Our island vacation has arrived! Yesterday was filled with an early morning wake up, four (yes 4!!!) flights that finally landed us on the island, a taxi shared by a fellow passenger & the pilot that flew us from the main island to Vieques, and a beer with the owner of the apartment we rented…all in all, a long day! Today, today was muuuuch better!

We rose to the sound of roosters. Not a menacing sound, by any means, as we are early risers (although we did sleep until 8:30, super late for us!). Our next mission: coffee or cafe, as the locals call it.

 

Dressed and sunscreened up, we meandered down the Main Street of Vieques, where colorful buildings mixed in with dilapidated ones gave us lots to look at. Walking about 1/2 mile down to the ferry, we noticed most placed listed 10a.m to open, so we grabbed a cafe negro from the local corner panaderia in the main square. Before our cafés, we popped in a car rental place and booked a jeep for the following 3 days. While it’s a small island, we were told there are several remote beaches and a south part of the island worth exploring. Totally warranted spending $75 per day on an adventure vehicle!

Feeling wonderfully relaxed, we sipped our cafés on a bench while watching wild chickens romp around.

Next up: snorkeling! Needing to grab our own gear back at the apartment, we headed through town and bumped into Black Beard Sports. They do Bioluminescent Bay Tour!!!!! Signed up on the spot with a guy hailing from Denver! Fate for sure.

Our vehicle & bio tour all set up, breakfast was in order! We headed back towards our homestead to grab some breakfast at the panaderia closest to our apartment. Creole omelets with some cafe con leche y pan. Delicious!

Fully caffeinated, we popped back in the apartment to grab our snorkel and were off in search of sand & surf. Sea glass beach fulfilled our wishes, although the choppy water provided less than optimal visuals. But my oh my, the water is gloriously blue and warm here!!!

How magnificent to be in the ocean, swimming freely! After snorkeling, we headed past the ferry to the north east side of the island for another view. The waves were thrashing quite violently, so we didn’t venture in, but proved amazing views.

Worn out from our swim, we sought refreshment and headed to a funky bar (Cafe Mamasonga) and had a few medellas (the local beer). It was a lively place and complimented the island vibe perfectly. Feeling a bit giddy after no lunch, lots of sun, and a few brews, we decided to head back to grab more dinero so we could grab a proper lunch. Well, we decided to take a nap instead! This is vacation!

Refreshed and raring to go, I got up and did some yoga, then we headed out in search of the sunset. Azuls bar fit the bill and we watched the sun slip out of sight and the sky explode with color. Gorgeous!

Dinner was at a local spot, El Yates. Rice, beans, conch, sweet plantains and a whole grouper! The meal was good, drinks were tasty, and the first day in Vieques was a success!!! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s adventure…

Happy Wednesday!