Travel Tales: Vieques, Puerto Rico

My friend Andrew spearheaded the effort. Chances are, we never would have considered it if our roommate, who was a Natural Resources major and environmentalist extraordinaire, hadn’t explore the matter. But we took little convincing; apparently Vieques had somehow become a tourist destination since the bombing.

We took a cab ride from San Juan to Fajardo, on the eastern shores of mainland Puerto, and took a ferry over to the island of Vieques. From the distance the entire island looked like a rich, green span of rainforests.

We didn’t make use of the bikes, because everywhere we went was within walking distance. The beaches we visited had an equal mix of tourists and residents. The sand varied between white and red, and the water was, well, perfect. Warm, salty and crystal-clear, it was ideal for scuba diving, snorkeling or just being.

The island’s charm comes from its wildlife. Perhaps the most memorable experience of the trip occurred when we were walking to one of the many beaches. We all stopped in our tracks when we came to an open field of wild horses. None of us had ever seen horses without a saddle or tied up in some way. These horses galloped around like they owned the island. I think we watched them for about an hour.

Horses aren’t the only animals freely wandering Vieques. You might walk down the street next to a rooster. My friends took a picture of me with my arm practically around a huge iguana. If you’re fascinated by nature’s wonders, you must not miss the bioluminescent Mosquito Bay. The magazine Coastal Living voted Mosquito Bay one of the top ten coastal wildlife hotspots: “Often called bio bay, this is one of the best places in the world to experience bioluminescence, a natural glow produced by living organisms.” Unfortunately for us, the CNN-hosted article advises visitors to go during a new moon when the sky is darkest. Thanks to our planning, we went during a full moon and missed out on all the excitement. But we spent hours wading in the bay and taking pictures of the moon. You really can’t go wrong.

Last month I took a family trip to Marco Island on the West Coast of Florida. It’s renowned for its sunsets. Well, no offense to Marco Island: it was a great place, but the sunset in Vieques blows it away. The sunrises aren’t shabby, either.  One of my friends—let’s just call him a morning person—woke us all up at 6 A.M. one morning and screamed, “It’s happening!” After we had all cursed him out, we grudgingly rolled out of bed and hobbled to the inn rooftop. Once I saw the sunrise, I woke up more quickly than I ever had in my life. Red, yellow, orange…the sunrise displayed colors I’d never seen before. We just sat on the roof and watched the light show, accompanied by the music of the island’s roosters and other birds.