Last night I couldn’t blog because our internet signal has been down since sometime Friday night, so instead I’m typing this on a laptop and Bill will upload it from his office (which, as you’ll recall, is 50 steps away).
Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Silver Beach (Plata) for the first time. It is also part of the Wildlife Refuge, like Blue Beach, but a mile or so further. I donned my swim cap and goggles and went out for a half hour swim, going back and forth across the bay. As I swam in the warm water, reminiscing about my Ironman Cozumel swim (it was the exact same temperature) and thinking how Cozumel is probably much better for diving and snorkeling, I was also thinking about what to include in my next blog. I decided that since everyone back home was being slammed by 18 feet of snow, it would be cruel to once again talk about how beautiful this place is and how happy we are. I’m sure that gets really tedious after a while and I’d hate to breed resentment in my friends and family. So instead, I decided, today’s blog will be about the negatives. After all, everything good also has a downside, n’est-ce pas? So here’s what I came up with…
On our way through the reserve, bumping along the dirt road that had previously been traveled by Navy vehicles, we passed a couple of Americans in their 50s, who had pulled their SUV over and were picking up what appeared to be articles of clothing in the bushes. They told us that they’d been robbed. We’d known about the unfortunate fact that you need to keep all valuables on you when you’re at the beach. My friend Angela, whom we met here last year, had told me that she buries her valuables in the sand and that’s what I’ve been doing. I stick my cell phone in a Ziploc, and I have a waterproof container for my money, license and car keys, and I dig a hole in the sand, stick it all in there, cover it, and cover it again with the cooler or towel. This poor couple, while they were in the water or walking or something, had been caught unawares and what most likely happened was a few local kids came up on horseback, grabbed their bag, took the valuables and then dumped the rest along the road as they galloped away.
Like the rest of the Caribbean, Vieques was subjected to colonization. Christopher Columbus discovered Vieques in 1493 during his 2nd trip to the New World. The Spaniards added it to their Empire and pretty much ignored it since it had no riches in their opinion. In fact, they referred to Vieques and Culebra (the little Puerto Rican island just to our north) as Las Islas Inútiles (the Useless Islands). Long story short, Vieques avoided colonization until suddenly it was discovered as a great place for sugar plantations. Thus began its big boom, with English, Danish, Spanish, French influences (i.e. squabbles) and plenty of slave labor was brought in. Though sugar wasn’t the only source of income for the island, it remained its most important industry. So when it petered out and then all but ended in 1939, there was really nothing to take its place – so began the main source of income which remains to this day: food stamps. Unfortunately, with this amount of poverty and let’s face it, sense of entitlement, comes the temptation to prey upon the unfortunate tourist.
I was mulling all of this over during my swim, when I spotted a stingray beneath me. My first reaction was to think of how Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter met his untimely death with his stingray encounter, but that thought quickly went away and I couldn’t wait to tell the kids what I’d seen. At the end of my workout, Bill and the kids were still playing in the waves so I went and grabbed Juana and took her for a quick run up and down the beach. We ran up to the photo shoot that was underway. A couple of models were in the water up to their knees, with about 6 people fussing with the styling, the reflector, and various other things. The production manager came up to me and we started chatting. They were shooting the summer catalog for Sahalie (women’s clothing) and she wondered if they could borrow Juana for the shoot? “Sure,” I said, “as long as it’s ok that she’s not a member of SAG.” (Screen Actors Guild). I told them I get their catalog, so what a hoot to get the summer one and see the picture of Juana with the 2 models! (I didn’t tell them that their clothing isn’t my taste so I always move the catalog straight to the recycling pile, and that I was disappointed it wasn’t an Athleta shoot). Anyway, at that point Jackie came over and I gave her the camera (the little waterproof point-and-shoot I always take to the beach) and then I went to hang with the photographer. Juana was a little bewildered by the whole thing. The idea was to have the models walk toward the photographer, holding Juana’s leash. But Juana didn’t want to leave my side. So the photographer and I walked together (backwards) and the models and Juana walked toward us, and that’s how he got his shots. Jackie documented the whole thing with my camera. Afterwards we chatted with the crew for a while. They’d used Vieques in October for another shoot and loved it so much they decided to return. It’s easy for them – a pristine Caribbean location, without the hassles of going abroad. Today (Sunday) they are shooting at the inn where they’re staying, a rustic place in the jungle. They gave me and Jackie each a Sahalie hat, and then when the guy with the reflector was standing next to me, giving me some nice shade, and I joked about how great it was to have an entourage, they took a picture of me (included here). We hope that the experience doesn’t go to Juana’s humble head, but we love the thought of our little orphan dog being discovered on a beach and making it into the pages of a famous catalog.
After awhile we decided the kids had had enough sand and we got them to finally agree to leave the surf and sand behind by enticing them with the promise of empanadillas and ice cream. (Empanadillas are also known as empanadas, pastelillos, or turnovers, depending on where you hail from). We drove the 10 minutes to Esperanza and easily found the famous empanadilla stand. One day in the Admirals Club at the airport (the lounge for the very fortunate people who land First Class on American Airlines), the bartender told Bill that her father lives in Esperanza and that there is this woman who lives in a pink house and sets up a stand out front with the best ever empanadillas. So we found it and had amazing empanadillas: chicken, meat, mixed seafood (chapín & conch). We forgot about the ice cream until the kids reminded us on the way home, so I just gave them one out of the freezer at home.
Bill then took us for a tour of his labor of love, the W. We walked down the hill from the house and he took us into a few rooms, suites and regular rooms. WOW. It is truly beautiful! I’m so proud of what he’s been doing!!! He’s the Project Manager so he’s basically in charge of the whole thing, a huge undertaking. I’m pretty sure this project has been responsible for several of his gray hairs, but seeing the fruits of his labor so far it seems worth all of the frustration. The colors, textures, all the thought that has gone into every detail… it’s easy to imagine honeymooners and very fortunate people coming here and soaking in the spectacular views, the serenity of the place (leave the kids home!). The spa is well on its way and I could already imagine myself relaxing in one of the pedicure stations (which are very private, a wall between you and the next customer) or under the spray of the Vichy shower. The gym has 4 treadmills, several elliptical thingies, several weight machines. The Sunset Bar, the fire pit, the outdoor dining area; the awesome infinity pool, the smaller pool in the 2nd phase (which is next to our house), the incredible kitchen (which includes a $20,000 ice cream machine!)… Except for the rooms in phase 2, the hotel will be completed in a month (gulp). Of course, the tour ended with our kids jumping into the smaller of the 2 pools. It’s black, and has jets from the walls. Because of the black tile, which soaks in the heat of the sun, the water is kind of soupy so the kids assumed it’s a hot tub, especially since it’s round.
Once we were all spiffed up, we walked down the road to Tito Cacho’s house. Tito built the Martineau Bay hotel, which was where the W is now. He lives between here and San Juan. His house here is stunning. Right on the beach, beautiful architecture and design. He had the W crew over last night so we dragged the kids with us. Willo ended up falling asleep on the couch and Jackie danced with Bill (they were the only kids there). I met all the people Bill has been talking about – the Front Desk Manager, the Food & Beverage Director, etc. We left around 11pm and Tito gave us a ride home on his golf cart (there’s no golf on the island).
OK, gotta go now. We’re going to do a scavenger hunt round the island and stay out of the sun as much as possible. Hasta pronto!
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