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Vieques- January 2010 NEW
Living and Working in Vieques..
So it's a new decade.
It's easy to remember where one was on the stroke of midnight 2000 - one of those moments in time marked in our conscious whether it was fun or not, it was singular.
What has this last decade meant to Vieques? From my point of view, thankfully, not much. The Wyndham came and went, now the W is to open in the Spring. Perhaps it will be successful, bring more tourists, more people to eat and buy things. That would be good because Vieques has had it's own recession - you know the saying, when the States gets a cold, Vieques gets pneumonia. it has been a poor year or two for business here. Restaurants have suffered, some have gone out of business. Hotels and guest houses and even rentals houses have suffered as well and real estate is not exactly lively.
But there is one big difference. When I travel to New York, which I do with some frequency, hard times is all one hears about, even in the salons of the rich. But here, it is brushed off, it's not the focus of life in Vieques. Of course we don't have heating problems here, or other of the urban problems that beset people in the States. More than that, however, I think it is the way of life here that relies on the gifts of natural beauty, the beaches, the fruit trees, the flowers, the horses, the town square (decorated this year beyond belief) - all the little things that make Vieques a secure and unique home to many of us.
We have had great successes - a Bio-luminescent Conference that brought together for the first time all the major people in Bio-luminescence. A new Mayor who is doing her best to bring jobs to Vieques and provide low cost housing. Babies are now born in Vieques, we have a new veggie market two days a week, a full time Sushi restaurant, and the Vieques Pops, an evening of magical music brought to us by Annette Bou and Mireya Padin , , owners of a guest house here, formerly internationally known opera singers.
We've been spared any hurricanes for many years, no plagues, no virus, and mercifully, despite some natural growth, Vieques is much the same as a decade ago.
What the next decade will bring is worrying. Will we be discovered and find large hotels buying up property? Will there be a bridge to the mainland? Will the cargo ferry finally be moved to mosquito pier? I suppose what we worry about is that we will go the way of St John or other island once as pristine and unique as we are now.
For the moment, at the start of this new decade, the winter tourists are here in force, traffic is busy, there seems to be activity all over the island. Parties, art openings, one really does need a reservation at restaurants! Good news all around.
Sheila
The opinions expressed in this newsletter are the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Enchanted-Isle.Com.
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Webmaster's Note * Sheila has many hats and is also a published author Her first book was "Simple Truths". She has asked that I put a short story she has written and I enjoyed it a lot, even though it has nothing to do with Vieques. You can download "Knowing" by right clicking on the link.
She is also Co-owner of Crow's Nest Realty with Eli Belendez of the hotel Crows Nest.
Sheila can be reached for a brochure through her web page at http://www.crowsnestrealty.com