The Scurvy Dog's Puerto Rican Blog

How Does Roberto’s Garden Grow..

It’s been a while since I was able to write about me gardening effort so I wanted to do some ‘catch-up’. I’ll be doing an update to the Bamboo Site, very soon as well.

I’ve been at this for about 3 years now and I’ve come to the conclusion that the seeds, trees and flowers I’ve started flourished in spite of my efforts, not because of them. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve had my fair share of failures. Mostly because I was not prepared for the different needs some seeds/plants have.

That, and the fact that I tend to over water. A hard habit to break.

Though Seedman was generous enough to provide me with a new batch of seed, none of those came up either. I now think the black trays in the direct sun may have toasted them. Those seeds called for direct sun so that’s what they got. Probably too much of a good thing. I do not attribute any of my problems with anything Seedman did or did not do.

The good news is, I do have several new prospects on the way.

I scored some very fresh seeds from my pal Sadhu at Govardhan Gardens here in PR. I now have 12 Malay Apple sprouts in their own pots, 8 Pulasan in their own pots and 8 Cherry Mangosteen in their own special pots. [Read more…] about How Does Roberto’s Garden Grow..

Plaza del Mercado of Santurce and a Park

A few weeks back, we went into San Juan to check out the Coffee and Chocolate Expo. This was not an all day affair so we planned to check out a couple more places in Santurce and stop by the Asian grocery store on
Ashford Avenue.

The goal was to visit a small park along the way and then go on over to the Plaza del Mercado in the heart of Santurce.

After the Expo, we got back on Highway 1 going towards Old San Juan, then took the loop to the left that brings you around to Ashford Avenue (heading east over a short causeway). We covered this area extensively in the post about San Juan’s Gay Pride Parade. The Asian grocery store is located here. They were out of fresh Lychee… no big deal. After that stop, we headed on down Ashford which eventually splits and becomes Magdalena Avenue. At this point, Ashford Ave. becomes one way heading the other direction. About 3 blocks down Magdalena is Plaza Antonia Quinones.

Plaza Antonia Quinones

A small, quaint park with lots of charm.

As can be seen in the shots, there is a formal stage used for local events. There are also a couple of statues, a small area for children to play, lots of old shade trees and plenty of benches.

There was almost no one here, but literally no parking either.

The park is situated in an area with lots of apartment complexes so I’m not that surprised about parking. I parked in a bus lane long enough to get some shots and me First Mate stayed with the car in case she had to move it. [Read more…] about Plaza del Mercado of Santurce and a Park

Quebradillas, The Pirate’s Hideout.. Arrg!

On to Quebradillas from Isabela..

This is part 2 of a 4 part series regarding the towns of the northwest coast of PR. Our first stop was Isabela. We left off by covering the old train tunnel where Rio Guajataca empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Though the tunnel and beach are on the Isabela side of the river, it’s actually much closer to Quebradillas.

On the Quebradillas side of the Guajataca River is a beautiful Parador with gorgeous views of the Atlantic Coast. We did not stop to check it out.

A word or two About Puerto Rico’s Paradores

Paradores are as close to Motels as ‘mainlanders’ will ever get, here on the island. There ARE a few motels, but they are used by the locals for ‘quickie getaways’. Paradores are more like country Inns with a tropical twist and can vary in size from quaint to massive. Many of them have pools, bars and restaurants.

They are privately owned, but must meet a certain set of requirements to receive Parador certification by the Government of Puerto Rico.

If you visit the See Puerto Rico Website’s Accommodations page, you may click on the Paradores category to see where some are located. All are outside of San Juan with most located on the west end of the island. [Read more…] about Quebradillas, The Pirate’s Hideout.. Arrg!

Isabela, Garden of the Northwest

In our continuing effort to eventually visit all of the towns of Puerto Rico, we took a run to the northwest part of the island.

It is about as far from where we live in Coamo as you can get.

In one marathon photo shoot, we covered the highlights of Isabela, Quebradillas, Camuy and Hatillo. Each town will be featured in a separate post, starting with Isabela. The weather for the day was perfect.. sunny with broken clouds.

My feet were killing me by the time we finished!

Since we were coming from the south side of PR, we took Tollway 52 to Ponce, then Highway 2 past Mayaguez on the west shore, continuing on past Aguadilla.

The ‘retired’ Ramey Air Force Base at the very far northwest corner of PR now provides commercial passenger service as the Rafael Hernández Airport. Though most people don’t know it, Puerto Rico has 3 commercial airports. The one in San Juan is the busiest and most popular, followed by the airport in Ponce. [Read more…] about Isabela, Garden of the Northwest

Coffee & Chocolate Expo- Sept 22 – 23, 2012

As last year, the ‘Expo’ was held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in
Isla Grande.

To get there, you literally take Highway 1, Expreso Luis Muñoz Rivera like you are going into Old San Juan, but right after you cross the bridge next to the lagoon on your right, you take a hard left and loop back across another bridge (with the small boat harbor on your right) to get to the Convention Center. Stay to the right to get to the paid parking. It’s hiding behind the Sheraton Hotel.

This is the most popular route to take.. it’s way too convoluted for me.

Since this was our 3rd or 4th trip to the area, I made all the correct turns without error… That was not true, the first time I tried it.

The Convention Center is one of the most beautiful structures in Puerto Rico. The fountains, the pools and manicured grounds are worth checking out. [Read more…] about Coffee & Chocolate Expo- Sept 22 – 23, 2012