Video Part 2– 50th San Blas Marathon Runners
This final video is an edit of about 2 hours of runners down to 40 minutes. That 40 minutes was compressed to fit in about 14 minutes so the runners really scramble by.
At 14 mins 17 secs it is still the longest one I’ve produced to date.
I used some of the same ‘free’ music as in Part 1 to save editing time. My first attempt at uploading (12.5 hours) a 2.16 GB file ended with it ‘hanging’ at 86% complete. This required starting over so I resampled it to just under 1 GB and it uploaded just fine. Because of how long they take to upload, I do these at night… Continue reading
Video Part 1– Parade of 50th San Blas Marathon
Once I started editing the video, I realized I had too much stuff.
So I split it into two. This first one is about the traffic and activity near the 15th Kilometer mark on Highway 150, prior to the Marathon run. 8 minutes, 29 seconds run time. It has an upbeat music score too! Shot using me trusty VadoHD from a good tripod. The runners will get their own video in a few more days… then I’ll finally be done with it all. WHEW!!
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50th San Blas Half Marathon of Coamo
The party of the decade! Or… Why stay in San Juan when you can be here, the center of the Universe?
This was my 3rd San Blas Marathon.
The 1st post in 2010 featured a lot of photos and a video of the runners going by from a fixed vantage point. the 2nd post in 2011 featured tons more shots, a map of the route and a video of the route shot from the roof of my SUV. It turned out to be very popular on Youtube.
It gives you a real sense of how big the ‘all day’ party is.
This year’s 50th Anniversary post will feature tons more photos and video of each… Continue reading
Coamo’s Patron Saints Festival 2012
I took the opportunity this year to check out the local ‘Fiestas Patronales 2012′ on Saturday. It was staged this year on the plaza of Coamo. It’s a prelude to the San Blas Half Marathon, this coming weekend. In fact, this will be the 50th anniversary of the Marathon. I expect it to be a major ‘blow-out’.
Coamo has been getting ready for the 50th Annual Marathon since last year’s marathon ended. They have even painted new 50th Anniversary kilometer markers in the road.
As I’ve harped on before about Puerto Rico’s obsession with Christmas, the partying in Coamo will not stop until after the Marathon concludes next Sunday. In fact, Coamo has… Continue reading
Christmas in Puerto Rico and Fireworks too
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I’m not exaggerating when I say the Season starts the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) and does not end until the day after Three Kings Day on January 6th. I have a small post I did about Black Friday too.. it’s as crazy here as it is on the mainland. Here’s a link to it.
The reason for the long celebration stems from the fact that as a predominantly Spanish speaking Catholic state, the main event was/is Three Kings Day. It has been celebrated in Puerto Rico since the beginning of Spanish rule. Children would leave food for camels (dried grass) in a box, under their beds at night and then wake… Continue reading
Arroyo’s Tren del Sur– Train of the South
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A Puerto Rican attraction in need of resurrection..
Most printed travel guides speak of the ‘Tren del Sur’ in Arroyo as if it were only temporarily closed. It operated 4 miles of track from 1984 to 2005 when it was shut down for ‘maintenance’ and never reopened. Today, it appears to be all but abandoned… weeds and tall grass are starting to overtake it.
That’s truly a shame.
It’s typical of the kind of changes that have taken place, island wide.
Sugarcane has not been a cash crop here for decades. Yes, you can still see it in small plots, but that’s it. More of a novelty, really.
Puerto Rican Rum is made from imported sugar and molasses…
Not… Continue reading
153rd Ponce Carnaval 2011– Part 2
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The ‘Burying of the
Sardine’, March 8th, 2011 and the conclusion of ‘Carnaval Week’ in Puerto Rico.
As reported in my last post– Carnaval in Ponce, this is a fantastic time to be in Latin America. Great music, great food, outrageous costumes and tons of fun. An event the entire family will enjoy.
Though there are things happening the entire week before Ash Wednesday, the weekend before is always the most active.
Activities during the week don’t get started until after dinner. There was a much more relaxed, local feel to Tuesday night’s celebration.
According to US Census, Ponce’s population is just under 180,000
(as of 2009). So the scale of activity is nothing like being in a … Continue reading
153rd Ponce Carnaval 2011– Part 1 of 2
‘Carnival Week’ (Carnaval/Spanish) is always the week before Ash Wednesday. A tradition that dates back to Colonial Spain and it’s celebrated throughout Mexico, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.
A fantastic time to take a vacation!
Everyone has heard of the Rio de Janiero Carnival in Brazil or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are the most famous, but there are thousands of ‘Carnavals’ going on during this time of year.
In Puerto Rico, Ponce is most famous for theirs. It’s the longest running Carnaval on the island.
Carnaval events in Ponce started on the 2nd of March
A masked ball was staged in the Plaza on Wednesday. Thursday featured a local tradition– ‘Rey… Continue reading
Ghost Town of Aguirre Central Revisited
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Another installment of PR’s Sugar Industry of years past.
The San Juan Photo and Social Club decided to take a ‘guerrilla’ run at the old sugar mill in Aguirre. I could not pass that up! We met the guys from San Juan at the Aguirre Post Office, on Sunday morning. It was a bright and sunny day. 
The weather forecast was for a 35% chance of rain.. other than a light shower on our way there, it never rained while we were shooting. This would be my 2nd visit to Aguirre.
We are in the middle of the dry winter season now so dead grass and dying brush was everywhere. In Coamo, they are busy… Continue reading
The Scurvy Dog’s Skull Rating System
San Juan, Puerto Rico Weather
Beautiful, Colorful Checks of Puerto Rico
PR Tours and Day Trips..
Ponce the Pearl City from San Juan
Price: $ 98.99
Ponce is a unique historical city with many museums and attractions; if you can’t spend a few days to see it all, you must take this tour. See Tibes Indian Ceremonial Park and Seralles Castle, with the city’s stately plazas and mansions, the famous red and black firehouse.
Zipline Canopy Eco-Adventure Tour from San Juan
A Memorable and Exhiliarating Experience!
Rio Camuy Cave Park and Arecibo Observatory from San Juan
Price: $ 101.65
From the depths of these dramatic caves to the stars above in one day!
Deep Sea Fishing Private Boat Charter in San Juan
Full Day or Half, sport fishing for dorado, wahoo, sailfish, tuna and blue marlin…
Rum Distillery and Old San Juan Half-Day Tour
Price: $ 54.99
Amazon.com PR Hot Picks
Order the Good Stuff Here
A Great Way to Make Coffee
Puerto Rican Flags and Banners
Fly Your Flag With Pride
Info to Help With Planning Your Trip
The Little Things You Need
B&H Photo/Video of NYC!
Scuttlebutt.. On the Dog’s Blog