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Guanica Dry Forest: Cacti, Cliffs and Red-Billed Oystercatchers
Who would expect to see so many kinds of cacti on a tropical island? We were intrigued to view the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea from a desert trail in Guánica State Forest, on the southwest end of Puerto Rico.
A United Nations International Biosphere Reserve, the Guánica State Forest, also known as Guánica dry Fores , is one of the most extensive tropical dry coastal forests in the world, totaling around 9,000 acres. It’s a paradise for birdwatchers, and we saw many. Read all about it.
Enjoy Bob’s video of our 3.7-mile hike along the rocky coast and through the desert.
Our day spent hiking and beaching also presented us with captivating flora and fauna! Lisa took a few pictures of her favorites, especially the red-billed oystercatchers. She guessed the name after watching them in action!
Cabo Rojo Lighthouse Hike
A hike in the nature reserve around the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse (Los Morrillos) served us up spectacular vistas, with stomach-dropping white and red cliffs, fascinating rock formations, crystal-clear Caribbean Sea, and even cacti!
We found the loop trail, part of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, on the All Trails app. It took us around the rocky coastline of this peninsula, then past the salt flats, before dumping us out on Playa Sucia, or La Playela, a gorgeous beach.
It’s located on the southeastern point of Cabo Rojo, on the Morrillos Peninsula, in the southwest corner of Puerto Rico. Learn all about this destination at the Discover Puerto Rico website.
Make sure you come between 9 AM and 5 PM, because the park rangers lock the gate!
Check out Bob’s YouTube video!
Mixology Class at Casa Bacardi – Join the Party!
Our tour guide and mixology master Joisa made learning to mix mojitos and piña coladas at the Bacardà rum factory a party! Did you know that piña coladas originated in Puerto Rico? Pour yourself a glass of rum and join us for the class!
Back to Puerto Rico!
After a month in cold Washington, DC, we are back in Puerto Rico, where Covid is relatively low and everyone wears masks, even outside. Where the weather is warm so we can eat out safely. Where the beaches are lovely and the people are so friendly.
Road Trip!
Our first stop is the village of Cabo Rojo, in the southwest corner of PR. The drive from San Juan was 2 hours and 15 minutes. We’re staying in an apartment in the historic center, right next the the AlcaldÃa (City Hall) and two blocks from the Plaza in the center.
A number of beaches can be reached in 15 minutes or less by car, and we plan to explore as many as we can over the next month. We also plan to do a lot of hiking, find some new boutique distilleries, visit new cities, and experience life off the beaten path.
Buye Beach
Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Playa Buye, a small local beach ten minutes away. It was adorable, and remarkably crowded with Puerto Rican families for a weekday. There were a couple of bars, a waterside concession, and a number of cinderblock cabins. It was lovely until the rain came.
Balneario Boquerón
Today we’re visiting Balneario (Public Beach) Boquerón, and it’s perfection. Three miles of pristine sand and turquoise bay. Hardly any people.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Check back to find out!
Castillo San Cristobal: Protecting San Juan
The Spaniards built Castillo San Cristobal in the 1500s to increase the fortification of the strategic island of Puerto Rico. Let’s walk through history together!
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On to the Next Phase
We’re finishing up our Vermont maple liqueur in a symbolic transition as we prepare to depart next week for the next stop on the Messy Suitcase tour, the birthplace of piña coladas: Puerto Rico!
Our September vacation in England (taking our oldest child, Aryk, who is pursuing their master’s at Bath Spa University, to school) was great preparation for re-entry to our traveling lifestyle, post-COVID version. We are double-vaxxed, indoor-masked, and ready to launch our lives again as traveling retirees.
Before we set off, we’re spending a long weekend in Colchester, VT, north of Burlington, with our son, Gavin, who was also with us when we launched the traveling life in 2018.
Migrating birds taking a break on Lake Champlain in Colchester
On Tuesday, Gavin returns to Champlain College after this break, and Bob and I head to Manchester, NH, to park our car at a park/sleep/fly lot and board a plane the next morning for Puerto Rico!
A Few Changes
This time we will be renting a car instead of driving our own. We’ll have just one cat, Kaylee, instead of the three we started with — Equinox passed away in Mexico City last year, and Ellie lives with Gavin at Champlain College. We are heading to Puerto Rico, a US territory, instead of back to Mexico for COVID safety and COVID convenience — less testing hassle.
But life is too short to spend any more time waiting for the pandemic to end. It’s time to live again. We have to learn to navigate COVID while staying safe and enjoying life. We plan to spend a month in Luquillo in an oceanfront condo, and a month in San Juan.
Wish us luck, and subscribe to our blog!
Hasta la vista!
Lisa
Migrating Loons at First Snow
I kayaked Lake Rescue in 29 degrees this morning to see how it looked with its trees, some still fall-tinged, cloaked in soft early snow, and encountered an astonishing 25 loons swimming together back and forth in the south end.
I assume they were a migrating group that came from the Adirondack lakes and were gathering up others on their way migrating to the Atlantic coast. They made no sound, just swam together, occasionally craning their necks or ruffling their wings.
In the end, they took to the air, flying together in three or four glorious circles around the lake, sometimes, right over my head, before heading off to parts unknown.
Goodbye, loons. Safe travels. Thanks for the memories. See you next year!
Addendum: I have since learned that these birds are in fact not loons but white-winged scoters. Still stunning.
