The Scurvy Dog's Puerto Rican Blog

49th Annual Artisan Fair of Barranquitas

The very best of hand made Puerto Rican art and craft

I had a big break in the weather and made it out to Barranquitas on a Sunday. It was a leisurely drive from Coamo, up into the mountains. From San Juan, take Hwy 52 south and get off at Caguas. From Caguas, take Hwy 156 west, all the way to Barranquitas. Highway 156 is your typical PR back road. Its safe to drive, but full of tight turns and blind corners. You may be able to do 45-50 mph in some places, but most of the way will be 30-35 mph. Hey! Take time to enjoy the view. It’s why you came to Puerto Rico, right?

Unfortunately, Barranquitas is not on my map (Note- Map has been fixed, WooHoo). It lays southeast of Orocovis, northwest of Cayey and almost dead center of the island.

Its a relatively small town by PR standards. The central Plaza is very nicely executed. Every plaza has a Catholic church.. this one was painted in bright oranges and yellows. The Plaza features a large, raised wrought iron gazebo with several small statues. There are also 4 fountains located at each corner of the Plaza. It felt very festive, even without all the day’s activities.

Basic History:

Barranquitas was founded in 1803.

Its heritage dates back to the time when Taino Indians retreated to the hills to escape Spanish slavery. The Taino Indians were driven to near extinction in only one generation. Many poor Spanish and European immigrants also “headed for the hills” to escape control of the Spanish landowners or raids from the sea by Carib Indians. [Read more…] about 49th Annual Artisan Fair of Barranquitas

The Dog’s Blog 1st Anniversary & Slide Show!

Its been a year since this blog went public. In that time, I’ve put up 60+ posts, a dozen YouTube videos and several hundreds of images. The first 14 posts were from Alaska. My way of introducing myself. Back then, I had no clue I would be moving to PR. It was just a thought.

So I’m taking the opportunity to pause and reflect.

The Push to Publish…

4 years had elapsed since building my last Web Site.. many things had changed. CSS, Blogs and Social Media have become the “rule of the day”. A conventional HTML Web site was just not gonna cut it. Especially if my goal was to build traffic and maybe, just maybe make money at it down the road. I’m still working on that, but I do have “presence” and that’s step one. Gotta have presence before you can generate income. I’m not in denial about my site. Its a vertical market with limited appeal.

I simply intend to be the best damned travel blog dedicated to Puerto Rico for older English speaking folks like me.

Yes, my vacation to Puerto Rico was as much a fact finding trip as it was for fun, but it turned out to be much more. I did meet my new ‘partner in crime’ the 1st week I was in San Juan and its been great ever since. I feel very fortunate to be where I am. The most stress-free I can ever remember.

Its not perfect, but perfect would be boring. ARRGGGG!!!!!

Transportation Issues..

I have previously reported on my dilemma with buying and maintaining a used car in Puerto Rico. After having had the transmission rebuilt, replacing the exhaust manifold bolts myself, and having the engine overhauled (last week) along with replacing the radiator, I can say my Isuzu runs pretty darn good now. I’m most fortunate to have found a mechanic familiar with the Isuzu Rodeo… Eric drives the very same make, model and year. Out of pocket has cost me a little over $2K to date, for everything. Had this work been done in Alaska, it would have been closer to $5K. A special thanx to Eric for all his hard work!

Because of the issues with the Isuzu, Its been difficult to stay on a schedule with posts not to mention the hit it’s taken on my pocketbook (no new camera for now).

The Dog’s Blog..

It was always my goal to share what ever I discovered…
the good and the bad.

The “Scurvy Dog” persona was/is done strictly for fun. I don’t take it seriously.

There is still plenty to explore and report on. Plus I’ll be revisiting a few places I only skimmed over. Someday I might actually finish the list I made of places to visit in PR while doing my research back in Alaska.

I’ll be spending more time exploring things like auto and 4 track racing, sport and recreation shows, local fairs, other popular outdoor activities and where the locals go on the weekend. I’m still very budget conscience so it will be stuff that can be done on the cheap. It’s worth mentioning, there are lots of major concerts staged here in Puerto Rico. Heineken sponsors an annual JazzFest in San Juan, I hope to eventually catch.

I still have to get out to the other PR islands- Mona, Vieques, Culebra and Desecheo. Then there are the 3 or 4 smaller, lesser known islands like Coffin Island, Gilligan’s Island – so many unexplored places!.

As for the future, there are a few specific ‘topics’ I want to develop. More about all that later. If there is something you would like to see featured here, let me know. I’m always open to ideas.

I want your input!

There is also the IPSO FACTO PHOTO site I’m working on. A place to preview my fine art images and stock photography. It’s out of beta now and has a different look.

Hazards..

In the 6 plus months I’ve been here, I’ve seen exactly one tarantula and one small snake. I have not seen any scorpions yet, but they do exist. I only stumbled onto the tarantula while outside sorting through a pile of boxes for burning. Otherwise, most of these creatures are nocturnal. The snake was spotted separately while watering the garden. Both were gone in a flash so no shots. As mentioned before, lizards are everywhere, but they are harmless.

“I feel like I’m on vacation 24/seven”

I’ve had a lot of folks asking about what its like to “retire” to PR so there will be more about that. Living here is a mixed-blessing, but its worth it. The ‘Paradise Tax’ (issues you have to put up with) is reasonable compared to places like Mexico, Panama or Costa Rica. Puerto Rico IS a territory of the good ol’ USA, they are not. Overall, PR is the cheapest place to live and still live in the US.

As to if or when Puerto Rico will become a state, that’s anyone’s guess. If it does, I expect to see a surge in retirement to PR. Things will change, that’s a given. Once the dust settles in 5 or 6 years (after statehood), it will feel just like any other state in the Union. Less Spanish, more English, simply by default. Not all the locals will be happy with that.

Things change… Its the only constant in the universe.

First Anniversary PR Blog Slide Show

Last, but not least, I have prepared a fat 4 minute YouTube slide show of images taken from the Blog. The music is courtesy of Dan-O Songs. A Great guy and a great selection of Royalty Free, FREE music. Its copyright protected by Creative Commons 3, just like my site. That’s basically share and share alike, but no commercial use please. Free to download and share with friends, though as with any creative resource – donations are most definitely welcome! The slide show was created with FinalCut ExpressV4.0. There are easier solutions I guess.

In Closing..

I’m sure most of you have come to realize this is pretty much a one man show, a labor of love. A friend in Alaska, Connie (aka- ChiChi Consuelo) helped with the first “intro video” and the stills of me dressed as a pirate. I did get some ‘behind the scene’ help with site mechanics and security from my buddy here in PR. She also helps proofread my stories before I post them up. Thanx Nancy (aka- First Mate).

42nd Annual Aibonito Festival of Flowers

The best place to be on
the 4th of July weekend

I had been looking forward to this short trip for several months. Like the San Blas Marathon of Coamo, this event draws folks from all over the island. Like any event of this size, traffic sux! We did real well until we hit Aibonito proper. Then it turned into a slow crawl as we passed through town. Part of the traffic issue was due to a bunch of activity at the local cemetery. The entourage had to be a quarter mile long. Fortunately, it was going in the other direction.

The Flower Festival was easy to find and there were plenty of cops directing traffic. The turn off of Hwy 14 lead directly to the main gate. There were about as many exhibitors and concessionaires along this route as there were on the festival grounds.

Weather for the day was broken clouds with heavy haze. So much so that it seemed pretty muggy out. It was also much warmer than I had expected, but not bad. Nothing a cold Medalla couldn’t fix.. Arrg!!!!

It cost $7 per adult to go through the gate, which seemed a little high at the time. The grounds were laid out like a county fair with dedicated gardens and an area along the back for flower, plant and tree vendors. [Read more…] about 42nd Annual Aibonito Festival of Flowers

San German, Puerto Rico, the Real Deal

History preserved for the 21st Century

San German lies between Ponce and Mayaguez off Hwy 2 via Hwy 122.
Its also in the Southwest part of the island as mentioned in my last post.

San German (pronounced Her-mon) is commonly referred to as the 2nd oldest town in PR. The locals would like to argue the point, but like the original settlement at Caparra which had to be abandoned because of attacks, so was the original town site of San German. Records date the establishment of San German on the Bay of Añasco to 1506. Through A Spanish decree in 1514, the island was divided between Puerto Rico (later renamed San Juan) and San German establishing two separate governing regions.

In September of 1531, Empress Isabel of Portugal allocated substantial funds for the Dominican Priests to build a monastery at this 1st location. This set the stage for a convent and school to follow. After several brutal attacks by the French and Caribe indians, the towns folk had no choice, but to relocate inland to its current hill-side site in 1570. In 1609, the Dominican Priests were back with a more rustic, primitive structure at the new town site. [Read more…] about San German, Puerto Rico, the Real Deal

Cabo Rojo, Bosque de Boqueron & Puerto Real

The Great Diversity that is Southwest Puerto Rico

Here’s a hot tip- Where do Puerto Ricans go on vacation or a weekend trip? Into the mountains to cool off or the gorgeous beaches on the southwest coast of the island. For good reason!

The Southwest region includes Sabana Grande, San German, Hormigueros, Cabo Rojo, Lajas, Yauco and everything in between, all the way out to the coast. As mentioned in my last post about UFOs, its mostly flat to rolling pasture with occasional hills and mostly dry. I saw a lot of cattle ranches out this way. Its always in the mid ’80’s there, but I never felt like it was too hot. After having studied National Weather Service maps of PR for the last year, I can say with certainty that this is the driest, least humid area of Puerto Rico. [Read more…] about Cabo Rojo, Bosque de Boqueron & Puerto Real