March 12:
After a calm, low key morning spent on the patio of our guesthouse, writing and enjoying the breeze, we squeezed into our swimsuits and set out for our first day at the beach. The sun was strong and Max walked with us from the house, down towards the beach. We filled a borrowed cooler with ice and beer, which went down especially well under these conditions.
We found a spot under a shady coconut palm. The beach was nearly deserted at eleven o’clock. The palms clapped loudly overhead. Laying on a towel in the sun the rays are so strong you can nearly feel them cook your skin. The glittering water was respite from the heat, it’s coolness bathed my skin. We played this game over and over again. Lunch was chicken skewers and salty plantain chips. And beer, don’t forget the beer.
We walked slowly back along the crescent shaped beach with our feet in the water, sinking into the soft silky sand. We picked up hermit crab shells with pokey sea urchins living inside and little pieces of coral that littered the beach. The sun slipped behind puffy white clouds for our walk back, which made the temperature bearable and the breeze glorious. How is it that there are so many shades of blue? The water is so clear it looks green as I gaze at my feet through the foamy white waves that lap noisily on shore.
Back on our patio we sat, drinking cuba libres and eating leftover pastele. We talk for nearly two hours with a British/Danish couple names Peter and Marta (a journalist and doctor! You just never know who a person is until you start talking). We’re told that some of the best Puerto Rican food can be found at a place called Bili’s, so we try it for dinner. Absolutely I agree, the food was incredible! Especially the fried fresh snapper. I could barely move afterwards, but it was totally worth it. It was our favourite place on the island of Vieques.
Wow! That's all I can say.
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