Mosquito Bay, they left Cofresi and his crew to themselves.
“Dip your hands in the water” suggested our guide and we were mesmerized by the swirls and sparkles that emanated from our hands and from the water. What fun! All too soon we paddled back across the bay still marveling at the wondrous spectacle. When returning to the starting point the clouds broke apart enough for the guide to shine his powerful laser up to the sky to point out various constellations.
We sadly relinquished our paddles, however with smiles and exclamations of remembered excitement, boarded the bus for the bumpy ride back to town. If you get a chance - go! You won’t regret it.
Tour Details: We paid our fee and boarded the small old school bus a couple of hours after sundown. The bus had constellations and stars painted on the ceiling, and it proceeded down to a rutted, potholed dirt road, the bus rocking and bouncing as it crawled along. Arriving at Bio Bay each of the 18 adventurers were given a paddle and life vest, listened to safety instructions, and then two by two, removed our shoes and got into our tandem kayaks. Our leader had a soft orange light on the back of his kayak and like little ducklings we followed him out into the dark bay.
With amazement and wonder we watched as each time we dipped our paddles into the water, there was a swirl of brilliant blue light. “Look at the bottom of the kayak” I called to Billy, as it was though there were a stream of lights shining up through the kayak as we moved through the water.
Across the bay we gathered our kayaks around our guide as he taught us about bioluminescence. Bioluminescent bays or "bio bays" are bodies of water where microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates grow in quantities large enough to produce a "glow-in-the-dark" effect called bioluminescence. Dinoflagellates are small, single-celled organisms that are half animal half plant, and it is believed by scientists that their glow is a defense against predators. When you paddle or splash the water, these organisms shine in a neon blue-green color, making the water look as if it was lit by billions of glowing stars.
The configuration of this bay which has a narrow mouth to the Caribbean makes for a large concentration of the dinoflagellates. The quantity of microorganisms inexplicably doubled after Hurricane María in 2017 – ranging from an average of 1,000,000 to 2,100,000 per gallon of water. The lack of light pollution surrounding the Natural Reserve of Mosquito Bay and the mangrove swamps that feed the plankton make this natural spectacle a true wonder. The bay is protected so that you can only go out on the water with a licensed guide, no swimming is allowed, the bay is only open certain hours, and is totally closed at least 3 nights a month.
Now a quick note about the name of the bay - Mosquito Bay. No, it doesn’t mean it’s infested with mosquitoes. Mosquito Bay was named after Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresi’s ship, El Mosquito since it was a small, fast ship. Because of the glowing water, many of the pirate’s enemies considered the area to be “black magic” due to the bioluminescence. In Mosquito Bay, they left Cofresi and his crew to themselves.
“Dip your hands in the water” suggested our guide and we were mesmerized by the swirls and sparkles that emanated from our hands and from the water. What fun! All too soon we paddled back across the bay still marveling at the wondrous spectacle. When returning to the starting point the clouds broke apart enough for the guide to shine his powerful laser up to the sky to point out various constellations.
We sadly relinquished our paddles, however with smiles and exclamations of remembered excitement, boarded the bus for the bumpy ride back to town. If you get a chance - go! You won’t regret it.
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And another "all too soon" and it was time to reverse our journey - taxi to the Ceiba ferry terminal, pick-up by Juan for a taxi ride back to San Juan and Airbnb at Carolina. Then the next full travel day with taxi by Juan to the airport, flight back to JFK, Airtrain to Jamaica, LIRR to Penn Station, Amtrak to Albany, Amtak bus to Bennington, and a walk up the hill to our home.
What a contrast: morning-warm-green-pleasant; evening-dark-cold-barren-tired. Memories:worth every minute!
What a contrast: morning-warm-green-pleasant; evening-dark-cold-barren-tired. Memories:worth every minute!
If you want a low-key, uncrowded Caribbean vacation, this should be at the top of your list!