Tag Archives: aguada

Earthship PR on Earth Day

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Earthship PR in Aguada, Puerto Rico

I have heard about the Earthship in Aguada for some time, but haven’t had the chance to check it out until now. It has been a working apiary (TainaSoy/Chaparro Apiaro) but recently has transformed into something magical. The Earthship PR has a lot of potential as it is still in its infancy, but it was great to see the results in the making. Based on the biotechture Earthships of Taos New Mexico, the goal is for it to be a sustainably built (using tires, cans, bottles and other “trash”) community center that is completely off grid -water, electricity and food. At this point it has a basic working rainwater system, and a very minimal solar set up (one panel) and a small garden.


Derek and Matt led the discussion

But the coolest thing to me was the structure style and re-use of the colored glass bottles to make a stain-glass effect in the dome-like huts. It felt like we were in a movie/art set. The soft edges made it seem like we were in a fairy tale setting dancing under mushroom caps. From the vision of Eco-sustainability to the community engagement (it was built nearly all from volunteer labor) and just the sheer “cool factor” this place was a true inspiration of what can be possible with a little dream and a lot of elbow grease! Check out the video below for a full tour. The Earth Day event was also a lot of fun with bomba music, local artisans and food, and just a really chill, good vibe to help us appreciate how awesome it is to live on planet Earth!


Inside the first hut


Beautiful art work


Down by the river area people were set up hanging out, playing music

Aeden checking out the glass cut outs


Me, Derek and Matt on the tour

My friend Missy with her homemade soap using goat milk and beeswax from there


They are small Dome-like structures (maybe 10×10). I enjoyed the art on the walls


Lovely heliconias in bloom


And a lot of pineapples everywhere we looked!


From the backside -a work in progress!


How the dome structures are built- tires and a rebar cage dome filled with refuse and concrete


Goat on a rope


Open every Saturday -bring food, bring support, volunteer in whatever manner you can!


People on the tour during Earth Day


Me and Aeden down by the river/quebrada area


A special thanks to David White for filming this interview

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A Day in Aguada

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Britton and Aeden in the plaza of Aguada

The other day we went to Aguada for a doctor’s appointment for Aeden. We were surprised to be in and out quickly, so we decided to wander around the town a little. Although it is right next to it, Aguada is very different from Rincon in so many ways. Whereas Rincon makes me think of Hawaii, Aguada reminds me of Mexico, with lots of little boutique clothing stores, a large plaza, street vendors and a buzz of work. Rincon feels much more like a vacation destination where the beach and hanging out are the central points and swimsuits are often spotted. Aguada feels more like daily life and pants and shoes are common (as are the shops that sell them!). Aguada is also quite a bit bigger with about 50,000 people compared with little Rincon’s 15,000. Because of its size and the tiny roads, the traffic is often a mess, so walking around the downtown makes more sense than driving.


Vendors selling fireworks to celebrate the holidays (yes, it is a loud time of year!)


Bright, colorful buildings


Lots of clothing stores around every corner!


I like to stop in and check stuff out sometimes!


More street vendors and clothing stores


Sometimes feels like you’re walking into the 70s or 80s!


Family photo in the Aguada Plaza


Two soft drinks you don’t see in the states often- Coco Rico and Malta (normally in a glass bottle)


Aguada is known for its horses and horse events too


Aguada, like Rincon, has awesome sunsets

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Island Beauty: San Sebastian and Aguada

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We took a day to go out with our guests to one of our favorite spots: Gozalandia in San Sebastian. It is the quintessential tropical waterfall getaway. I always feel that it couldn’t have been designed any better had it been in a movie set. It’s just magical!

Gozalandia
Gozalandia -Main waterfall

gozalandia 2nd fall
Gozalandia secondary waterfall

Petra and Cassie
In Gozalandia with friend Petra

In the Jungle
Jungle Monkey Cassie

turtle
It’s fun to see the turtles too

Compare this to our first trip to Gozalandia!

We also spent some time in Aguada recently and enjoyed a beautiful sunset off the cruising coast.

Cassie stairs
Cool that someone built these steps!

Cassie rock 2

 

Cassie ledge 3
Living on the edge

Sunset Aguada
And another amazing sunset

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Flash Flood Stall Out and Rescue

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We went to Aguadilla for an appointment and ended up in Aguada (watery-land)! Literally.

aguadilla
View overlooking Aguadilla out to Rincón

In Aguadilla we ran our errands, stopped and had lunch and then headed back home. On the way home it began to rain a little, and then a little more. We drove through Aguada and realized we forgot something and turned around splashing through a growing overflow of water on the road. We went to the nearest Farmacia. They didn’t have what we were looking for so we returned the way we came. This time there was a police car blocking the road with cars turning around. We could see that the road was flooded out, but we had just passed through there 20 minutes earlier! It couldn’t have risen that much more that we couldn’t pass, could it?!

The police spoke through the speaker and said in Spanish we could pass at our own risk to ourselves and vehicle. Britton took that as a green light! We went through one part just fine and then it started to get deeper and deeper. There was a slight hesitation on the part of Britton and then it was over. The truck stalled out in the middle of the road that was now a river…

poor-guaguaHow stuck we were! Look at that water flowing!

water-out-the-window-2
Like we were in a fricken boat!

water-in-the-truck
That was sinking!

britton-oops
Ooops…

We sat in the truck as it filled with water for about 20-30 minutes. People around us took pictures and video and yelled to us from the safety of the parking lot to make sure we were ok. Eventually the Emergency Rescue Management team showed up. The people in the military-looking Hummer first said they were going to look for a chain to tow us out and then decided to just get us out and we then would wait for a grúa (a tow truck) to get the guagua out.

It was pretty exciting to get extricated from the truck by climbing through the window barefoot. I’ve never had to be rescued before and I am so thankful these people are here! Everyone was super nice and didn’t give us a ticket or even a scolding except to tell Britton that he should be more careful since he had precious cargo on board (me)! Awww. I think they knew we had received our own punishment. They even said they were happy to make new friends with us even if it wasn’t in the best of circumstances. People here in Puerto Rico are so wonderful.

with-emergency-crew
With a few of the crew that rescued us! Thank you all!

The grúa came and towed out the truck and took us home. Now we are working on the truck to see if we can get it to run again…

checking-engine
Checking the engine

cassie-and-guagua
What an adventure!

Here’s a little video I managed to take in the midst of the chaos.

 

 

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