Exploring Vieques, Tito Kayak, and “Despacito”

Puerto Week 2: La Isla Nena- Three Days in Vieques

Read about my first week in Puerto Rico here!

Monday felt like one of the longest days of my life.

The night before I had been too captivated by a book I was reading, and ended up going to bed much later than I should have.

Especially because the next day we woke up at 4:00 in the morning to take a bus over to a port in Ceiba, a city on the east side of the island.

From there we boarded a ferry that would take us to the tiny island of Vieques, where we’d be spending the next couple of days. Most of my classmates managed to sleep for a bit on the voyage over, but a spectacularly odd episode of the show Caso Cerrado playing on the ship’s tv screens kept the rest of us awake.

Historical Tour of Vieques

Once we arrived at the ferry station in Vieques, we had time to walk around, nap, and find breakfast before our first activities of the day officially began. I bought a doughnut from a local bakery, and fed some to chickens gathered nearby.

We met up with our local guide and spent some time exploring key sites in the city, then took a bus up to one of the highest points on the island. There we stopped at the Museo El Fortín de Conde Mirasol, but couldn’t go inside because they were doing work in the archives. The grounds outside the museum had incredible views of the area though, and we spent a few minutes taking pictures.

From there we started driving towards the west side of the island, and stopped at the Parque de la Ceiba de Vieques Reserva Natural. Located just west of the Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport, the park features an enormous 400-year old Ceiba tree. There was even a small park with swings and exercise equipment and beach access as well.

After a short drive we reached Mosquito Pier. Originally built by the US Navy when they began using Vieques as a naval station during World War II, the pier offers one-of-a-kind views of the island and the waters dividing Vieques from Puerto Rico. The mountains of El Yunque in Puerto Rico can be seen from a distance here as well.

We passed by the Almendros Disc Golf Course on our way to our last stop of the day, bunkers built and used by the US Navy. The bunkers are built into the natural contours of the area, making them nearly undetectable from the skies appearing just like every other hill on the island. We spent most of our time at Bunker 412, where artists have covered the doors with black-and-white photos depicting scenes from the history of Vieques. There are dozens of these hidden, now mostly abandoned bunkers, and it was amazing to walk around the area.

After the bunkers we drove back to the main city and were dropped off at our Airbnb where we’d be spending the next two nights. The view of the ocean was spectacular, especially from the infinity pool, a luxury none of us expected as part of the study abroad experience. We spent some time at the beach nearby before dinner and enjoyed some time relaxing and watching the sunset.

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Service and Sunshine

The next morning we drove to La Colmena Cimarrona, a local community organization that runs a small farm designed to help Vieques become more sustainable. After learning more about the project and taking a tour of the grounds, we got the chance to help out around the farm. I helped move gravel and plants to a new covered greenhouse space, while some of my other classmates helped paint parts of the barn. It felt great to get a little sweaty and dirty while helping this important organization.

With an honest morning’s work behind us, we switched gears and spent most of the rest of the day in the city of Esperanza. We walked from city center towards Sun Bay Beach, staying along the shoreline. We found a marooned boat out near the peninsula on our way over, and stopped to look at it before heading over the main section of the beach. After spending a few hours in the water and napping in my hammock, we walked over to Lazy Jack’s restaurant for dinner before our evening adventure.

We had booked tickets for a kayaking excursion to Mosquito Bay, home to the brightest bioluminescent waters in the world. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, one I’d highly recommend to anyone traveling to Vieques. We left right from the middle of Esperanza and rode the bus for a few minutes over to the bay. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and the company we used provided a great experience. Once we finished we took our bus back to our Airbnb to get some sleep.

We used Viator.com to book our tickets for the Bioluminescent Bay tour, and you can too! Click this link to start booking adventures on Viator.com

Vieques Beach Day

The next day we spent as much time at the beach as possible before we had to take the ferry back to Ceiba. Our first stop was Black Sand Beach, which, as the name indicates, is unique for its black sand. You have to walk down a short trail through a forest to get there, but the scenery was well worth the hike. After exploring the coast here for a few hours, we spent the rest of the afternoon at Caracas Beach. Caracas Beach is located on the east side of Vieques, on land now protected as part of Vieques National Wildlife Refuge. This beach was my favorite from my entire trip to Puerto Rico. The water was the clearest I’ve ever seen, the beach was clean, and there were even public restrooms and pavilions available.

After a few incredibly peaceful hours at Caracas Beach, we drove back to the city of Vieques for dinner before the ferry was scheduled to leave. I purchased a sandwich from a local diner and refilled my water bottle at a church nearby, then met back up with the rest of the group for the ferry ride back to Ceiba. After we reached Puerto Rico again we took another a bus back to the Residencias at the Plaza Universitaria in Río Piedras.

Isla Verde

The next day’s afternoon activity was a trip to Isla Verde, where we got the opportunity to tour another urban ecological project – the Jardin Botanico Bucaré. After learning about the crops grown at the garden, some of their unique practices, and their impact on the local community, we walked down the street to the Parque de Patinetas de Punta Las Marías. This park is a protected ecological area right off of the Calle Loíza, and includes a path to the ocean and a skate park as well.

We took a bus over to Isla Verde beach afterwards, where the organization is also involved in some restoration projects. In what ended up being one of the most randomly interesting events of the entire program, one of the garden’s workers invited her friend , better known infamously as Tito Kayak, to come out to the beach to talk with us.

Tito Kayak is a Puerto Rican legend. Born in Vieques, Tito Kayak has been an out-spoken activist for many years. His most infamous act occurred on November 5, 2000, when he climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty in New York City and placed a Puerto Rican flag of the statue’s crown in protest. He’s participated in other remarkable protests as well, usually climbing something tall (like a building or a crane) to send a clear and powerful message.

So, of course, we had to take a few pictures with him, amazed by his story and eager to share it with our friends and families back home.

Weekend Activities in Hato Rey

Friday evening a group of us took the Tren Urbano to the Coliseo de Puerto Rico for a Luis Fonsi concert.  Fonsi, himself from San Juan, is a famous Spanish singer known primarily for his global hit “Despacito” featuring Daddy Yankee, also from San Juan. The completely full stadium was a testament to his popularity, and the concert was well worth it.

I spent most of the weekend working on an essay due for the class, but took a break Saturday to watch the UEFA Champion’s League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. Only one of the professors and I were soccer fans in the entire group, so we took the Tren Urbano together just the two of us to the restaurant  24 Market Place to watch the match. Real Madrid won, which made the restaurant erupt in excitement, and was a fun atmosphere to watch the match.

Sunday afternoon after church I was also able to visit the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, which was almost finished being built. It was nice to be able to visit the site where the first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the island will be dedicated, and was a great way to end an exciting week.

Follow my next week’s adventure here, including a trip to the longest zipline in the Americas!