The Scurvy Dog's Puerto Rican Blog

El Capitolio de Puerto Rico, Palace of Laws

I’ve wanted to visit the Capitol building since my first trip to PR in 2009. We have driven L. Muñoz Rivera Avenue, past the Capitol many times… if you take the trolley from the docks to El Morro, you can’t miss it. It is a very grand and beautiful structure.

Last week, I was contacted by the Tourism Promoter for the Office of Legislative Services, Ms. Keisha Sosa. She asked if I would be interested in a tour of the Capitol Building so we jumped at the chance.

The one hour tour was free!

We made plans for an afternoon tour so we could do lunch in Old San Juan, first. I hate going into San Juan for business or shopping without hitting ‘Old Town’. More about that and running into the Governor at the end of the post.

The Tour-

We are still in the ‘Low Season’ so we had the Capitol building almost entirely to ourselves. They often host bus loads of schoolchildren and cruise ship tourists so this was much more relaxed. Tours are available in both Spanish and English. Our tour guide, Mr. Jerry Pablos spoke perfect English. Not only that, but he was extremely knowledgeable. He fielded our questions without hesitation. He could recite dates, names and places like he had been there. [Read more…] about El Capitolio de Puerto Rico, Palace of Laws

A Leisurely Ramble Through Old San Juan

Hindsight is always ’50/50′

A while back, I went into Old San Juan to do a little black and white photography on film. I spent the morning with a friend, Fanny, from the SJ Photo MeetUp group.

I got exactly one roll out of my 35mm Olympus OM 4 before it died. It employs an electronic shutter so no batteries, no go.

I should have brought an OM-1 as backup since it works, with or with out batteries.
Next time.

With no spare batteries for the OM-4, I switched back to shooting digital.

Fanny was shooting with a plastic Holga 120 rollfilm camera that does not use a built-in light-meter. You simply aim and shoot. The photo-lab does the rest.
I love these things and was slightly envious of hers.

They put the ‘fun’ back into photography. Lomography actually makes a large variety of interesting, but cheap film cameras. They also come in a bunch of fun colors.

There’s a huge photo community devoted to these somewhat off color, retro looking analogue images. I like it.

I still have the roll of black and white Plus-X from the day.

At some point I’ll send it in for processing. That said, here are four ‘toned’ digital images from our shoot. Click any image to see them larger. [Read more…] about A Leisurely Ramble Through Old San Juan

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

The Beautiful Plaza of Mayagüez, PR, Interrupted

I have been to Mayagüez several times, but never to the Plaza.

Mayagüez Attractions– The Mayagüez Zoo is the only zoo of its type on the entire island. Worth a stop if you have the time. Then there is the USDA Tropical Agriculture Research Station next to the University of PR.

Alcaldia on the Plaza of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

A facility with a marvelous garden, free to the public. I’ve covered both of these before. They are not the only things of interest in Mayagüez, but they are probably the most popular.

The busy Port of Mayagüez supports a commercial ferry run to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Something I really want to try. It’s a very popular trip for Puerto Ricans on vacation. You could fly there, but I like riding the ferry. Something I did in Alaska. The Dom. Rep. is a lot closer to PR than most folks realize. Someday…

Water Fountain and Statue of Christopher Columbus on the Plaza Colón of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

Mayagüez is on the far west end of the island, about as far from San Juan as you can get. After Ponce, it is a very popular destination for visitors looking to get away from the crowded conditions of San Juan. Much more laid back with a real Puerto Rican vibe. During the Dry Season, it’s also a lot more lush than the south side of the island.

As of the 2010 Census, greater Mayagüez, ” City of the Mangos”, has [Read more…] about The Beautiful Plaza of Mayagüez, PR, Interrupted

Cacao to Chocolate and a Little Coffee too

Like Coffee, growing Cacao is very popular here in Puerto Rico. Basically, if one can grow coffee, then one can grow Cacao. It needs the shade of overgrowth and protection from strong wind that large trees can provide.
This makes Cacao perfect for planting among taller things.

So when a Cacao seminar in English was scheduled for Hacienda Buena Vista, we had to go!

Hacienda Buena Vista Revisited

I did a pretty detailed story about Hacienda Buena Vista awhile back. I also did a short YouTube video shot ‘from the road’ showing how to get there. Simply, once you get on Highway123, you cannot miss the place. It will be on the left. Parking is still an issue. Get there early to get in line or you might find yourself parking in the road. I would normally penalize a place for this issue, but parking is almost always an issue, no matter where you go in PR.

Hacienda Buena Vista is up above Ponce and dates back to the days of slavery. When slavery ended a few decades later, it became uneconomical to maintain. They grew coffee for export and made corn meal for the local market which they ground themselves. The corn was imported and hauled from the port in Ponce in sacks of whole kernel corn. The restoration of the facility by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (Fideicomiso de Conservación) is quite remarkable as it is fully functional. They fire up the water wheel driven mill for every tour. It’s quite impressive. For those [Read more…] about Cacao to Chocolate and a Little Coffee too