April 2004

Greetings from Isla Nena

Season is still not ending although it looked, perhaps, like it might be slowing down just a bit this last week of March. But hearing from the car rentals and guest houses, it looks like they have plenty of reservations still for April to keep things hopping here.

March had some fun events going on. Perhaps one of the best was the Art and Craft Auction to benefit the Vieques Humane Society. It was well attended and raised more money than previous years. There were lots of great pieces and some new artists that donated for the first time. Some items were bargains and others went for much more than the estimated value of the piece. Several of the area restaurants donated appetizers and Barry and Diane of Posada Vista Mar donated the bar. It was definitely a fun night with some interesting “bidding wars” between people that were serious about what they wanted!

There was also a Relay for Life raising money for American Cancer Society. Unfortunately not many teams participated but those that did had a great time and raised about $32.000. I was there for the final lap and had not realized that the night before there was music and activities until 4am. I understand that there was a dance contest between the different teams and also a pajama party contest. Everyone was still in good spirits after being awake for well over 24 hours.

The Municipality sponsored another music night in Esperanza which was fun. I know that for the first one many of the businesses in Esperanza donated towards the activity, I am not sure if the same happened for this one. The music was great and there was a poetry reading as well. The weather once again threatened rain but it held off. I know that the current administration would like to do these Cantata Bohemia Nights almost once a month. It does bring lots of people together, many of our local Puerto Rican business people, the Ex-Pats that live and work here, and tourists as well. I just wish they would mix in a bit more Salsa and Merengue and get more people up and dancing!

Doug and Mary Kay McHoul hosted a party/fundraiser for the Mayor at Casa La Lanchita. The party was wonderful with tons of food including 3 roasted pigs! The mayor spoke to the crowd about his plans for the future of Vieques. There are other candidates running, however, I have not met them yet and have not been informed of any fundraising activities or appearances where they will discuss their plans for the island. The mayor did offer up some good news and that is he is getting an office open this summer that will deal with getting titles available for properties in Bravos de Boston, Santa Maria and Pueblo Nuevo. Titles in those areas will be good news for home owners and will also provide some income to the municipality when property taxes go into effect. He would not guess as to what titles to the land will cost but he hopes to have the offices open maybe in July.

A few months ago I wrote about a new restaurant, Uvas, that had opened in Isabel II. Well…..not sure exactly why, there is lots of speculation, they are closed for the time being. The owners did, however, buy Tropico Restauant located near Martineau Bay. They are serving much of the same menu that was available at Uvas, at least for now. They are planning to be open for lunch soon and will also offer a late night bar menu. The new name is M Bar, and I believe that down the road they will turn it into more of a night club but not 100% sure of that, you know how rumors go! The group of investors are not giving up on Uvas, it will reopen when they finish the renovations on the other 2 spaces in the building. There will be a second restaurant/kitchen and a big courtyard in the back. The place is looking pretty amazing these days, I just look forward to another restaurant within walking distance!

Coming this month is a special Paso Fino Horse Exhibition on Sunday, April 4rd. Yours truly has been approached as helping with the commentary on the event. I guess the near 20 years I spent riding and training horses will come in handy in Vieques! One of the gentlemen involved is not comfortable speaking English to the crowd so they have sent me some information so that I can better describe what is going on. I spent years riding hunters and dressage horses so this Paso Fino stuff is pretty foreign to me. I have gone to a few shows and understand more than I did so I should be able to get through this with some help from the pros. It should be fun and all the money raised will be split between the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust and the Vieques Paso Fino Club. If you are here it should be a lot of fun.

Eve and Alec have their last gallery show of the season on Saturday, April 3rd. This is a Portrait/Self Portrait show featuring works by regular gallery artists. Since I love attending their openings, I am sure that I will be there! Lots of people attend and the works on exhibit are always wonderful. Eve and Alec will begin to scale back hours later in the month or early next month.

On the weekend of the 16th the Cultural Festival begins. Each night there are different bands performing and several artisans display and sell their goods. It is always a fun event and I try and make it up there for at least one of the 3 nights. New this year is a bookfair featuring discussions with various authors. The Festival is dedicated to all the writers who have written about Vieques, be it history, short stories, novels, poetry, etc. Many have been invited to come and participate. I am guessing that most of the discussions will all be in Spanish. I do know that they are trying to get copies of some of the books in English if they have been translated. In any case if you are present the weekend of the Festival be sure to get up to the Fort for a least one evening.

Before I forget there is a new ferry trip between Vieques and Fajardo. This new trip takes place on Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays and the boat leaves Vieques at 9:30am and returns at 2pm. This will be convenient for many of us that do not need to get to the main island at 7:30am! This is just those three days a week and not a daily trip.

Some important things to remember here:

• Make Dinner Reservations and then show up on time!
• Nude Sun Bathing is illegal in Puerto Rico
• Leave your valuables at home, never leave them unattended at the beach or in the car
• Experience Bio Bay while you are here, whether by boat or kayak
• Horses and Cows roam the streets day and night, always be on the lookout for them
• Driving in Vieques can be tough, be prepared to stop while people chat and do not honk
• There are many small businesses built on curves in the road, cars park in the street
• Fill up your rental car and keep it filled, sometimes we run out of gas on the island
• Invest in a can of Fix-a-Flat, a small but worthwhile purchase
• It is almost impossible to find food after 10pm, do not expect to at the better restaurants
• Bring fresh sunscreen, it does lose its effectiveness when old
• New Visitors - Avoid discussing “What Vieques Needs” with people that live here, we all loved it the way it was when we came and we know better after years of living here what it does and does not need

With all of that said here is the Calendar. Anytime of the year is a great time to visit so we hope you will all get here in the coming months.

Thanks for reading,
Judy

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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