I can remember a time when I would literally cry when a great vacation came to an end. Vacationing on my home island, that doesn't happen. I know that I can come back any time I want, AND our home is pretty much a permanent vacation in itself! And of course I can't just drive straight home... Nope! I've got a whole itinerary planned for the drive! So let's get to it!
We were out of the B&B by just after 10am, and on our way to our first stop. Bruce and I have visited the salt flats and the Faro los Morrillos many times, and it's always a take-your-breath-away experience. Today was no different.
The salt pans weren't accessible, but we could see them from the street. It looked like they were almost drained and only one was pinkish, so it wasn't a big attraction anyway. We drove right on past them, maybe we'll stop briefly on the way out! Still, I had to stop to snap a few of the salt flats with the stunning blue water in the background. This is the first time we've visited this early in the day, so the lighting was all different, almost making it seem like a whole new place!
The hike up was very nice. It's pretty much the end of our winter, and very soon it will become too hot to enjoy the arid parts of the island on the southwest coast. I'm not saying we won't be back in the summer... just that it won't be as pleasant as it is today!
The lighthouse wasn't open, but we don't come here for the lighthouse really anyway. It's the dramatic cliff views that keep us coming back here again and again.
This is Sue's first time here, and it's always a pleasure to see our favorite places through the eyes of a first timer!
There's Bruce over there!
And that's Sue over on the point. She thinks I was trying to kill her!
Not a great photo, but you can see the scissortail bird that we saw nesting in the cliff.
We wandered along the deserted cliff trail, heading for another beautiful spot. Thankfully, the natural bridge at Puente de Piedra is still there. I was worried that the strong earthquakes we had last year would have broken the bridge. Happily, it is still a treasure to be enjoyed. Some day, I will climb down to the water, where I hear there are caves. But we've done enough caving for one vacation! We'll just enjoy the photo ops from the top!
We had such a great time with Sue!
We wandered along the cliff, and found a new part of the trail that we hadn't seen before. This looks like a nice place to take a picnic. And it would be easy to get down to the secluded white sand beach.
Back at the car, we drove on toward the small beach on the other side of the lighthouse, just to take a look. This crazy little yellow bird attached to the rearview mirror and was insistent that she be let inside! All I could think was that she had a nest in a similar place and was desperate to get to her family. Poor little confused bird. She stayed with us for a long time, until finally we drove on. She left and then returned to us when we came back through on our way out!
Off we went, birdless, to our next stop! I wanted to go and see the ruins of the lighthouse in Guanica, but first, I was hoping that my favorite empanadilla place would be open. It was! It is just a tiny little place, but their food is the bar by which all other is measured! We took a couple of bags of food and headed for the beach!
Tiny little Playa Jaboncillo is another gem we've found to be mostly deserted. Today there were a few people there, but still plenty of space for us to have our picnic. Last time here I found some sea glass, but not today. This looks like it would be a great snorkel stop!
Our next stop was a very sad one. I had heard that the lighthouse ruins in Guanica had sustained some damage from the earthquakes last year, but I wasn't expecting that it would be reduced to piles of rubble! I was shocked and saddened to see that we've lost one of our historical treasures. I don't see any way to come back from this level of devastation.
Astonishing! It's just piles of rubbel!
The tower has fallen. The metal stairway is bent over.
The stairwell walls are a pile of dust and brick.
Looking up, you can see the handrails, and the place where the brick stairs once were.
We took pics in the window to the left, where there is no longer even a wall!
This is what it looked like during a previous visit.
I guess nothing lasts forever, but it is a tragic shame to lose such a beautiful symbol of a time gone by. I'm very glad that I got to see it before it was lost forever...
We continued on down the long coast road past the lighthouse, to show Sue Playa Ballena. It's a wild and beautiful beach with jagged rocks that collect the salt.
Back in the car after a quick look, we pressed on to our last stop. By this time we were getting pretty tired. We've been going all week, and Bruce was pretty much done! When we arrived to our last stop, which I wasn't even sure would be open... he volunteered to sit in the car!
Sue and I toddled off happily to check out the sunflowers at Finca el Girasol! This place has been closed every other time I've driven out this way. I knew from their Facebook page, that they were closed this week, but would open at the end of the week. That would be NOW! Yes! They were open. There weren't a LOT of sunflowers, but this is a working farm, so we'll take what we can get!
OK, I guess you CAN have too many sunflower pics!!
Shell covered house!
I've got an HOA or I would totally be doing this!
Well folks! That's a wrap! Another beautifully orchestrated vacation on this Island of Enchantment. We're all still speaking to one another, and we all feel like we've had as much fun as we could possibly have had without injuring ourselves! I hope you've enjoyed our Staycation a fraction of how much we did!
We got home, and our house on the beach was really just an extension of this vacation anyway, so we're happy! Thanks for reading my blog!
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