Liv'n Large in Puerto Rico

The Iguana Hunters of Puerto Rico

UPDATE: I do not arrange hunts. Nor do I know where you can buy the meat. Under NO circumstances should you bring your guns to Puerto Rico. They will be confiscated and you may go to jail for having done so. These guys are local. Check the comments below for additional updates. S. Dog

First, I have to thank Alex and Oti for inviting me to tag along on one of their shoots. These guys are awesome!! I only wish my Spanish was as good as their English. This post is not for the squeamish. If this type of activity bothers you, stop now.

Some will ask-

Why do they need to hunt iguana in Puerto Rico?

It’s a fair question.

Basically, the island is over-run by the Green or Common Iguana. They are NOT indigenous and there are NO natural predators to keep them in check (other than humans). On top of that, they ruin millions of dollars in crops every year. Besides, they are supposed to be quite tasty (still working on that one).

Here are a couple of
quotes from Wikipedia about them-

“They are very common throughout Puerto Rico, where they are colloquially known as “Gallina de palo” (as in “Chicken of the Tree”) and considered as an invasive species introduced from South America…” And… “In February 2012, the government of Puerto Rico proposed that the islands’ iguanas, which were said to have a population of 4 million and considered to be a non-native nuisance, be eradicated and sold for meat.” See more on Wikipedia.

So the Government of PR has opened the door to the locals taking them out. Which leads us to today’s activities.

On the grounds of Finca de Palmas in Santa Isabel-

As luck would have it, this 300 acre farm is less than 15 minutes from our house. The guys are all from Aguada so it was most of 2 hours for them to make the run. Aguada is near Rincon on the west coast, but there are [Read more…] about The Iguana Hunters of Puerto Rico

2013 Year End Wrap Up

I’m sure a few of you are wondering what’s happening with me Scurvy Dog’s Blog. Let me explain…

First, the Blog has grown so big, its database has become extremely bloated. So much so that I run the high risk of losing some content to data corruption. All these posts with tons of photos takes its toll on data management. If and when the database becomes corrupted, I will not be able to restore it completely, if at all. Yes, I do database back-ups, but even that is not a perfect solution. Nor does it protect the thousands of images on the site. The ‘back-up files’ exceed my allowed limit for my hosting service account. Taking older posts off-line and archiving the content is one solution, but it would make searches take longer than they do now. Some images would no longer be available. Me Internet savvy First Mate has setup our own private hosting account so as to have more control over website hosting issues. Now, all our assorted sites reside in one convenient place.

That’s a good thing.

Second, I have a degenerative congenital condition of both ankles that until recently, was only ever a minor inconvenience. Back in the day, I used to backpack and cross-country ski so it never got in the way. Fast forward to my late 40’s, I got to where I could not stand on my feet all day to work. Simple solution- stop standing all day. [Read more…] about 2013 Year End Wrap Up

Paradise Tax and the Costs of Living in PR

I’ve mentioned ‘Paradise Tax’ in past posts, but for those Gringos who don’t know what it is- It’s the real costs of living plus the many little and ‘not so little’ hassles everyone puts up with to live in an absolutely wonderful place.

Just to be clear, it IS wonderful living here and I have NO regrets about making Puerto Rico my retirement home. NONE! No place is perfect, but this is pretty close.

That said, I thought a ‘Reality Check’ might be in order since
I sometimes gloss over stuff.

Writing about issues is not what I want to be doing, but here goes-

Internet Issues- Claro/PRT (Puerto Rico Telephone)

First and foremost is our continuing Internet provider issues.

We rely heavily on PRT’s hardline A/DSL service to maintain our many websites (18 at last count), keep 2 computers, a laptop and tablet updated and the rest of the software we use on a regular basis updated. I also ‘like’ to stream the PBS NewsHour in the afternoons since it’s only shown on tape-delay at 11:30 at night here in PR, about my usual bedtime. This is the first thing to go when we start having issues with our ISP service. Dish Network removed PBS from our station line-up two years ago when the local station stopped supporting it. [Read more…] about Paradise Tax and the Costs of Living in PR

Good News, Bad News Update

ALL the news is good!

In my rant of a post on December 4th, I carried on at great length about our poor Internet service out where we live. Well, I have no clue if they saw my post or not, but within a few days we had our first service call to the house, ever! We explained the issues we had been having over the last year and mentioned the busted pole down the road from us. The service Rep did a little testing and inspecting and made a couple of phone calls. A very polite man. Fortunately for me, me First Mate could chat with him in Spanish. After about 20 minutes he left.

The guy said he thought the pole might be part of the problem, but admitted they had to get ‘permission’ from the appropriate office before it could be fixed. Per the bureaucracy, if the busted pole did not affect anyone’s service, it should not be replaced. Never mind the potential issue of public safety this mess might create. The lines hung down to where I could touch them. It sat like that for several months. Infrastructure issues?

Changes in the Wind-

The day of my last post, December 28th, there were no less than 3 crews in 5 PRT/Claro trucks working our little stretch of Highway 150. They even took care of the busted telephone pole. WOO HOO! [Read more…] about Good News, Bad News Update

Year End Wrap Up, 2012

What a year it’s been!

In 2012, I was able to visit 6 more towns I had not seen. Those included Hatillo, Camuy, Quebradillas, Isabella, Toa Baja and Dorado. I revisited San Juan (several times), Ponce, Salinas, Coamo and Cataño. At this point, I’ve photographed about half the plazas of Puerto Rico. I’ll bump that number up for 2013.

We still need to visit the 4 or 5, outer islands of Puerto Rico.

Coffin island and Gilligan’s island are high on my hit list. Mona, Vieques and Culebra require a little more planning, but they will happen.

Then there are a few photo subjects that have eluded me…

The very rare Puerto Rican parrot, the runaway monkeys in the southwest, nesting sea turtles and whales off the northwest corner.

Then there is the most elusive of all… El Chupacabra. I may have to fake that one.

There are still plenty of ruins to shoot.

I don’t think I’ve visited but about 1/4 of those. Caves off the ‘beaten path’ will be investigated. I’ll never be a dedicated spelunker, but there are a few caves I can easily access.

Puerto Rico is a photographer’s dream come true.

Of Special Note- I scored my Puerto Rican Driver’s License AND my Voter ID Card this year. I voted in the last election! Now I’ve truly ‘burned my boat’. This is home. [Read more…] about Year End Wrap Up, 2012