So after the coconuts are harvested from the palm trees what happens? Well, as I mentioned in the previous post, they are mostly used for the coconut water. Fresh coconut water is so much better than any coconut water you can buy in a package. It is a great hydrator or drink mix. It has an interesting taste. Not sweet and not salty but something in between. And really doesn’t have a “coconut” flavor to it even though that is actually what it is!
Hanging out with the coconut guys
The other day we went down to La Placita, the little fruit stand/gas station down from our house, and bought a half gallon of freshly processed agua de coco for $6. We have plenty of coconuts at our house and often harvest and process them ourselves, but on this day we left it to the professionals. Here’s a little video snippet. Working with a machete can be dangerous, but these guys have been doing it for some time!
At La Placita with our coco water
Not only did we get some agua de coco but one of the men offered to make me one of his special rings! Always so much fun whenever we go out!
When we are out and about we often see things that we call “Island Scenes,” you know, scenes that you would never see if you didn’t live on a tropical island. Palm trees, especially coconut palms, to me are one of the quintessentially tropical markers. And as we were walking down a beach one day we came upon two men who were harvesting coconuts from tall 50 foot swaying palm trees. One of them climbed up using his spikes and the other one caught the heavy bundle of coconuts that descended from a rope.
Hola from on high!
These coconuts are mainly used for their coconut water, but of course can be used for any number of preparations from coconut oil, toasted coconut, coconut milk, even piña coladas! This is a great service for the beaches because a coconut that falls from that height could easily kill an unwitting person below. Win/win! Here’s a video of them at their work:
We hung out for a while nearby with a friend and enjoyed the sunset. I tried my monkey best to climb a coconut palm, but without the spikes I couldn’t get too far 🙂
My coconut tree climb is not nearly as impressive!
Horse riding and a pack of dogs on the beach
Classic sunset shot
We also watched another traditional method of living off the land and water when we saw a man setting up the fishing net at the edge of the sea as the tiny ripples lapped softly against the sand. I’m not exactly sure what he was fishing for, perhaps sardines as we often see them when we enter the water. This is the kind of economic activity that has been going on for hundreds of years and that you probably won’t hear much about on the news or through the government: a direct connection to nature and your livelihood.
Boat at sunset
A ceiling fan and a clock on a bamboo pole. Is this where island time came from? haha
We’ve been getting much further with the cabin. We now have the drywall installed and are working on the flooring. So close to moving in! But we’ve also been taking some time to go out and have a little fun! Staying close to home we spent a nice afternoon with some friends at Steps Beach. It was a bit rainy, but the water was warmer than the air! We slid around on the slimy mossy rocks, snorkeled and dove for pebbles and just lazed in the water and on the beach.
Silly girls!
My view as I floated around
I also found a great sturdy vine and I just had to climb and swing from it. I think I am becoming more and more monkey living on this island!
Hey, hey I’m a monkey!
Before our band practice I also had a chance to have a little chat with the horse that is pastured where we park. We’ve been watching him grow from a foal to a young horse and it’s pretty cool.
We go into what we call “town” about once a week now for materials for the cabin. Usually that means Mayaguez, but sometimes it’s to Aguadilla. This time when we went to Mayaguez we stopped at the area near the water that they use for the “ferry.”
We stopped at this hole in the wall across the street from the water -Grandpa’s Lighthouse
The ferry according to some guy there in this case isn’t a lancha but rather a small cruise ship that goes to “Santo Domingo.” And I don’t mean Santo Domingo the capital city, but rather the word you may hear here more often than not for the Dominican Republic as a whole. But apparently this nice cruise ship is being repaired in Africa….The things you learn just hanging out.
View of the water in Mayaguez near the “ferry” area
The monkey strikes again: I took the opportunity to climb a sea grape tree
And check out some of the cool defunct boats
Next we went searching for a little nightlife. It was not the weekend yet, so we weren’t sure where to go. We ended up down in Boquerón! I don’t think Britton and I had been in Boquerón since our honeymoon. It’s such a fun and lively place. I loved all the live music and all the restaurants that are right on the water. We even danced a little salsa! So fun!
Dancing in the street!
In Boquerón, most of the bars and restaurants back right up to the water!
Argh! Buy me a mojito, matey! I’m hooked!
We ate at a restaurant on the water that we could feed tarpon from the table. We went to this on our honeymoon! Crazy!
Whether we stay home in Rincón or venture out a little further, I am still just so delighted with this fun-loving island!
Here’s a quick video of our time in and around Boquerón.
On my birthday I like to do things out of the ordinary. They don’t have to be big, but just something different. So we took a short day trip and I called it my “La Vida es un Carnaval Day” AKA Life is a Carnival. I would just play games, eat junky food, take rides and have fun all day long.
I don’t eat junk food much, but on my birthday Britton surprised me by sharing an ice cream cone with me for breakfast! 🙂
To start the carnival trip, we stopped at the Mayaguez Resort and Casino. I had heard about the amazing swimming pool and wanted to see it for myself. It was definitely impressive. It had a lazy river as well as waterfalls and multiple slides. It was more like a waterpark than a pool! I want to go and spend a day there sometime.
Pool with cascades and lazy river area
At the Mayaguez Resort and Casino pool area
Next we checked out the casino area and I played a little roulette. I am not much for gambling, but once in a blue moon like on my carnival birthday it can be fun.
I actually won a little money even!
Next up, we went down to La Parguera in Lajas. We walked around the touristy area and had a couple of drinks that I rarely have like a heavy-calorie yummy piña colada! The famous drink of Puerto Rico!
Fun at La Parguera
A gorgeous day after a super heavy rain!
Playtime with rides and games in La Parguera. Who says you have to grow up?
Later that night we decided to take the bioluminescent boat tour. It was $10 per ticket. We knew it probably wouldn’t be the best because of the nearly full moon, but thought what the heck, let’s try it! It was a nice boatload of people. On the lower deck there was music and a little viewing window into the water, but we decided to go to the upper deck. It was so refreshing to feel the wind blowing on us as the moon lit the way through the little mangrove islands as it reached the bio-bay. When we stopped they had a couple of divers jump in and agitate the waters. Sure enough there was a light glow surrounding them as they kicked and swirled. I couldn’t get a great picture, but it really was magical. I have heard that other bio-bay tours are a little more intense, but it was pretty cool for a spur of the moment thing.
A little blurry, but you can see the boat that we took and the moon
Here’s a short video of our time in La Parguera
Overall it was a fantastic carnival day! La vida es una hermosura; hay que vivirla.
