Day 6 – Vieques Beach, Bars & Glow in the Dark Microorganisms

The day started with an early morning ferry from Fajardo on the main island of Puerto Rico to the island of Vieques.

When we arrived at the port, our ferry didn't look to be in good shape...

Fortunately, they had other vessels

We grabbed a quick egg, ham and cheese sandwich at a local cafe near the port and then headed off

After a brief wait, we boarded the Cayo Blanco, "White Key"

Once we arrived, we cabbed it from the embarcadero on the north side to our small bungalow hotel in Esperanza beach on the south side of the island.  We unpacked and jumped next door to Duffy’s, a local watering hole, for a bite and beers.

The small Vieques bay where we arrived

Bienvenidos a Vieques!

Garrett in front of our small bungalow hotel, Bananas Guesthouse

Greg, aka "The Rooster" stands in front of a painting of his brethren inside Bananas

After scarfing down some grub, which included a delicious Duffy's Burger, we headed to the beach to look for some action.

Duffy's is one of the few spots open on our side of the island, so we've become regulars

Lauren had the juicy Duffy burger with caramelized onions, delisioso!

Most people dream of having a private tropical island beach all to themselves, but we actually got to experience it. A short stroll from our hotel we found a deserted mile and a half of beach without a single soul.  We had a tropical beach on a rural caribbean island all to ourselves.  Not a bad deal.  We took naps on the beach, hung in the water and explored the area.

Not a soul on the sand...

In case you wanted to do some bareback riding, there were wild horses around...the island is filled with them

Matt takes a stroll on TIS' private island beach...

Mo and Greg admiring our private beach

On the walk back we found an old rundown pier.  After a brief inspection, we deemed it safe to jump off.

Mo inspects the abandoned pier and the depth of the water around it

                                                                       

Once it was determined safe, Matt dove off

Also on the walk back Matt found a local to give him a trim

Sunset on the south side of Vieques

After enough fun in the sun, we headed back to change up and get ready for a night kayaking tour of the bioluminescent bay called El Mosquito Bay.  Basically, it’s a large mile by mile and a half bay with water that glows in the dark when you splash or disturb it…AMAZING!  So bizarre but so cool.  Unfortunately, photos didn’t come out because it was at night but it was like splashing around in neon water.

The crew about to head out to "Bio Bay" for a kayak tour

Per usual with our group, there were a few tidbits worth noting.  First, Mo, Greg and Matt opted to sit in the back of the pickup truck on the way to the bay since the van was overfilled.  Although, it was a rough, bumpy ride, it was amazing to see the fire flies zipping around lighting up the night sky. It was a taste of things to come.

Matt and Greg hanging on tight in the back of the pickup

The truck had to trench through some heavy water on the way to the bay

Lauren, Garrett and Matt shared a kayak that apparently was taking on water.  We initially assumed it was normal for a little water to come onboard but when we realized we were slightly submerged we had to take action so Lauren moved into another kayak while Garrett and Matt made due until they got back to shore.

Not to be out done, Greg and Mo had an extra 'passenger' jump on board their kayak toward the end of the tour.  A small guppy-sized fish jumped into their kayak and, no joke, right into Greg’s boardshorts!  At first, no one believed him but when they finally reached shore Greg jumped out of the kayak and sure enough the small fish was inside for everyone to see.

Greg and Mo in their kayak before taking on the extra 'passenger'

Once we’d emptied our shorts of any foreign creatures, we left “bio bay” and headed back to our small town of Esperanza to have a bite to eat and a night cap or two at Lazy Jack's.

The Igor Pizza at Lazy Jack's, rumored to be the best pizza on Vieques

Wednesday is a day of Vieques exploration.  We’re planning to tour the island and scope out some of the other popular sites and beaches.