Guajataca | Lifetransplanet

Quebradillas: Behind-the-scenes making of the video

A while back before the lockdown began we had the opportunity to meet Heidi Aviles at an open house for her butterfly collection.

Since then we have stayed in contact and found that she is also an avid explorer of Puerto Rico and we made plans to meet up when things settled down a bit. Last week was our opportunity. We have done a little exploring of Quebradillas, but Heidi said there are even more treasures in this Pirate town!

These are a few videos from previous adventures to Quebradillas!

Cute little gazebos they call bohios, each with the name of a famous Cacique or Taino Indian Chief

Look at this cool “Octopus Tree” – it really does look like an octopus! Even has “eyes”

Our first stop was Parque el Merendero just beneath the Mirador that overlooks Quebradillas on the highway. I was impressed with how nice the trails and views were. I would definitely go there to stop for a picnic again as the name implies (Merendero means a place to snack/eat). The trails even led all the way down to the beach!

Next up, we went down the road where Heidi had found a “window” hole that looked through on both sides to the sea! It reminded me a little of Cueva de la Ventana except instead of a river/valley view it was the ocean! A really cool little hike through the quebradas and then up the cliff side to a spectacular vista!

Just spectacular!

Something I love about Puerto Rico is that these special gems are just hidden in plain sight. In other places of the world they would be turned into tourist attractions -and some are, like Cueva Ventana in Arecibo, but most are still raw and just there for everyone to find and enjoy!

Our final stop on our tour with Heidi was to the Puente Blanco. This bridge at one point in time was used for passenger and sugarcane transport train travel. From the top it looks like nothing special (besides the view), but beneath it you can see the wonder of architecture that it once was!

At El Puente Blanco in Quebradillas

View from the top of the bridge with our friend and guide, Heidi

We are already planning more explorations of the island with our adventurous new friend! Please subscribe to our channel on YouTube to see the latest adventures and updates to the farm. I’m also trying to use Instagram a little more if you’d like to follow along and see some fun pictures.

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Tunel Negro…is so dark and quietly spooky!

We have been trying to get out at least once a week for an island exploration. And while we don’t mind going to some of our favorites, we LOVE finding new ones. We had been to the Guajataca Tunnel a long while ago, but we heard about another more challenging tunnel nearby called the Tunel Negro which means Black Tunnel. It is called this because it is long enough to become completely pitch black in the middle unlike the shorter and lighter Guajataca tunnel near the beach.

As we approached Tunel Negro

The trailhead was surprisingly easy to find (coming from Rincon it is just off the 2 on the right side before the lookout point which would be on the left). We were the only ones parked by an abandoned little kiosk and headed off down the trail. It was somewhat challenging mostly because of all the fallen trees that still were down since Maria I am guessing. Otherwise, it was flat and nice although we did need to watch for carrasco and other stinging plants a little. There were also some offshoot trails going up the mountain and down to the lake. We scrambled up a bit to see a lookout, but didn’t go too far. Maybe someday we can go all the way into the river. It looked beautiful from on high.

The lake down below

After that we also went to the other “easy” tunnel for a few pictures and also stopped by the Taino Indian Head. As we were headed back I saw a sign for Ermita San Antonio Historic Site so we took a quick detour there as well. Overall, it was a really fun and fulfilling day. Check out the video for the full adventure!

Taino Indian Head Monument on Highway 2 off Isabela

Monument to Cacicato de Mabodamaca

Mabodamaca was a chief (Cacique) of the Taino Indians (a subgroup of Caribbean Arawaks) that lived on the island of Boriken (the ancient name for the island of Puerto Rico). Chiefs had the privilege of wearing a golden pendant called a guani, which immediately distinguished him as the leader among the people. Local legend has it that during an ongoing battle with the Spanish invaders, Cacique Mabodamaca led his people up the Guajataca River and they disappeared into Puerto Rico’s central mountain range but along the way he lost his golden pendant and it remains embedded in the island forever as does the memory of his bravery.

On the path of the Guajataca Tunnel