May 11, 2010
Michael and I rode our bicycles to the Northern coast of Vieques and to the town of Isabel ll. The Island is beautiful and we took a loop route that would take us through the verdant hills of the island and by a farmers market that we read about. We got a good workout on the 4 mile ride across the island. We arrived at the farmers market which consisted of two venders, a produce vender and someone selling baked goods. The produce was exceptional and we commented so. The young couple that was running it, said they had seen that no one was providing decent produce on the Island and so they purchased a refrigerated truck and bring it from PR on the ferry. We loaded my bike basket and rode on to Isabel ll. We rode to the tourism office to clarify whether or not boats were allowed in the phosphorescent bays before we visit them tomorrow. We had heard both yes and no when asking in Esperanza. People were correct on both counts as there are 2 bays one that allows boats with gas powered engines and one that doesn’t. We rode down to the bay where the ferry departs from and up the hill to the lighthouse. On our way back we stopped at the gallery of a local artist Siddhia Hutchinson. Her gallery, with an open air apartment and a studio above, looked out over the bay and her paintings were a variety of landscapes and flora and fauna of the area. We got to talking with her about real estate in both PR and on Vieques as she and her husband have property in both places and we always like to stop and peruse the local listings in the windows of the Real Estate brokers offices. We both like Vieques. We rode back across the island and saw quite a few of the local paso fino ponies loose along the roadsides. We stopped at the park next to Sun Bay where a number of them were happily keeping the grass trimmed. They would let us come up to them but would only tolerate being petted or scratched for a few moments before intimidating us by laying their ears back and turning their hind quarters toward us. We rode back into Esperanza and enjoyed an early dinner. The bikes have proven themselves a great way to experience more of the local flavor of the islands.
Living the Dream 