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January 2004

Hi everyone,

Greetings from Isla Nena

Hope everyone had a great holiday season! For us we still keep going until Three Kings Day which is January 6th and is as popular here as Christmas is. New Years Eve was festive in the Plaza, I think I danced from about 12:30 until the music ended at 4am! Thanks to my many partners who kept me dancing Salsa and Merengue all night/morning, it was a blast. There were many people that made an appearance at the Plaza, however, it was never really packed. Parking nearby was not a problem like some of the other festivals in town. A few of us rang in the New Year at the home of Ute and Michael Ellison, owners of Café Mamasongas. We had a great view of the local fireworks from the roof of their home and the added bonus of seeing the fireworks from the main island as well. Then most of us headed to the Plaza with side trips to El Sombrero Viejo and the Mar Azul. I think all of our crowd slept late and rested on the 1st!

Restaurants are reporting record numbers for the holiday season. I know I keep mentioning the fact that you should always make reservations at many of the restaurants. I saw and heard of many parties being turned away because they did not have reservations. Chez Shack has been so busy that Monday Grill Night is always by reservation only and I heard that one couple tried making reservations three times before they could finally eat there when Tony was cooking. The same is happening at Blue Macaw, Café Media Luna and La Sirena. Now granted the Holidays are almost always the busiest 10 days on the island but with Martineau Bay adding 156 rooms to the island, they alone have doubled the number of travelers. Most restaurants here are small and more intimate and can only seat a certain number of guests so keep that in mind when you think you can just stop in at one of the popular spots and find yourself being turned away.

We had some rough seas near the end of the month and the ferry actually did not run one day I heard. As you can imagine it was a day that gas trucks were supposed to arrive so once again the island was out of gas. New Years Eve had people waiting in line for gas for up to 2 hours since nobody was sure when the trucks would next arrive. I heard that today (Sat. the 3rd) one of the stations was again out of gas which prompted lines at the other 2 stations. We only have 3 gas stations on the island and the number of cars has possibly double in the past few years so when all the rental cars are out it takes a toll on everyone. Make sure that when you get your rental that you also head straight for the gas station and fill it up. The gas usually arrives on Tuesdays but with Three Kings Day falling on a Tuesday this year we could continue to have problems the beginning of this month. While I was waiting in line I saw many people filling up gas cans as well so that they are prepared for the next time we run out. It usually only happened during the holidays however we expect to be busy here all winter so it could be a reality until spring.

Congratulations to Siddhia Hutchinson whose artwork is the cover story of Bienvenidos Magazine. Bienvenidos is the Official Visitors Guide of the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association. The annual magazine is estimated to reach about 1.8 million people each year so this is very exciting for Vieques. Siddhia and Stanley, her architect husband, have lived pretty much full time in Vieques for the past 8 years. They also spend a lot of time on the main island in the rainforest which has inspired much of Siddhia’s recent artwork. Definitely stop in and visit her Gallery, located near the ferry. Between the prints, paintings and the ceramics, you will have a difficult time leaving without something wonderful.

Speaking of art, there is a wonderful exhibit, “Reflections”, that continues this month at the Fort. All the artwork displayed was done by Viequense woman. Sandra Reyes new work contains a few self portraits, with a dreamlike quality to them, they also include some of the poetry that she has been writing. Her artwork is magical and she is very talented. For Jackie Cruz Torres, this was her first exhibit, and she is another very talented artist. She does lovely land and seascapes, and also adds some ot the Taino Indian style to other paintings. She included a lovely abstract in the exhibit as well. Lucy Garcia does wonderful mosaic work, many of the pieces in this exhibit included the marine life of the Caribbean, wonderful colors and very intricate detail to the mosaics. I was very impressed with all the work that was on display and would recommend a visit to the Fort to see it for yourself. In other art news Beach Doggies opened for the season in December and although I have not made it up there yet I am told they have some wonderful treasures up there. Follow the signs from the ferry dock and you will find some wonderful hand-painted furniture, antiques, gifts and art. It is a wonderful place to browse but keep in mind that they are only open Fri.-Sun. from 9am-1pm. Casa Vieja has their first season opening on January 10th, this is always one of the best attended affairs on the island. Their gallery is amazing with a wonderful courtyard as well. Owners Eve Aspinwall and Alec Moseley are both tremendously talented artists. The gallery also features artwork and photographs by other local artists and some of their friends from New England. The gallery is located outside of Esperanza in the area known as La Hueca, be sure to visit it while you are here, they are open Monday-Saturday from 12-5 or by appointment.

Before I forget, Wanda and Gustavo (Bayaonda Restaurant) are the proud parents of Ursula Isadora Marin Rivera who was born on December 16th! Wanda was working through contractions the night before the baby was born! Talk about a dedicated Chef! I have yet to meet the baby, however, everyone who has met her says she is absolutely gorgeous. Bayaonda will be closed until at least mid January but they do want to open before the end of the month. Be sure to give a call to see if they have reopened while you are here. It is always a delight to eat Wanda’s wonderful cooking. Gustavo said that he thought they would be getting their liquor license soon so you may want to check on that or see if it is still okay to BYOB.

We have a new restaurant scheduled to open about the middle of the month, Uva, located in downtown Isabel Segunda. I met one of the Chefs and got a peak at the menu which looks amazing. They will carry a large selection of wines and maybe even have 30 different ones that you can try by the glass. They also plan to specialize in Martinis, with several varieties offered. This will be a nice addition to dining in town. It will be one of the few air-conditioned and non-smoking restaurants on the island.

Oh and I almost forgot, Chef Michael is planning on opening FoodSpace on Saturday the 24th of January, we are all very excited about this! Yes gourmet groceries will again be available. As I have not had much chance to speak to him, he has been incredibly busy with the renovations, I am not sure what the hours or days will be. There will be some outdoor seating so you can enjoy a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers while looking out over the ocean to the main island. The space looks amazing and I know Michael is anxious to be open again. FoodSpace, located on the North Shore Road in Bravos de Boston will be the place to be on the 24th! Chef Michael looks great, with all the physical labor involved in the renovations, walking to work and unfortunately stress, he has managed to shed a few pounds and looks wonderful. 

Well I think that is about all I have to say for another month. Sorry this was late, you know how the holidays are! Happy New Year!

PS: If there is anything you would like to see in the newsletter or have any feedback please email Ask Judy. Thanks.  askjudy@enchanted-isle.com 

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