We had some errands to run in Mayaguez and heard that the replica Spanish galleon ship was in town once again. We’ve tried to check it out before and it has been closed, but on this day we lucked out!
It’s a huge ship!
The tour was completely free and we had access to almost all parts of the boat. It is a working/traveling boat, and very authentic. It was cool to imagine the voyage it would have taken to go from Europe to the “new world” hundreds of years ago. With over 150 people on board it would have been stinky, hot and uncomfortable for the long journey. And if you were not the captain, the quarters in the hot lower decks would have been horrendous. I also thought about the slave trade and how terrible it would have been to be kidnapped and transported on a ship like this. Looking back now this seems like a quaint memory but in the time of pirates, slaves, and looting it would have been quite a moment in history.
Crow’s nest! Ahoy mateys!
You’d have to be pretty good with ropes to work on a ship like this!
Best part of the boat!
It’s a pirate life for me!
Here’s a little video walk through of the Andalucia. Enjoy!
We had another great Christmas pig roast on the beach. This year marked our 3rd time at this party! It’s always so much fun to be at the beach on Christmas. Some people love a white, snowy Christmas, but I can’t think of a better place than here to celebrate! Here are a few fun pictures and of course a video.
Christmas day in Rincón
Friends on the beach!
Don’t need anything but a swimsuit, drinks and some music!
With our friend Jeff
I love this smiling guy! (Thanks to Daisy for this pic)
We went down to the Yunta de Bueyes Festival again this year. This was one of the very first festivals we attended when we moved to Puerto Rico in 2013. While Rincón may be thought of as a gringo haven, you wouldn’t know it by this festival as we saw probably only about 3 other gringos the whole time.
Festival with the parade of bueyes (oxen)
We had planned on just going to the park but we must have picked the right time as the parade was just starting. So we were able to watch a lot of the parade and then walk to Plaza Amistad. There were a few oxen, lots of horses and even more cars and tractors. We even saw a Lamborghini…which seemed quite odd in this rural traditional scene.
Lamborghini
We took a little side shoot down to Playa Lala on our way to the festival because in Rincón you are never far from the beach.
At Playa Lala Rincón
Getting pulled along during the parade
At the festival we saw more oxen, ate some pasteles, arroz con gandules, drank some Medallas, listened to music and wandered around looking at all the booths and people.
Check out this guy’s mustache!!
Mmm pasteles, arroz con gandules y ensalada
Like stepping back in time!
When these oxen pushed against me I wasn’t so sure the stick would hold them there!
And check out this decked out bicycle!
The party never ends here in Puerto Rico! Especially at Christmastime.
We recently took an island adventure to Isla Palominitos also known as Palominito Island. This is a tiny islet off the coast of Fajardo that is so small it is more like a sandbar than an island. At one point in time it had a bit more vegetation and palm trees, but due to some storm damage and erosion, when we arrived it was desolate. Still, there was an intense beauty and rawness that beckoned us to enjoy it.
Sunrise!!
We started our day off early in the morning around 6am and saw a rare (for us) sunrise on the drive out before caravanning with some friends. It’s a long drive from Rincón (the farthest west) to Farjardo (the farthest east) and after a couple of short stops and many toll booths we arrived at the Marina a little before 11am. Some other friends had left the day before and we met them at the dock to load up onto the boat that we chartered with a man called Captain Mingo for $35/person.
A fun group of friends!
On the boat trip we took the long route and saw the islands of Icacos and Palomino Island before finally arriving at our day destination: Palominito. The water was the most turquoise blue I have ever seen! It was truly the Caribbean destination of the magazines. All that was missing were the coconut palm trees!
Vibrant cerulean and turquoise colored waters
When we arrived we set up camp sort of like on Survivor with some tent sails. We turned on some tunes, grabbed a cold drink from the coolers and set out to the warm water.
Setting up the area we named “Boneyard Camp” for the bleached trees and white coral fragments
Coral fragments of the Boneyard
We had the whole island to ourselves for about an hour and then a few people came and visited us. They said that from afar it looked like we were having a grand party. And in fact, we were!
White sand beaches and crystalline waters all to ourselves!
We greeted the first “invaders” to our island and found out that they were with a movie production crew. It’s such a great spot that even Pirates of the Caribbean has had a scene on Palominito (when it was a little more of a lush oasis).
Our visitors with me and Jill on the ends
Britton and I laughed that we drove 3 hours just to go to another beach, but it was definitely worth it! We liked the adventure of the boat, the new area and the feeling of being castaways on a deserted island. We had a lot of fun just lazing about in the water, tossing a football around and taking fun photos.
Thanks to Daisy for this pic
The water was like a swimming pool!
Flying!
Postcard perfect!
Britton and I enjoyed the gorgeous day
Strike a pose with the moon
We spent about 5 hours out there eating, drinking and being merry on an island in the sun. When Captain Mingo returned we were a little sad to leave. On the way back, Britton even got to drive the boat for a while! He said it takes a little bit of getting used to because you have to steer using opposite inputs.
Captain Britton at the helm
As we were unloading everything from the boat and into the truck some drunk fisherman crashed right into us! Britton ran over and moved the truck out of the way of the ramp and then he rammed us again and started rambling incoherently at us! Captain Borracho as we now call him. Thankfully he only hit our bumper and did virtually no damage to our truck! These are the unknowns to any adventure! After all that commotion we decided to just head back home rather than spend more time with friends in Fajardo like we had planned.
On the way back we took the northern route through San Juan instead of the southern Ponce route. If you are coming from the west coast I would suggest always taking the southern route. There are fewer exits to navigate and much less traffic.
Overall our day trip to Palominito Island was definitely an adventure and the beauty was beyond compare. For anyone who loves raw nature and the idea of just hanging out on a small deserted island with white sand beaches and crystal teal waters this is the place for you!
It’s a pirate life for me!
