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Feb. 6 – Aguadilla, PR

By Trawlers on February 7, 2023 in The Pearl

“Let’s collect shells as we walk down the beach. Our treasures are many, and all within reach. Sand dollars, scallops, and snails we will find. The starfish we share for it’s one of a kind.” —Lee Nemmers

We started our day with coffee on our patio overlooking the ocean and a full moon that hadn’t set yet. The ocean was drastically different this morning than it was yesterday. The surf was up and we watched surfers along the waterfront of Aguadilla all day.

We had planned to take it easy today, but our casual little walk into town turned into a 6 1/2 mile trek from our house on the north end of town to Columbus Park on the south end. In between we enjoyed the view of the ocean, watching surfers and doing a little beach combing. The town’s waterfront is very pretty with a wonderful concrete path, called Paseo Real Marina. It runs the length of the town with lots of places to sit and watch the ocean or get something to eat or drink. Unfortunately Monday isn’t a very busy day and most of the little food kiosks were closed.

We had lunch in one of the little spots on the square overlooking the water…and the road.

After Hurricane Maria several towns in Puerto Rico wanted to give some of the rundown neighborhoods a face lift. So artists came together with help from the communities to revitalize their area. This area in Aquadilla is called “Amanecer Borincano” (Borincano Sunrise). Each house looks like a colorful mosaic. You can also find many murals throughout town.

Later in the afternoon we ran to the grocery store and picked up a few things. We enjoy eating out but we also enjoy relaxing at home and fixing something to eat. Our view is amazing from our third floor patio.

The grill master at work.

We even turned on the fire pit for awhile.

Feb. 6 – Aquadilla, PR

By Trawlers on February 7, 2023 in The Pearl

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Feb. 5 – Aguadilla, PR

By Trawlers on February 6, 2023 in The Pearl

“The lower the latitude the better the attitude.” –Unknown

We’re spending our first week in Aguadilla. This picturesque oceanfront town was founded in 1775. It’s located on Puerto Rico’s northwest shore. It’s known to have some of the best surf breaks on the Island and some of the most beautiful beaches.

Check in wasn’t until three so we started our day slowly. We found a nice little coffee shop across the street from our apartment for breakfast, then we came back and enjoyed the view again from the balcony. We decided we’d stop at a few interesting places on our way west. Our first stop was at Cueve del Indio (Indian Cave).

Cueve del Indio is an important archeological treasure. It’s full of petroglyphs, made by the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico, the Tainos. These petroglyphs pre-date Columbus’ arrival to Puerto Rico in 1493, and were probably made many centuries earlier. The cave is said to contain the largest number of petroglyphs found along the coastal zone. The day was very, very windy so walking along the ledge and on the sharp rocks was a little scary. I felt like I could be blown down at any time. The site has been used for filming movies like the Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island and Perfect Getaway.

Stan looking over the edge.

You climb down into this pit to get into the cave.

There used to be a ladder that you could use to go down into the cave, but that has been removed. Now if you want to get down to the cave you have to go through this crack in the wall. We decided not to try it…too many other people around today.

The cave is opened to the water at the center of this picture.

Looking towards the Seven Arches.

Looking east toward Playita Ines (Little Agnes Beach) and Estatua de Colón (large statue of Columbus).

On our way back to the parking lot.

Our second stop was in Arecibo to spend a little time at The Bishop’s Pool. It was a great day to see the water putting on a show. Although it was hard to get a picture of the largest waves coming in.

The Arecibo Lighthouse overlooks The Bishop’s Pool.

Beach Paradise…our house for the week.

Our first night in Aquadilla…perfection.

Feb. 5 – Aguadilla, PR

By Trawlers on February 6, 2023 in The Pearl

“The lower the latitude the better the attitude.” –Unknown

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Feb. 4 – San Juan, PR

By Trawlers on February 5, 2023 in The Pearl

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport. – Unknown

This was our first time to fly in three years. I’m happy to say everything went smoothly. It’s nice to fly in the morning, the airport is less crowded and our plane was waiting for us. The only thing that could have gone smoother was our car rental. Oh my we won’t use Payless in San Juan again. All I can say is I’m glad we stayed close to the airport this evening.

We spent our first night in Puerto Rico in a posh neighborhood of Carolina called Isla Verde. This award-winning beach area is popular among visitors, because it’s close to the airport and full of fancy beach resorts. Isla Verde has golden-sand shores that are framed with tall palm trees, hotels, restaurants, and shops. It might be a great place for some to spend their whole holiday, but we look forward to getting out of the city and seeing more of the real Puerto Rico.

After checking into our apartment we went for a walk on the beach. It was nice to enjoy a rum drink and pizza with our toes in the sand.

It was a little cloudy this evening, but we still enjoyed waking on the beach.

And having dinner with a view at Ocean Breeze.

The view from our balcony this evening.

Feb. 4 – San Juan, PR

By Trawlers on February 5, 2023 in The Pearl

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport. – Unknown

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Puerto Rico Adventure

By Trawlers on February 4, 2023 in The Pearl

“Travel makes you realize that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.” — Nyssa P. Chopra

It’s been three years since we’ve taken a winter adventure…three LONG years. It seems fitting that we’re going back to Puerto Rico exactly three years after our last trip. The world seemed to come to a standstill after we returned in 2020. I hope we never have to experience such a thing in our life’s again.

During our first visit to PR we spent 18 days circling the whole island. Checking out all the local and visitor favorite places. This time we’ll spend two weeks moving a little slower. We’re going to spend our first week at a beach house in Aguadilla, which is on the west coast. It’ll be our home base while we enjoy the local beaches and do a little hiking. The second week we’ll go inland and explore the mountainous region around Jayuya for three days and then go back to Old San Juan for three days. We truly loved our first trip to Puerto Rico and look forward to exploring the region a little more.

Puerto Rico Adventure

By Trawlers on February 4, 2023 in The Pearl

“Travel makes you realize that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.” — Nyssa P. Chopra

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Jan. 9-12 South Padre Island, TX

By Trawlers on January 16, 2023 in The Pearl

“Beach: a place of relaxation, rest and tranquility.” –Unknown

South Padre Island is a resort town off the southern coast of Texas. It’s known for its beaches and calm waters. We haven’t been to the valley since Kyle and Bryt lived in Harlingen in 2010, and it’s been even longer since we’ve been to South Padre Island. They have 34 miles of beach and enjoy 300+ days of sunshine a year. It’s a popular year around vacation spot, but it’s most crowded during spring break in March and family vacations in July. January was a great time to be there…the weather was amazing and the only people around were other retirees. This trip was all about relaxing, beach-combing, eating good food and taking in the changing of the sun. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets, sunrises and even got to see an almost full moon rise over the Gulf of Mexico.

We drove down to Boca Chica Beach before we went to our condo. It’s as far south as you can go on the Texas coast. The SpaceX Boca Chica launch site is located there. They are currently testing the Starship. The Starship is designed for missions to Mars. It will be a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights.

A long Boca Chica Beach

Welcome to South Padre Island…leave your cares behind. I loved how there was just a little fog lingering around…it was such a beautiful day.

We stayed at the Suntide III Condominiums. Our condo was on the sixth floor and we had a beautiful view of the gulf.

The view from our deck. We enjoyed watching the sun and the moon come up from here.

Out our front door we had a view of the town and Laguna Madre.

We started our first full day on the island by watching the sun come up and then walking on the beach in front of the condo.

We enjoyed some wonderful mahi tacos at Mahi Nic for lunch. Complete with a little music and a view of the fishing boats in the marina.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at Isla Blanca Beach at the southern end of the island. The blimp in the air is U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Jesus Christ of the Fisherman was built to honor those fishermen who leave this port and don’t return.

Looking up the beach at the condos in South Padre Island.

The South Padre Island Jetties

We enjoyed the food so much at The Meatball Cafe that we went back a second night. Everything they serve is made from scratch on property.

About six miles north of town the road just ends. The wind blows the sand onto the road and they have to plow it off. The sand dunes were huge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like these. Nothing but sand for miles and miles. If you have a four wheel drive you can drive along the shore another 20+ miles to the northern end of South Padre Island.

Clayton’s is a popular beach hangout. I’m sure on a weekend or during spring break we wouldn’t want to be here, but it was very nice the day we were there…just retirees and winter visitors.

Some of the treasures we found on the beaches during our little getaway.

One afternoon we went to Sea Turtle Inc. It’s a turtle hospital, where their main purpose is to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured sea turtles. Unfortunately all their rescues are not able to be released back into the wild and they now live at the center. They help to educate the public on the conservation efforts for sea turtles on South Padre Island. The program was started by one lady in 1977. This is Cowgirl. She has been rescued four times in the past two years, so they have decided to let her stay.

This is Allison, she is an Atlantic Green turtle and is the first turtle to successfully wear a prosthesis.

Poppy is a Loggerhead turtle and the largest resident at the center. She was hit by a boat and the wounds have led to buoyancy issues. To prevent her from floating, she has weights attached too her shell.

Merry Christmas is also an Atlantic Green turtle. Turtles are cold blooded and can go into a hypothermic shock and be washed ashore during extreme cold weather. She was rescued in December in the early 1980’s. She has many physical abnormalities that make it hard for her to survive in the wild.

The South Padre Island Sea Turtle Art Trail has 11 permanent sea turtle art sculptures across the city. Each one has a unique shape and charm that comes from each artist’s creative vision.

On our last evening we went to a little place called Driftwood Landing to watch the sunset.

While we were waiting for the sun to set, a fishing boat came back to the dock. As soon as the boat arrived the pelicans began to show up for their free handouts.