The Scurvy Dog's Puerto Rican Blog

Dorado- The Golden City of Puerto Rico

Our exploration of Highway 165 continues..

I’ve covered Catano, Isla de Cabras, Balneario Punta Salinas and Toa Baja to date.

As the story goes, some folks from Toa Baja got tired of losing their homes to alluvial flood plains flooding, so they relocated to nearby higher ground, later naming it Dorado.

In fact, the plaza of Dorado rests on the top of a small steep hill.

About 34,000 folks call Dorado home.

Dorado is easy to find. The main exit for Hwy 693 is off Hwy 165 (after it leaves the coast and makes a long loop to the south). Highway 693 is also called Calle (street) Méndez Vigo.

It will take you straight up the hill to the main plaza, after crossing over the La Plata (Toa) River…

which by the way, is the longest river on the island.

There are good views, up and down the river from here.

Old Town, Dorado Central

The plaza of Dorado is very picturesque. [Read more…] about Dorado- The Golden City of Puerto Rico

OMG- The Gay Pride Parade of San Juan

With short notice, we found out that the Puerto Rican Gay Pride Parade was scheduled for Sunday, June 3rd. Our Photo MeetUp Group thought it was to start at 9AM.

That said, I did some last minute research only to discover there was almost NO information about the upcoming event. Most sites simply re-stated what was already known.. that something would happen on Sunday morning.

There was no official website as far as I could tell. Basically, it’s scheduled for the first Sunday of June each year.

Covering the Gay side of life in Puerto Rico was something I wanted to check out from the beginning so this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

I’ve been to one gay bar in my entire life- Mad Myrna’s in Anchorage on 5th Avenue. I hardly got through the door before someone pinched my butt. Then there was the floor show at Finocchio’s in San Francisco… It was very, very impressive, but it’s been closed since 1999.

That was so long ago… it feels like another lifetime. [Read more…] about OMG- The Gay Pride Parade of San Juan

Hwy165- Balneario Punta Salinas and Toa Baja

Balneario Punta Salinas

A nice little park for relaxing on the weekend or whenever.

Continuing with my exploration of the North shore, we made a quick run into Balneario Punta Salinas. It’s off Highway 165 at Highway 868. There’s a formal entrance that’s hard to miss. Blvd. de Levitown is on the opposite side of Hwy 165. This park is run by the same group that manages Isla de Cabras, Compania de Parques Nacionales. If I lived near by, I could see me coming here on the weekends to kick back and relax. It’s a popular place.

Think of this recreational area as a smaller, more laid back version of the one at Isla de Cabras.

Once you leave Hwy 165, you pass through a forest of very tall wispy pines. These are old growth trees in a somewhat swampy area. Kind of reminds me of the bayous in Louisiana near where I used to live in East Texas. I have seedling starts of these same pine trees.

Moving on through this area to the main parking lot of Bahia de Toa, you could see folks spread out along the bay facing the Atlantic Ocean. Definitely one of the nicer beaches in Puerto Rico. It’s postcard perfect here. [Read more…] about Hwy165- Balneario Punta Salinas and Toa Baja

Gardening Part 2 of 3- What’s in the Works

New Plants in the Ground

After the move to Puerto Rico, the first thing I planted was a Jobo tree (pronounced hobo). It came from a tree, not too far from here. It’s similar to a Mango, but the fruit are much smaller. I started it from a seed and it is now over 9 feet tall with a 3.5 inch thick trunk. They shed their leaves during the Dry Season.. the first time it did that, it spooked me. It looks good now.

Next up were 2 Mandarin trees purchased from a local nursery in early 2010… only one survived though they were identical.

The one that prospered stands about 5 feet tall and is quite healthy now.

I also planted an Icaco tree (Coco plum), 2 Quenepa trees, 2 Papaya plants, 1 Malay (Rose) apple tree. These were started from seeds in 2010 and planted in late Spring of 2011. The Papaya are very fast growers, as is the vining Parcha mentioned on the Gardening in PR page (in the Menu Bar above).

At the end of summer 2011, I planted 7 more Coconut and 4 Date Palms… all from sprouts and doing well.

Plus a little Sugarcane..

The 8 or so Sugarcane coming up, were all taken from cuttings of a single plant in Yabucoa, last year. Though Sugarcane used to cover Puerto Rico in abundance, it’s hard to find anymore. Easy stuff to propagate from cuttings.

I’m using it as a garden border and privacy screen. [Read more…] about Gardening Part 2 of 3- What’s in the Works

1797 British Invasion of San Juan, Revisited

‘San Juan 1797 Puerto Rico 2012’ IS a must see!
People from all over the world come for this 3 day event.

If you can schedule your cruise ship trip around it, you will get to witness something truly unique. Over 60 participants were dressed in period costumes.

Big kids, little kids, everyone loves it!

The re-enactment is performed annually, by the Regimiento Fijo de Puerto Rico… staged on the grounds of El Morro, Fort San Cristobal and the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan. The US National Parks Service provides support for the event as well. I covered that in great detail last year.

The Regiment has a most excellent Website with both Spanish and English content. When they post a new schedule, you can find it there. The local group was host to re-enactors from Poland this year. Yes, Poland! A friend of mine in San Juan is from Poland. He got a chance to chat and visit with his fellow countrymen. Cool.

For re-enactors, San Juan is considered the ‘trip of a lifetime’. [Read more…] about 1797 British Invasion of San Juan, Revisited