Christmastime in Puerto Rico is always so much fun! Bright, cheerful, warm and loud, it’s about the opposite of the somber quiet home time it was in Colorado! This year we got to celebrate the Fiesta Jibara in Quebradillas and that was extra special!
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The holidays are in full swing here in Puerto Rico this year. The festivities are on fire and it seems that every other day we have one party or another to attend. It has been so much fun! Thanksgiving with our neighbors, birthday parties, cookie exchanges, encendidos, parrandas, school parties and more. It has been non-stop. It is so true that Puerto Rico knows how to party and the winter Christmas season is the best for that!
When we haven’t been out having fun, we’ve been trying to take advantage of the extra time we have with Aeden in daycare and the fact that it has been so much cooler in order to expand the gardens. We recently planted over 35 new cultivars of heliconias and are so excited to see them grow! The cabana has been steadily booked with guests and so that keeps us busy with maintenance, tours and turnover. It’s been a very fufiling time in our lives. I’ve been trying to make more videos in order to capture the essence of life these days, sort of “vlog” style if you’d like to watch some other things that we’ve been up to. Here’s our channel: LIFETRANSPLANET YOUTUBE
Christmas Fun
Primer Cumpleanos for friend Nico’s Birthday Party
Holiday fun. At the beach, with a Norfolk pine (a tropical Christmas tree!) and surfer statue has been Santa-fied
Winter is the best time for a swim!
Or just visit the beach
There was a fun party at the lighthouse
We went out to the encendido in the Rincon Plaza – the best orchestra in Puerto Rico (Orquesta Sinfónica)!
Cows and geckos- normal sights
Had a fun stop at Tres Sirenas Inn
And an awesome farm called “Finca Brutal”
Thanksgiving with our neighbors was a lot of fun!
The beauty of this place still astounds me
More fun out and about
Some new additions to the garden and harvests
Preparing for a flower delivery and working outside in December!
Check out this GIANT heliconia called “Beefsteak” or Mariae. With our new friend Carlos
It’s been an active period of growth, literally, while we enjoy the holidays as well. We hope yours are going well also! Felicidades.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2019 full of love and wonder!
This Christmas after some plans fell through, we found ourselves on the beach once more trading snow and cold for sand and sunsets. They moved the annual Pig Roast celebration from Almendros Beach because it was devoid of trees after Maria to Playa Lala. Playa Lala was once just “the beach behind the old Econo” and has now become a popular destination especially with all the little kiosk bars right nearby.
The 3 of us getting into the Christmas Spirit
Playa Lala on Christmas
Driftwood tree
Another unusual tree
Breaking out the Coquito at sunset
What a beautiful sunset it was! Almost watercolor
Britton and Aeden away from the crowd
My silly sweety -my favorite Christmas present ever!
Also, the Newstory about us aired in Colorado on Christmas Eve. Check out more of the story here if you haven’t yet seen it, or watch the video below!
After Maria: The Kauffman Family from KDVR on Vimeo.
This sign says: It is time to have electricity. We are upset and have not seen work crews. The generator costs money and we are broke!
It is amazing how much better life feels with electricity and water. I will never take those basic services of modern life for granted again. We are only two people of about 65% of the island that currently has power however.
Another sign notifying the electric company of a house that still has no power
It is sort of strange how and where the power is distributed. For instance, our neighborhood was the first one in Puntas to get reconnected, and now, nearly a month later the nearest road to us still doesn’t have it. The patchwork connection is frustrating for those without. Just because you see your neighbor connected doesn’t mean you will be.
AEE is out there doing their best!
Still this doesn’t stop the Christmas spirit. Puerto Rico is well-known for the length and type of fun celebrating during the Navidad season. We have been enjoying spending time with friends and going to various events and get-togethers.
Chrstmas Party fun
Winter Solstice Party at Steps Beach
Picturesque scenes
Enjoying nice nights out
And the Christmas Spirit of Puerto Rico
When we are not out celebrating, we have been working on the property. We have added some water tubing to irrigate the gardens more and have found more plants to add to the collection. Now that it isn’t raining very often, the work is a little easier because things aren’t growing quite as fast.
Tarantula in the gardens
Iguanas out en force!
short hike around the property for this beautiful tropical bouquet
Uprighting a coconut palm took quite some doing!
It feels that the more people who receive power, the more powerful and happy people are as well. The general sadness that we saw immediately after and for the first month or two has shifted over the hump to a general happiness. At least 65%. Christmas and holiday spirit has lifted even the lowest spirits some, but we are all still awaiting the full glory of island life once again. The clean-up continues, but overall things are looking more and more beautiful every day.
One of the piles of post-hurricane household rubbish
And a serene Christmas moment at dusk