Ponce, Puerto Rico (Part 3) - Parque de Las Cavernas Del Rio Camuy

Ponce, Puerto Rico (May 3 -25 , 2013)



Camuy Caves: 
One of the natural wonders of Puerto Rico is the ancient limestone cave system of Camuy.  Parque de Las Cavernas Del Rio Camuy is 268 acres and is home to one of the world's largest cave networks, with more than 200 caves.

Ride to the Camuy Caves

Dedication of the park to the children of Puerto Rico

"Welcome!"

A nice display at the ticket office

Ready to board the trolley/tram

Road down to the Camuy Caves

Water falling from the rocks

Jim at the main entrance to Clara Cave

Main entrance to Clara Cave

Audioguide through the caves

Stalagmites Enormous Rock

Off to the bat cave

Formation known as "The Witch"

Sinkhole reflection at the north end of the cave
(as seen from inside Clara Cave)

Such a great view

Inside Empalme Sinkhole
A view of Cueva Alta del Norte, Mesophytic Forest, Rio Camuy is at the bottom

One of many skylights

Formations known as "The Drapes"

All of the lush tropical greenery and beautiful flowers here remind me of my childhood and the incredible flower gardens my mother created in our backyards.  The entire yards were perfectly landscaped and always immaculately kept by her.  They were always most beautiful, quite like these.

Whereas most countries we have visited have been overrun with stray dogs, Puerto Rico is overrun with feral cats.

Dolphin statue overlooking a pool at the park with a feral cat looking on

Kissing the Toad
"Coqui Gigante de Las Cavernas del Rio Camuy"
by New York Artist - Tom Otterness - 2004

"Coqui!"

 

Beautiful Park Grounds

Ponce, Puerto Rico (Part 2) - Hacienda El Limón

Ponce, Puerto Rico (May 3 -25 , 2013)

Hacienda El Limón:
Early on in our somewhat lengthy stay at the Ponce Yacht & Fishing Club, we were introduced to the impressive, Joche, a mystery man with apparently important standing in Puerto Rico.

Joche invited us to visit his family estate, Hacienda El Limón, a historic farm, bequeathed to the his family by the former owner, Helen Buchanan.  If he were not impressive enough, the family farm was even more so.

Joche, our wonderful host

 

Joche's Weekend Retreat

The grounds at Hacienda El Limón

If the grounds seem unruly kept, Joche knows every inch of this place.  This farm is alive with vegetation.  Joche showed us everything from pumpkin patches, limon trees, strawberry patches to magnificent herb gardens of basil, coriander, cumin, oregano and thyme, amongst multitudes of other herbs.  The most mentionable was the aromatic rosemary, which I was lucky enough to part with some to dry and use on a regular basis.  Life is good here!

Starter Plants

 

A residence of the garden keeping watch on things

Coffee Bean Plants

Coconut Trees

 

Me, loving this place and wanting to live here

Banana Plants

The fiery Flamboyant trees are everywhere, dotting the mountainsides.  They have fern-like leaves and are quite beautiful!
 

Flamboyant Trees

After our adventure through the gardens, Joche took us to the horse corral to feed the horses.  At the top of the tallest mountain stood "Monica."  Monica, a beautiful white mare, was different from the other horses and, we would soon learn, abandoned by the group. 

Joche bellowed from the corral at the bottom of the mountain, "Monica, Monica, come down from the mountain!!!"  She instantly stopped, ears perked and then began her retreat zigzagging her way to the bottom of the mountain only to be unkindly greeted by the other horses biting and nipping at her.  Joche led her into the corral where she ate alone, undisturbed by the others.  He explained that two of the other horses were a mother/daughter pair that thwarted Monica on a regular basis so he always fed her separately.  

From here, we were off to see where the coffee had been processed in the past.  This machinery was rusted and had not been used in a very long time, but was still interesting to see.  

And then, he took us to the main house where his mother lives.  This home is filled with history of the Buchanan family, it was incredible!!!

After our visit to the farm, Joche drove us to Mirador Villalba-Orocovis.  At an elevation of 2,000 feet, Mirador Villalba-Orocovis lies between Villalba and Orocovis, overlooking both the northern and southern coasts of Puerto Rico.

 

This was a great day filled with wonderful memories!

Isla Caja de Muertos "Coffin Island" or "Dead Man's Chest", Puerto Rico

Isla Caja de Muertos "Coffin Island" a/k/a "Dead Man's Chest", Puerto Rico (May 1-3, 2013)

The day after our venture to the Bacardi Rum Factory, we decided to have Les over for wine, cheese and crackers as we knew he would be leaving us after Coffin Island.  So, we uncorked our last 2 bottles of good wine.  

As wine lovers, Jim and I had come to own an amazing collection of fine wines while we were working, always searching for our next favorite vintage Bordeaux or Amarone.  So much so, we had traveled to the Tomassi Vinyard in the Valpolicella region of Italy because we had to see where such a great bottle of Amarone originated.  Sadly, these wines do not fit into our cruiser's budget

Known as a "Wine Cozy"

 After the wine, the "Boys" decided to try out the new "Oak & Coke."

The food menu digressed to peanuts as the "Boys" managed to drink the entire bottle of Oakheart Rum.

Jim in full party mode

At this point, they deserve to be called "boys."

Jim, feeling no pain - Wait until tomorrow

Les holding up so well...just wait until tomorrow morning

Tomorrow morning came and went.  With everyone feeling better, we were off to Isla Caja de Muertos, an island which has had at least a dozen names in its past.    

Water almost as clear as The Bahamas

Home for a few days

Our neighbor, s/v Golightly

We spent the morning snorkeling...

And, then went ashore to explore the reserve...

A beautiful shoreline

Legend is that a pirate, Jose Almeida, fell in love with a Basque lady while in Curacao. He married her and took her pirating in the sea.  On her first raid, she was killed by a stray bullet.  Heartbroken, Almeida embalmed her, placed her in a glass box inside a copper coffin and buried her in the cave below.  He visited her each year, leaving some of his new treasure with her. Many years later, the coffin was found and the island became known as Coffin Island.

After saying, "see you later" to Les on s/v Golightly, we returned to Ponce.  Jim dropped a line on the way back and hooked a Dorado.  It was the Dorado's day as he was able to pull loose and took off.

A partial glimpse of "the one that got away"

What worked for us, what didn't...

When we first started to take on the idea of setting sail on the trip of a lifetime, we were like curious cats, wanting to know more and more.  We wanted to know what others had experienced, what worked for them and what had failed them. So we did A LOT of research. Even with all the great information we found, we had our own discoveries. Paying it forward, here are some of the things that worked for us and some that didn't.

What did work:

Precooked bacon - This stuff is fantastic! It's real bacon that is precooked and packaged so it doesn't need refrigeration. It stores away easily and is good for up to 6 months. We found it at Walmart ($2.50 for a package of 9-11 slices).

Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes 100% real potatoes - Box potatoes have been given a bad rap in the past years, but as cruisers, we have found most store bought produce in the islands to be refrigerated, which means it has a short lifespan, a very short lifespan.  We do buy real potatoes, but have to use them quickly or they spoil and attract gnats.  At less than $2.00 a box (9 servings), it makes sense to prepare these for shepherd's pie or to dip chicken into the flakes for a crispy crust.

Processed milk - Who doesn't love a bowl of cereal once in a while? Well, living on a boat with limited access to stores and limited refrigeration, milk is a premium item.  This milk product stores away without needing to be refrigerated and will last about 6 months. And to be honest, it tastes pretty damn good. 

Red Feather Brand Pure Creamy Butter - I ordered this butter from an online company in New Zealand.  It has a 10 year shelf life and is REAL butter. Designate a container for butter and you are set...easy, easy, easy!

 

Kitchen Basics Dish Drying Mat - This thin layer of foam between absorbent microfiber not only is space efficient, but when washing dishes at a rolly anchorage, it keeps glasses from falling over and dishes from sliding. It hangs nicely to dry on an s-hook next to the stove and then folds up taking minimal space.

Glacier Stainless 6 Cup Percolator - As with many cruisers, West Marine is our second home.  This percolator is yet another West Marine find that has worked great for us.  Originally, we had a french press, which did not work for us as Jim and I both prefer 2 cups of coffee in the morning.  We found the french press to not keep the coffee warm for our second cup and left us stuck with a bitter lukewarm second cup of coffee.  Off the boat with the french press!  Although we thought this percolator a little pricey, it has been a charm.  It gives us 2 mugs of hot coffee each, sometimes a little more.  This makes for a great start to our day!

Wire Vegetable Bins - I found these at KMart, a set of 2 for less than $4.00. They are hung with cup hooks, which keeps them at a desirable angle allowing easy access to their contents. When underway, I simply stow them behind a lee cloth.  We have our departure routine down to less than 10 minutes, including stowing loose items, preparing the deck, closing hatches and lifting anchor...not bad!

West Marine Safety Tethers - I'm sure it annoys some, but I am a safety girl, can't help myself.  Our Number 1 rule (no exceptions) on Dulcinea is that EVERYONE wears a PFD and is tethered to the boat when they are in the cockpit on a passage. We found these awesome tethers and, as you can see, they have been used A LOT!

Zippered Fabric Bags (not Ziplock bags) - We found these bags at Walmart for a couple of bucks each and they have been GREAT! With a boat, there are few square walls or cubby holes, so the square plastic containers work only in limited areas. These bags are very sturdy and have helped keep things organized while easily molding into odd spaces.

  

Rechargable batteries - When we anchor, we normally set the anchor alarm on our hand held GPS. This works excellent for keeping a watch on things allowing us to sleep with less worry. However, the device uses a ton of batteries. Rechargable batteries have been a life saver for this device. We charge them up during the day when we are making energy and use them in the device at night.

What didn't work:

Electric Hair Dryers - When living on batteries, hair dryers will suck ALL the energy out in 5 minutes or less! A discovery made when I tried to defrost the freezer with it.  Less than amused, Jim expressed concern that maybe I wasn't quite ready for this adventure.  Finding myself unable to part with my favorite blow dryer, I found a nearly inaccessible compartment on the boat in which to stow it...you know, just in case.

Almost ANYTHING electric - We ended up giving away our electric water kettle/coffee pot, electric fry pan and electric fans. They are just so inefficient that it's easier to cook and cool with nature.  No pictures of these items as they quickly found new (but no doubt "temporary") homes when listed on the "buy/sell/trade" portion of the Cruiser's Net, in Marathon, Florida.

Watermaker (Katadyn 80e)- Now this works and works well, however, it only makes 3-1/2 gallons an hour.  This is fine for short term, but if we had it to do over again, we would choose one with a higher output.

Gill Championship Sailing Gloves -  For both Jim and I, the portions of these gloves that are not Kevlar have deteriorated much faster than we anticipated.  Our next gloves will be Gill, but something heavier duty. With that said, we do have a few thousand miles of sailing with them, but they still should have held up a bit longer than 7 months.