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Published: December 29th 2007
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We awaken early Friday morning and once again set off for Fajardo. Only this time we will not be staying. We are boarding a ferry down at the port for a day-trip to Culebra, an island just off the coast. Culebra has a total population of about 1800. According to Frommers, this is a very lazy and relaxed island. It is said to resemble what the Carribean used to be like in the 60’s; before much of it became commercialized. There are no resorts or high-rises on Culebra. If you choose to stay, you can rent a guesthouse near one of the beaches, or stay in the tiny town of Dewey (the only town on the island). Another popular option for visitors wishing to stay on Culebra is camping at Flamenco Beach, which was recently voted the 2nd Best Beach in America behind only a beach in Hawaii.
We buy our tickets and enter Port Authority where we are immediately greeted by a homeless looking man with white nappy hair and crazy, piercing eyes. The man is chanting something over and over again which we do not understand. He is holding a small plastic bag which contains 4 little white
pills. He thrusts them towards me and once again starts with his loud mesmerizing chant. I eventually shake my head, mumble no thanks, and continue on to our seats. I am fascinated by this crazy looking man’s chant and spend much of the next hour trying to mimic it. Karin finally concludes that he is selling motion sickness pills.
While there are more locals than tourists heading to Culebra today, we do see the two bi-lingual couples that we met the day before, as well as the young couple that was camping. The young campers look rough. They inform us that they got completely soaked the night before and the wind almost blew them away in their tent. The girl is also constantly scratching at the large welts which run up and down her arms from mosquito bites. I guess maybe staying at our fancy resort isn’t so bad after all.
The ferry we are about to board is no luxury-type sightseeing cruise. This is public transportation all the way. Our tickets are $2.25ea and its $1.50ea for the niños. As we board the boat a women informs us in broken English that we should have the children
sit on the lower level and all the way at the back of the boat. The ferry was actually shut down on Wednesday due to the rough conditions, but it did run yesterday. I asked the lady if it was going to be bad. She smiled, said “yes”, and handed us four barf-bags.
The ride was to take one hour. About 10 minutes in, I could tell that Karin was starting to feel the effects of the waves, but the girls continued playing "Sorry" as if nothing was happening. I looked towards the back of the boat and the attendants were all strapping on rubber gloves. Not a good sign. About 20 minutes in, a lady 4-5 rows up from us loses it, and Paige decides that she wanted to be held. Karin clutches Paige on her lap and stares at the floor. Neither look good. About 25 minutes in, a large man in the front of the boat filled his first of what would eventually be at least five large bags. As Karin later points out, he must have had a HUGE breakfast. It was also then that Rylee informed me that she also didn’t feel good and
wanted to be held. About 30 minutes in, Paige was the first of our family to blow. She suddenly bolted straight upright, grabbed the bag and let loose. She immediately crumbled back into Karin’s arms and passed out. We were now half way through the trip and at least a quarter of the boat had thrown-up and another quarter looked well on their way. The boat heaved over and over, and occasionally slammed down hard over the back of the waves. Karin was next. In one fluid motion she sat up, handed Paige to me, swept up her bag and proceeded to fill it. Unfortunately things were not over and done with quickly for Karin. She looked bad for the rest of the trip and threw up off and on for a good 15-20 minutes. About 40 minutes in, Rylee was looking pale and the waves were having an effect on me too. I was feeling a bit nauseous, but at this point I was holding both girls in my arms and two open cans of 7-up between my feet. I started making some preliminary plans of what I was going to do just in case. Before I had time
for that though, Rylee sat up and grabbed for her bag. Thankfully the attendants were extremely helpful and everyone managed to stay clean. By the time Rylee was done, we were getting very close to the island and the seas were calming down. I was glad to have made it without throwing-up, but felt very bad for the three sick girls.
Happily, we all exited the boat and immediately hopped onto a bus destined for Flamenco Beach. You are dropped in a small parking lot where there is a small camping store with supplies and a couple of food stands. Being a Friday, the camping area is starting to fill up with teenagers planning to spend the weekend. Once again, the camping spirit strikes me and I vow to Karin that someday we will return to this campsite. There is a trail at the back of the parking lot and we’re told by our bus driver that it leads to a popular snorkeling area. Karin is still feeling woozy, so we decide to relax on the beach for a bit before going anywhere.
The beach is amazing. The sand is so soft and perfectly white. Karin and Paige rolled “snowballs” with the sand and even made a “snowman”. Rylee and I went to jump some waves. Now THIS water really was gin clear. You could see straight through the waves like a sheet of glass. I’ve never seen anything like it. We play for an hour or so in the surf while Karin eventually starts to get her second wind. Once she’s ready, we grab a bite to eat and make our way to the snorkeling area. The trail is a bit longer and more treacherous than we anticipate, but we after much sweat and a few cuts and scrapes, we arrive. Rylee puts on a life vest and hangs onto Karin’s back while they float over the reefs. Paige and I gather coral. The conditions aren’t ideal and the water is a little choppy, but Rylee sees lots of fish and is very pleased. After and hour or so, we decide to return to the original beach and relax here until the bus comes to pick us up. Somehow we manage to make the return trip even more difficult by carrying an extra 10 lbs of coral with us after Paige refuses to leave it there. Once back at Flamenco, our bi-lingual friends point us towards some snorkeling areas down the beach and Rylee and I go back out for some more. This reef is even better than the one we walked to and we see lots of fish. We are all dreading the return trip to Fajardo, but as we board, the attendants inform us that the seas have calmed and the return trip should not be bad. Thankfully, she is right and we make it back to the resort without incident.
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Jed
non-member comment
nauseau
after reading about all that puking, I had to run to the bathroom and hurl!