Day 6 - Around Rincon

After breakfast, John and I went out to a bakery for treats. John got a bunch of doughnuts while I found “elephant ears” and a meat pastry. He and I went to one of the snorkeling tour companies to ask about tours but their boat was out of the water for maintenance. They also said it’s difficult to get out to Derecho Island (known for its good snorkeling and diving), which lies some 14 miles off the coast here. The seas are too rough in winter and even in summer they need near perfect weather. On the way back to the condo, I stopped to get money from an ATM – an easy process. We brought the sweets back to the condo to share while the group talked about what to do today. We tossed ideas around but never made a decision. We did develop some ideas for later in the week – planning to snorkel tomorrow and do a day trip to Ponce on Thursday.

Several of the group walk extensively in the morning and through the day. Others are into sunning on the beach with a swim to cool off. I joined the swimmers to test out a new snorkel and mask. Back at the condo we made some sandwiches for lunch. Having enough of inactivity, I said I was going to the Rincon lighthouse and asked who wanted to go along. Only Paul declined so we loaded up the cars and drove into Rincon. We stopped to walk around the small downtown looking at shops. We continued the few miles to the lighthouse on the point a bit north on Rincon. The lighthouse is a lovely site on a cliff with a park around it. We walked around. Just below, dozens of surfers were catching small waves close to the cliff. At one end of the park is a bar where we sat to have a drink. We watched more surfers in a sheltered bay in front of the dome of a long decommissioned nuclear plant. It was a great view and we chatted as the afternoon wore on.

Starting to think about dinner, we went back to the condo and picked up Paul. We piled into one car (the Durango that John’s renting) and went searching. We wound up back the place we ate at last night but investigated another place nearby. This place is right on the beach and we put in our name for a table then stood on the beach hoping the clouds out at sea would clear so we could see the sunset looking out toward Derecho Island. That didn’t happen and the patrons at the full restaurant were waiting for the same thing and not leaving. We gave up waiting and went back to the Shipwreck for another good meal. Back to the condo to finish the evening chit-chatting.

People on the island are very friendly. It seems that anyone who works in tourism or the service fields speaks good English. (That leads to a back and forth when I try to chat because I try to speak Spanish and they answer in English.) The vendors are always willing to explain their wares and often offer suggestions about where to go or what to see. Very pleasant.Leer más