Monthly Archives: January 2019

Colorful Aguadilla

Apparently the artist who painted the town (literally) of Yauco has been going around the island and finding other similar neighborhoods to paint. We had heard that Aguadilla got the touch up as well and just had its grand hurrah a little bit ago. We spent the afternoon wandering around and stopped by Rompeolas by the sea for a bite to eat. It is pretty cool, but I think it would have been a little neater had they changed it up a little (maybe polka dots instead of patchwork?). Still very eye catching and a fun little jaunt up many a flight of stairs.


From the park, El Parterre, in Aguadilla looking up; it’s hard to miss!


The subdued park is such a contrast


El Parterre park was very old European in design

I am still surprised people live in this type of hodge-podge and very poor neighborhood. There is no way this would be allowed to fly in modern building codes, but I think they have been sort of grandfathered in from long ago when these were just squatter shanties during the sugar cane days.


Britton carried Aeden all the way to the top!


Having fun!


Look, we are camouflaged!


In a little side room/casita the residents encouraged us to take pictures


Britton and the little monster


Here fishy, fishy


People hanging out watching all the tourists check out their houses


One guy ran out of his house and chased us down to give us these old calendar photos of how Aguadilla was in the olden days


Cool detailed murals all around


From the road


Some areas up there still hadn’t been repaired since the hurricane


We had a nice lunch seaside at Rompeaolas


Look at that sweet smile!


Near Rompeolas there is a HUGE ceiba tree


It had dropped its petals everywhere!


Some of the real boats of Aguadilla


And Aguadilla’s gorgeous shoreline as we drove home

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How to Deal with Pica Pica

Pica pica (Mucuna pruriens) is one of the plants in Puerto Rico that can cause a lot of discomfort during the winter months. Its vines can grow to 50 feet in length and grow what some call velvet beans or in Nigeria they call them Devil Beans.  Pica pica means itch or burn so there is a double meaning there.

Pica pica velvet beans

I’ve heard all kinds of stories about what causes the itching. Some think it is like poison ivy or carrasco and that it is Urushiol that causes it. That turns out to not be true. I found a study of mucuna pruriens and apparently the fuzzy coating on the beans is the source.  These hairs that grow on the beans are trichomes or spicules that they call cowhage.

I have found that removal of these tiny hairs is the only way to relieve the itch.  I use tape, put it over the affected area then remove the tape.  I guess it works kind of like a lint brush.  We’ve tried baby powder, rubbing alcohol, showers, etc but to really get relief those hairs have to be taken out.

The plant itself is best to just clip before they flower and have the bean pods.  The vines grow out of the ground, you can handle them and just pull the roots out, no problem.  Just be careful of any mature bean pods, stay away from those.  Fairly simple but if you don’t watch out for it they can take over!

They tend to grow in areas that have been recently cleared.

Pica pica Vine / Leaves

During the dry season people will set hillsides on fire to try and eradicate it before the wind spreads the tiny hairs all over the place.  If you leave your laundry out on a line to dry, like many do, you will get the itch when you lie in bed or use your towels!  Picapica!!

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