Hello to all,
It has been an amazing summer with many visitors from the main island as well as the states. Have met some great people, had lots of fun and worked much harder in the restaurant than I expected to for the summer! I did get a short break and visited a friend in Miami Beach, got a thrill ride in a racing boat! Flew across the water at over 100mph, it was like getting an instant face lift! It was lots of fun and not as scary as I expected it to be. I sure am glad that there are none of those here in Vieques yet though! Ended up speaking a lot of Spanish (well as much as I could as I have a limited vocabulary) because most of the people that I met were bilingual. It was a great trip and it is sad that I have to go away on vacation to get a tan!
The new big attraction on Vieques is the female Manta Ray
that is making an appearance out at Mosquito Pier each night. She is about 8’
across and shows up around 8:30pm. Hundreds of people are going out to the pier to get a
peek at her. Without a lot of evening entertainment this seems to be a major draw,
and an especially good thing to do if you are traveling with children. Of course, out
on Bio Bay is the biggest evening attraction, when you can see the water light up while fish swim by or you are swimming. It does not matter whether you do it by boat or kayak, it is an amazing thing and should not be missed by anyone that visits Vieques.
I went to a Boxing event here a few weeks ago. I returned home from a Saturday night dinner party to find an email that I needed to write one more short story for Vieques Events. I was tired and not looking forward to writing it and then heard all the noise down the street at the coliseum. I decided to investigate as maybe it was something I could use and sure enough there was a huge crowd in there. I went inside and saw the boxing ring set up and a lot of kids dressed to fight. There were about 5 teams competing, with one team from Vieques. As I learned during the course of the evening, thanks to the help of several spectators, each team chose 4 of their fighters to compete for the team championship. There were about 18 fights in total that night and not all counted towards the championship, each fight went for 3 rounds. Vieques won the championship and after watching most all of the fights it was well deserved. Brothers Jose and Hector Ventura train the boys and young men at their Los Potros Gym. One of their former Vieques boxers was there, Nelson Adams who had was a silver medalist at the ’87 Pan Am Games and a bronze medalist at the ’86 Central American Games. He also was the International Boxing Organization Heavyweight Continental Boxing Champion. He was very helpful and explained what was going on! I must say that after being at baseball games, judo tournaments and now a boxing match, the Viequenses are passionate about their local athletes! It was a really fun evening but I think it only happens here about once a year so I will have to wait until next year to see it again.
We have 2 young girls competing at an International Modeling Competition in Mexico City the beginning of August. If any of you reading remember Nelson Castillo, he used to own the Mar Azul and passed away about 2 years ago, his oldest daughter, Kassandra, is one of the girls. She is truly a lovely young woman and she won her division in the Miss Puerto Rico Model contest last November. Kassandra is competing in the 13-17 yr. age group. I have watched her grow since I moved here in ’97 and am so excited for her that she has this opportunity. The other young girl is Dara Calzada, she too won her division, Baby Model, in the same Nov. contest. She will be competing against girls 6-12 yrs. old. Many people chipped in so that the girls could afford this trip to Mexico.
Martineau Bay has an exciting event scheduled for August 28th, a cook off with their executive
chef Victor Cruz against Tony Casino from Chez Shack! Each chef will prepare 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. Guests who want to attend should make reservations in advance and enjoy a great meal by the pool. For $34pp you will get a 3 course meal and dine in a gorgeous spot with an incredible view!
Al and Val celebrate 7 years of owning the Mar Azul on August 1st. There will be extended happy hours and then live music at 9pm. I am sure that this will be one of the parties of the year, maybe a new record will be set in the amount of tequila that can be consumed in just one day! In August Jim Cochran, owner of Coqui Fire, and also one of the bartenders at the Mar Azul, held his first
Coqui Fire Birthday Party at the Mar Azul. There was spicy food and pepper vodka in abundance! He soaked some habaneros in a bottle of vodka and it was not for the weak! I love hot food and my mouth was on fire, but it did not keep me from having a second a bit later! Kathy made a great frosted brownie that was in the shape of the Coqui Fire logo.
Tropical Baby has added some new things to the menu, I tasted the beef fajita and it was amazing.
Tiki Hut has a new owner, Jack Powell, and she is changing the menu and the hours. I met her and she is a great lady, I am sure that she will do very well in Esperanza. Be sure to get to
Bananas at some point on your visit. It is the “island meeting
place” after all. Owners Glen and Winn Curry and really great people and have made some nice improvements to the restaurant. They are hoping to offer live music at least one night a week during August however they had not picked a night as of my deadline for the paper. When in town just stop by and ask if there will be music while you are here.
Amapola has been busy this summer too. There might still be some karaoke, it is up in the air as Joey may head north to do some construction work for his parents, just until it gets chilly then he will return to Vieques! We had a great time a few weeks ago when a big group of girls visiting were not shy and sang up a storm!
Joey at La Central has extended the hours that they offer food so it is not just afternoons anymore. Stop by Friday-Sunday for either lunch or dinner. In addition to great seafood he also has burgers, chicken and beef on the menu.
For dinner I hate to sound like a broken record but please make reservations at any of the restaurants you want to eat at.
All the kitchens on the island prep for reservations and then about the same number of walk-ins. When an extra 20 people walk in the restaurants start to run out of food and guests have to wait longer to be served. Since many of the restaurants are small, with even smaller kitchens, it is hard to service a lot of people when they all walk in at the same time. All the restaurants want you to have a great experience, get a great meal and great service. Please help them out by calling ahead. Most of the restaurants have not cut their hours back except for maybe 2 days/nights a week. In September and October though that will all change so be sure to check the next few What’s Happenin’ to learn more.
Remember if you are doing Bio Bay most of the kitchens on the island close between 9-10pm so either eat before your trip or make a late reservation. Most of the restaurants will accommodate late guests when they know that you are coming in.
If you are going to be here on August 18th think about going to a wine tasting hosted by Chef Michael, call him at 741-0490 for reservations. These are always fun and he offers wonderful wines. Also in August are some dinner specials at
Posada Vista Mar for only $10. Barry and Diane are doing a great job with their Italian menu, delicious and hearty meals. Check the weekly calendar to see the specials.
Café Mamasonga now has a liquor license so you can enjoy a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa with breakfast or a beer with your lunch. Mamasonga’s will be closed for at least a week as Ute and Michael are getting married August 16th. I think that Ute is closing for a few days before and after the wedding, then Michael returns to London.
Something that we all hate to think about is Hurricane
Season, but it is a reality for all of us here. This time of year it is important for anyone living here and especially those planning a vacation to keep an
eye on the weather channel. Should a storm hit the island we may lose electricity and water for several days, and more importantly telephone service. If you are planning a trip during August, September or October be sure to follow the weather. We usually have a few days notice that we might be in the path of a storm. The local airlines fly the small planes to a safe location and ferry service can be stopped for a few days due to rough seas. We rarely get major storms however it is best to know that the possibility exists and what your options are. So knowing that keep you fingers crossed that we enjoy a quiet season!
| Daily Events | |
| Friday, August 1st | 7th Annual Anniversary Party at Al’s Mar Azul. Happy Hour noon-7pm, live music 9pm |
| Saturday, August 2nd | Bike the East End (free) Call 617-BIKE for details Caribes vs. Aguacate in the Florida Ballpark. 7pm |
| Monday, August 4th | Movie and discussion at Casa Alianza, 7pm. Call 741-2334 for details (Spanish only) |
| Thursday, August 7th | Movie “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” with Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston at El Sombrero Viejo, 7pm |
| Friday, August 8th | Blue Macaw closed for private party |
| Saturday, August 9th | Children’s Dental Clinic at the Susan Centeno Hospital, 10am-5pm |
| Sunday, August 10th | Caribes vs. San Lorenzo on the main island. If interested in attending call 741-2999 |
| Monday, August 11th | Movie and discussion at Casa Alianza, 7pm. Call 741-2334 for details (Spanish only) |
| Thursday, August 14th | Movie “Blood on the Sun” with James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney at El Sombrero Viejo, 7pm |
| Thurs./Fri., August 14&15 | Verizon Wireless selling cellular phones at Centro Commercial |
| Friday, August 15th | Blue Macaw’s Dining Room closed for Private Party. Bar Area open for dinner |
| Saturday, August 16th | Blue Macaw closed for Private Party |
| Sunday, August 17th | Vieques vs. Ceiba on the main island, for more information call 741-2999 |
| Monday, August 18th | Wine Tasting, The Wine Club@Chef Michaels. Call 741-0490 for reservations and information Movie and discussion at Casa Alianza, 7pm. Call 741-2334 for details Spanish only |
| Thursday, August 21st | Movie “Twelve O’clock High” with Gregory Peck, Gary Merrill and Dean Jagger at El Sombrero Viejo, 7pm |
| Friday, August 22nd | Blue Macaw closed for Private Party |
| Saturday, August 23rd | Caribes vs. La Playa at the Florida Ballpark, 7pm |
| Monday, August 25 | Movie and discussion at Casa Alianza, 7pm. Call 741-2334 for details Spanish only |
| Thursday, August 28th | Martineau Bay vs. Chez Shack Cook-Off, 7pm at Martineau Bay’s Isla Nena Pool Grill. Reservations suggested, call 741-4100 Annual Meeting of the Vieques Humane Society, 7pm. To be held in the meeting room of the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust Movie “Beat the Devil” with Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, and Jennifer Jones at El Sombrero Viejo, 7pm |
| Saturday, August 30th | Health for Vieques Clinic at the Hospital. Free services available. Begins around 10am |
| Weekly | |
| Saturdays | “Wining” with Mary Alice at Blue Macaw Paella and Seafood Specials at Tropico Eggplant Parmesan Special at Posada Vista Mar, $10 |
| Sundays | Brunch at Tropical Baby Paella Special at Trade Winds |
| Mondays – Fridays | Ferry to Culebra, leaves VQS at 6am, leaves Culebra at 5pm Live Music at La Sirena, except Tuesday and Wednesdays |
| Mondays | $1 Medalla Night at Bananas plus taco salads and nachos |
| Tuesdays | Happy Hour at Island Steak House at the Crow’s Nest, chance to win bar tab, 5-7pm Lucky Card Draw at El Sombrero Viejo, pull card for discount, 6-8pm |
| Wednesdays | Ribs at Tropico, great ribs Ladies Night at Amapola, happy hour prices to ladies 5pm-closing |
| Thursdays | Veal Parmesan Special at Posada Vista Mar, $10 Old Movie Night at El Sombrero Viejo, 7pm Oldies Night at Mar Azul |
| Fridays | Shrimp Festival at Tropico Fiesta Langosta (Lobster) at Trade Winds Mussels Marinara at Posada Vista Mar, $10 |
| Thursdays-Mondays | Back from the Beach, 2 for 1 drinks 5-6pm at La Sirena |
Again thanks for reading, it is always fun to meet some of you that have done your research and chosen Vieques because of the information available on enchanted-isle. I think I am now in my 4th year of doing What’s Happenin’, it is really hard to believe that it has been that long! It has been a great experience and also a lot of fun. We are all looking forward to Jim, the webmaster, returning to Vieques for a few months. Unfortunately he will not be living across the street where he was only a shout away! He will now be out in the country and probably very lonely without Pique, (his Viequense dog) joining him on this trip. Hey Jim, David will be here for a month as well, we may have to make another boat trip to
Culebra! (sounds good to me!
"jim")
Hope to meet more of you on your vacation!
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
If any of you would like to see something specific in this newsletter please contact the webmaster and I will do my best to investigate for you.
Email: whats_happenin@enchanted-isle.com
