The old buildings that surround these town Plazas are simply amazing!
I had planned to surprise Bruce with a side trip to the Botanical Gardens in Caguas after we left the dermatologist's office, but the Gardens are still closed due to Covid. I had a scheduled pickup time at Sam's Club, so now we have an hour and a half to kill. What to do....
A quick consultation with Google Maps, and I was headed for the Plaza de Recreo Santiago R. Palmer, or more easily said, Palmer Plaza in Caguas. All of the municipalities have at least one central plaza, and we've never had the time to visit this one during our many trips to the mountain municipality of Caguas.
So come with me and see what we got into!
I found parking easily on the one-way street bordering the plaza. Somehow, I figured out the process... each parking space had a number. Obviously there is some way to pay for the space... The signs were all in Spanish of course, but I quickly realized that there would be a pay station nearby... I found it, and fed the machine enough to get us an hour!
We strolled slowly along with umbrellas deployed against a light rain. That did not deter the numerous pigeons, who miraculously appeared around us!
Somehow, magically, our footsteps led us to the door of this artisanal ice cream shop! Funny how that happens!!!
Because of Covid, we were quickly expelled from the store. Tossed out into the warm sunny day, each with a mountain of ice cream melting down our arm, we found a bench where we could sit, and focus our attention on slurping this TREAT before having to wear it home! The ice cream was delicious! Bruce got pistachio/coconut and and I got coconut/almond! (one scoop of each) And for those of you back in the 'States, eat your hearts out! The cost for both of these with tax was less than $5!! Have I told you lately how much I love Puerto Rico???
I'm sure there is some significance to this brick structure inside the tree...
Somehow we managed to finish the ice cream without getting it everywhere. Thankfully I carry towelettes with me, and we were able to minimize the damage. With full but happy tummies, we continued our stroll around the Plaza.
I always do a bit of research when writing these blog posts. After the fact, I often learn cool things about these places, that I wish I had known before.
What I found out this time, is that there are several museums and historical sites within walking distance of this Plaza, that will be of great interest to Bruce, so we will have to plan better for our return visit to Caguas. Next time, I'll have to plan for more time to kill! And more ice cream!
We left the South Carolina on Halloween, 2014. It was a cold day, temperatures started out in the 40s but warmed up considerably as we moved south along the US East Coast. That was the last time we experienced anything even close to Winter. And that's just how we like it!
We may walk this beach a thousand times,
And each time...
It will be different.
My mind has entered a state of perpetual Summer. Most of the time, I forget that some places in this world are even still participating in Winter. I see it on Facebook mostly. And it's always a shock. I can't even conceptualize it. So here we are, on a typical day in January. On an island in The Freakin' Caribbean. And on this day, my thoughts turned to sympathy for all of those people who are still living where Winter happens. Well, you can keep it!
Only worry, is the tide gonna reach my chair butt...
He's out there doing the breast stroke...
It might look like we have no worries...
And most days...
It seems like we don't! But of course that's not true.
Even in January, when the sun is shining here in Puerto Rico, it can get pretty warm. Especially when we're out exercising. Mostly the Caribbean Breezes keep us cool, but some days, we are lucky enough to have almost complete cloud cover to make our walk a delight. Back in our cruising days, we never even made it to breakfast without checking the weather. Here, we go weeks without even thinking about it. (Unless it's hurricane season, but that's another story) We live on an island. In The-Freakin'-Caribbean! Of course it's going to rain today!
Our first steps onto the beach today brought the excitement of a new place. Yes, we've walked this beach many times, but it always surprises us how the forces of nature continually change our beaches. We haven't been here in many weeks, and we were a little sad to see that during our absence, we lost quite a few huge palm trees!
After a little entertainment, we took off toward the mouth of the Rio Maunabo. Along the way, we found a few things of interest, but very little sea glass. This is one of the beaches where I often find a nice handful... but not today!
Lichen of many different types grow on the dead tree trunks.
This is where palm trees come from!
The Black Sand is my favorite!
Kind of looks like a heart, doesn't it?
A little black sand, a little beige sand...
Never. Gets. Old.
We covered the distance to the mouth of Rio Maunabo relatively quickly with no sea glass to slow us down. So many missing palm trees, and quite a few just lying where they fell! But there is a lot more new sand than we found last visit, so while Mother Nature takes, she gives also.
Amazing! Where a high bank with the river cutting through the multicolored layers once was, there is now a flat bank of sand with waves pushing their way into the river. We enjoyed the new view and rested for a little while. As I relaxed, drinking in the beauty of our surroundings... my gaze focused on the line of rain that was rushing across the water, headed directly for US!!!
Break time is over!
Here comes the rain!
We scrambled up the embankment and into the protection of the palm forest! While it didn't provide complete cover, it kept us mostly dry. Well... maybe just kept us from getting soaked to the skin! But it's OK, because it's still in the low 80s anyway... and who doesn't love a refreshing shower?
Once the rain had passed, we came out of hiding and headed back to the car.
Back at the car, we took off our sun shirts, and rinsed the sand off of our feet, then we set up our chairs and brought out our picnic lunch! This beach, one of our Secret Beaches, has the perfect picnic spot! We enjoyed the breeze, and the play of the clouds and sun across the waves, until the sun came out for good! Suddenly, it was getting HOT! So, we packed our stuff and called it a day!
