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We Puerto Ricans have a Caribbean neighbor that most of us don’t know very much about. I’m referring to our brother island of Antigua. Many times Puerto Ricans loose their perspective as one of many Caribbean Islands – and are more familiar with Orlando or New York even though they are much more distant and don’t have as much in common with our island.
This was my first opportunity to visit the small island of Antigua that is just one hour’s flight from San Juan. Judging from the transparent blue waters below our plane as we arrived – we were in for a great trip.
We arrived at ‘VC Bird International Airport’ at midday to a reception hall painted in cool Caribbean pastel colors. The airport is very busy for a small island with more than 250,000 passengers passing through each year – including many private planes plus the ‘jumbo jets’ that arrive several times a week from London.
Antigua shares their government with the even smaller island of Barbuda. They are part of the British Commonwealth system with their legal system copied from the English model.
Antigua has a population of 70,000 inhabitants.
The most popular beach is called ‘Drakewood’.
One of the closest islands to Antigua is Montserrat. Montserrat is the only active volcano in the Caribbean and even though it is just next door, it is unusual for Antigua to receive ‘ash falls’ form the eruptions just 25 miles away. The wind normally goes the other direction, toward St. Kitts, Nevis and if the wind is right – the ash even reaches us here in Puerto Rico… even forcing the closing of Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Carolina on one occasion. It makes a great day trip to take a ferry from Antigua to explore Montserrat and see the impact of the volcano on this tiny island. One of the most dramatic ways to tour Montserrat is by helicopter tour where you can see right down into the volcano!
Antigua is one of the few islands were you can
still find ferries to other islands – if you want to explore the
Caribbean by boat. You can take ferries or cargo boats to Martinique,
St. Kitts, Dominica, Nevis and St. Lucia depending on the schedule.
There is daily ferry service to Barbuda from Antigua’s capital city of
St. John – but for the other islands you have to check schedules since
they don’t have a regular schedule.
Tourism in Antigua is mostly from European and British visitors. Almost everyone I met was surprised that someone was visiting from Puerto Rico… it took them a few minutes to let it sink in – they were probably trying to figure out where in Europe I came from… then they would say “Ahhhh… Puerto Rico… just next door!” They obviously don’t get very many Puerto Rican visitors!
The hotel that we stayed at was on the Beach that they call ‘Long Beach’ at the far end of the island near a natural rock formation called ‘Devil’s Bridge’. The hotel is ‘old Caribbean style’ with no air conditioning, no television, no radio, no telephone (although they did have electricity and a ceiling fan). I think that I was the only one at the hotel who had thought to bring a small portable radio… so I could enjoy the local ‘Calypso Music’ that came from every local radio station.
When I planned my trip to Antigua, I was mostly concerned about the possibility of hurricanes in August… but I probably should have been more concerned if I could survive for a long weekend without cable TV and a daily dose of CNN. I quickly learned how nice it is to ‘forget the world’ for a few days…
We went to Antigua to participate in a conference
called ‘Caribbean Info-Exchange’ that is a ‘retreat’ type of
get-together for owners of small hotels throughout the Caribbean.
Antigua was a great choice for the conference, because even though it is
well known for some of the most exclusive luxury hotels in the world
(where celebrities go for some privacy) – it also has lots of small
hotels where the owner is also the manager and gets to know all of their
guests.
With 365 beaches on the island, Antigua boasts that ‘there is a beach for every day of the year’. There are also many small apartments near the beach that you can rent if you prefer to ‘live like a local’ for a week or two… especially if you love the beach and water sports such as kayaks and snorkeling.
When you get away from the beaches – Antigua is actually a rather dry island, with lots of goats and cows roaming the countryside and even the roads! You’ll also see lots of the famous local ‘Black Antiguan Pineapples’ along with crops of sweet potatoes and corn when there is enough rain. Like us Puerto Ricans, they love to eat lots of Chicken and Rice but they unlike us they don’t eat very many Beans!
The two most important annual events at ‘Antigua Sailing Week’ during April and the local summer Carnival which is held every August. The Regatta is especially important – the largest meeting of yachts in the Caribbean and the fifth largest in the world!
Education is compulsive through high school and those wanting to go to college can study in Antigua or go to Barbados, Trinidad or Jamaica to continue their education. The emphasis on education is evident at almost every level… even the waitress that serves you water in a restaurant. This is a little surprising to many of us in the Caribbean – where hotel jobs are often seen as ‘lower level positions’ that don’t require much education. The importance of the hotel industry, education and training in Antigua is something that we all could learn from.
The principle religions in Antigua are Anglican and Catholic. When attending church, it seems that everyone wears white. To my surprise, one of the most impressive scenes during my visit was a local funeral. It was like a scene from a movie with all the attendees in very formal dress under the hot Caribbean sun.
After a grave-side service, everyone joined the family for a dinner and drinks to say farewell and remember their recently passed friend.
I asked the Director of Tourism, Sirlene Nibbs
about the ceremony and custom and she told me that they usually prepare
‘Fungie’ for this meal which is a local type of ‘polenta’ along with
‘saltfish’ (bacalao), chicken, rice and vegetables served ‘family
style’.
My tour guide in Antigua was a ‘Rasta’ named Wade with his hair grown long in the traditional ‘rasta’ fashion. I was impressed with his hair and couldn’t resist asking how he managed to keep it clean. He said that he applies natural Aloe every morning to both clean and condition. He drove his old car about 30 miles an hour during all of our tours – no one is in a hurry in Antigua (and you have to be careful about goats in the road – especially at night). We drove along the most famous road on the island ‘Fig Tree Drive’ which offered a great panoramic view. In Antigua ‘Figs’ refer to a type of banana that grows locally – but you also see lots of other fruit trees such as guavas, mangos, oranges and coconut palms.
Every Sunday the major event is an afternoon concert and ‘happening’ at Shirley Heights where both the locals and tourists go to eat, drink and listen to local ‘steel pan’ music and watch the sunset. Another great place for views is ‘Beggi Peak’ which is one of the highest peaks in the Caribbean and home to Antigua’s rainforest.
There are no rivers in Antigua, so all agriculture is dependant on rain and the local water supply is provided by two ‘desalination’ plants.
There are several areas where you can view ‘ruins’ from the early British settlements, early sugar plantations and Nelsons Dockyard where Britain’s Lord Nelson commanded a fleet to fight Napoleon in the Caribbean.
So, if you want to get away to a great tropical island for a weekend, Antigua is a great option. There are often ‘weekend’ fares from San Juan for about $99 round trip.
Remember, if you have any comments, questions or suggestions – you can contact me at info@coquiviajero.com
Until next time…. Coqui Viajero
Republica Dominicana
La punta este de la República Dominicana perteneciente a la Provincia de Higuey es lo qiue se conoce como Punta Cana. Fue en Higuey, precisamente donde según la leyenda religiosa se apareció la Virgen de la Altagracia debajo de un naranjo.
Punta Cana deriva su nombre de la Palma de Cana que abunda en esta región. Es el área que está mas cerca de Puerto Rico. A los veinte minutos ya ves desde el aire la isla de Mona y un brinquito mas y llegaste.
El aeropuerto de Punta Cana es muy particular. Las terminales son cobijados con paja en techos a dos aguas. Estas características le dan un toque rústico, caribeño y tropical. ¡Por supuesto que no tiene aire acondicionado!
Los turistas que iban llegando venían principalmente de Europa de países como Alemania, Francia, Inglaterra y Holandanda. Nos recibió un perico ripiao con su característico pequeño acordeón y un mulato que movía sus cadenciosas caderas como solo los dominicanos innatamente saben hacerlo. Mientras ibamos en el taxi disfrutabamos de la bachata Una Dosis de Amor que tocaba la radio. Fue en ese momento que realizé que habia llegado.
En todo este litoral costero se encuentran mas de treinta hoteles con la oferta “Todo Incluído”. Te incluyen hasta las botellas de agua. Estos turistas vienen atraídos por los bajos precios, ofertas y la mayoría de las veces viajan en vuelos charter directo desde sus países. Estas ofertas pueden resultar favorables para muchas personas.
Entre una de las cosas que me atraen es la facilidad de moverte sin preocuparte por la cartera pues todo esta incluído excepto servicios especiales como los Spa, y salones de belleza entre otros. El valor de lo que pagas por lo que recibes creo que bien vale la pena, especialmente si tu presupuesto no es muy bollante que digamos. Tambien si tienes una familia grande y quieres llevarte hasta tu abuelita, la abuelita también esta incluída.
Habian muchas abuelitas y abuelitos con sus nietos. Hasta aquí todo va bien, pero si eres de los que te sientes atrapado entre mucha gente quizás debas pensarlo un poco.
Las playas son espectaculares e inmensas y todo este terreno es virgen exepto por los hoteles. Van en cadena unos detrás de otros y me llegué a sentir como parte de una fábrica. Además de todos estos hoteles con la oferta “Todo Incluído”, Punta Cana es famosa por otros hoteles mas exclusivos que no tienen este tipo de oferta. Son VIP para los que puedan pagar un poquito más y no le afecte su bolsillo.
Por cierto además de los hoteles hay áreas super exclusivas donde solo los millonarios tienen acseso como por ejemplo villas y mansiones constrídas para famosos como Julio Iglesias y el famoso diseñador dominicano Oscar de le Renta. Son residencias super-exclusivas con aeropuertos privados y todo tipo de servicios. Precisamente el servicio que prestan todos estos hoteles es uno de los grandes atractivos que ofrece la República Dominicana. Los empleados estan muy bien entrenados y se desviven por atenderte bien.
Higuey
El punto de interés turístico mas importante en Higuey es la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia. Se comenzó a contruir en el 1954 cuando el ex dictador Rafael Leonidas Trujillo colocó la primera piedra. Fue construida por arquitectos franceses y su diseño es en forma de bóvedas imitando la posición acocadas de las manos de la virgen según aparecen en el cuadro que se vcenera en la iglesia.
Esta basílica es un punto de peregrinación para los Católicos Dominicanos todos los 21 de Enero. Este día el pueblo de Higuey se ve inundadao por católicos de todas partes de la República Dominicana que quieren ir a contemplar, tocar y orar ante el cuadro de la Altagracia como cariñosamente también le dicen. El cuadro de la Virgen esta enmarcado en un retablo construído en madera de caoba dominicana bellamente elaborado. Vienen en peregrinación desde áreas distantes y pernoctan en los alrededores de la iglesia desde el día antes.
La Basílica provee un área inmensa y cobijada para las que los peregrinos pernocten en la víspera del día de la virgen. Su campanario tiene 42 campanas, suficientes para despertar a todo Higuey.
La devoción de los feligreses es evidente. Observamos un matrimonio jóven llevando un muñeco en los brazos simulando un bebé el cuál presentaron a la Virgen con gran fé y devoción para que intrecediera por la salud de su hijo.
Fue visitada por el papa en su tercer viaje a la Rep. Dom., en 1992 que le llevó de regalo a la virgen una corona en oro con rubíes y esmeraldas. También la virgen tiene un rosario de madre perlas y oro. Es de admirar en esta iglesia tambien los grandes y hermosos murales y vitrales.
Para visitrar Higuey una vez mas renunciamos a irnos con los turistas y decidimos tomar las guaguas públicas. Pasan cada 20 minutos y cualquier confusión le preguntas al primero que pasa y ese te explica todito y con cariño. Por menos de un dólar llegamos a Higuey mientras que la excursión anodina de los turistas nos costaba ochenta dolares. El camino es para espaciarse. Ibamos apretaditos y sin aire acondicionado pero felices. En el camino a una pasajera se le fue volando un billete de 50 pesos ( menos de dos dólares ) y todos nos bajamos de la guagua a buscar en la carretera el billete hasta que alguien dijo ¡Aquí! Todos celebramos el encuentro del billete y continuamos. Lo próximo fué dos mujeres que abordaron la pequeña guagua con un pollo vivo cada una y cuando se bajó el chofer les dijo que lo invitaran pa’l locrio (arroz con pollo guisado) .Ella contestó algo que yo no entendí y todos nos reimos.
Justo antes de llegar a Higuey pasas por varios pequños poblados entre ellos Beron y el poblado de La Otra Banda. Aquí observamos secando carne al aire libre entre ellas longanizas, costillas enrtereas de animales y hasta un cerdo colgando boca abajo ya listo y afeitado para el parrilla. Esta es la manera como se ha secado la carne durante siglos pero ciertamente para nosotros en Puerto Rico esta no es una escena familliar.
Algo interesante que descubrimos en Higuey fue la Iglesia de San Dionisio. Es la que siempre ha sido la parroquia de Higuey y donde se encontraba el cuadro de la Virgen de la Altagracia antes de ser trasladado a la Basílica. La construcción darta del 1520 y posee el retablo original en caoba y adornos en plata. Eramos los únicos turistas ya que la mayoría no conoce de la existencia de esta iglesia. Se construyó donde se supone había un árbol de naranjo y apareció la virgen según la leyenda. Una pena que este algo descuidada. De seguro que si consultan a Don Ricardo Alegría le haríía excelentes recomendaciones. Mi recomendación inicial es volver a plantar un naranjo para revivir la leyenda, además de restaurar la iglesia e incluirla en los excursiones de los turistas.. En realidad no se porque la han abandonado teniendo tanto potencial.
. Parque Ecológico Punta Cana
La Fundación Ecológica Punta Cana es una organización privada sin fines de lucro. Su principal misión es preservar los recursos naturales y mantener la calidad del ambiente en la región de Punta Cana en un ambiente de respeto a la naturaleza. También su interés es el de preservar la biodiversidad, realizar investigaciones y la promoción de la educación ambiental. La importante Universidad de Cornell de los Estados Unidos se integró a estos esfuerzos y creó el Laboratorio de Biodiversidad.
Visitamos este parque con el propósito de visitar el Parque Ojos Indigénas y realizar una caminata en esta sección de la reserva. Este parque posee la muestra mas representativa de la diversidad biológica de la Rep. Dom. y de la región este del país. Además de nuestro interés en la ecología nos ibamos a reunir con nuestra gran amiga Anita que es una puertorriqueña también pero radicada en Miami. De esta forma estabamos motivados doblemente para caminar. El primer paso fue embadurnarnos de repelente para mosquitos pues al ser una reserva ecológica nunca fumigan. Los mosquitos eran como aviones como decimos en nuestros campos pero la caminata bién valió la pena.
La caminata consistía en un sendero interpretativo de mil metros lineales desde donde se realizan visitas educativas y exploraciones científicas con turistas, estudiantes y y profesores de centros educativos y universidades. Observamos infinidad de raras especies de árboles y plantas muchas de ellas medicinales. De repente y como para quedar en shock aparecían estas impresionantes lagunas naturales de aguas cristalinas con tortugas y peces nadando felices en el agua sin que nadie les molestara. Son once lagunas en total que se nutren del río subterraneo mas importante de esta región.
Otro aspecto interesante fue observar auténticos vestigios culturales y antropológicos de los primeros pobladores taínos descendientes de los indios suramericanos, arawacos y siboney. Encontramos tambien en el camino remanentes de chimbas que para los lectores que no sepan es el nombre que se le da al proceso de confeccionar el carbón vegetal. Aprendí este termino de mi madre que ayudaba a su papá a prepararlas en el campo pero nunca había tenido la oportunidad de verlas. Los trozos de madera se colocan adosados en forma de pirámide que luego se cubren con hojas secas y tierra. Este proceso es un arte y requiere de mucha experiencia y destreza para que no se eche a perder el carbóñ y se haga cenizas.
Si te interesa visitar esta reserva ecológica se realizan excursiones guiadas todos los miércoles, viernes y domingos.
I have to begin by confessing my ignorance about the existence of these islands that are located just north of The Dominican Republic and south of The Bahamas.
My Puerto Rican friend, Anita who lives in Miami corrected my first impression that these were the 'Turks & Icacos' islands - since the 'Icacos' islands are located off of the east coast of Puerto Rico near Fajardo. I was due for a much longer trip than I first thought! To get to the Turks & Caicos, you have to fly from Puerto Rico to Miami and then get back on a plane and fly back almost as far to reach Providenciales - the main island of the group and center of most tourism. Its such a convoluted route, that you can't even book the flight on your computer - they think you are making a routing mistake that doesn't make much sense (similar to flying to Miami to go to Mayaguez).
My main reason for going was to take photos for a
friend who needed some photos for a project - so like always, I
grabbed my camera, a bathing suit and jumped on the plane.
As soon as you approach the islands in the plane, you understand why so many people make the trip to 'Provo' as the main island is known. Perfect turquoise-blue waters surround the entire island group. Most hotels line the 12-mile long Grace Bay Beach which has consistently been named the best beach in the Caribbean and perhaps the world. With the super-fine pure white sane and super-blue water, taking 'the perfect photo' was going to be fun!
Most
people think that these islands are known as the 'Turks' because of
the 'turquoise' water - but in fact they are named for the 'Turks Head
Cactus' that abounds - with a red 'hat' on the top of each green stalk
that looks like a typical Turkish Hat.
Unlike may beach destinations - Grace Bay Beach is more for 'quiet enjoyment' than the 'beach party atmosphere' that you find on many islands - so I was prepared with several books and my small radio that I always bring along. Other than relaxation - there aren't many organized activities other than SCUBA diving and water sports like parasailing, snorkeling and boating.
One of the most popular activities is just to walk up and down this incredible beach - enjoying the views and the many birds that live along the beach which is protected as an ecological refuge in between the large condo and hotel complexes. The Princess Alexandra National Park helps protect both the shoreline and the underwater world all along Grace Bay Beach - so that there will be a sustainable mix of development and nature. The best aspect of this is that the hotels are built rather far from the beach - so that you don't feel like you're on a 'tourist strip' - and some of the best snorkeling is just off-shore right in front of your hotel.
Rather than renting a car, most guests just use the
beach as their 'highway' to get from one resort to another - so you
end up walking barefoot, even to elegant restaurants or the one casino
on the island.
It
was on one of these walks that I met Marilyn on the beach selling
handicrafts along the beach. Marilyn and her family have lived
in the islands all their lives and have a small
stand where they sell artworks and handicrafts under a pine tree on
the beach. There are some typical tourist-type things like
conch-shells and brightly painted wooden machetes - but also some
great original artwork which is painted by her son - Elio and some
steel
sculptures made from oil-drums (similar to the art work they create in
Haiti). I loved stopping by and talking to
Marilyn every day - she wouldn't smile much, since she has several bright shiny gold teeth - but I finally got
her to laugh by taking some pictures of her grandchildren as they
played on the beach. This was worth the effort - since with her
red bandana and big smile, she gave me a great photo that was a great
reminder of my trip.
All along the beach you see lots of new construction of
very large new condo projects that seem to get more and more expensive
every day. Since the Turks & Caicos is also a center for 'tax
free' off-shore banking, there seem to be lots of rich people from all
over the world who want their own place 'on the beach' as an escape
from Miami or where ever they
call home. The islands are
becoming more and more popular with superstars looking for privacy at
some of the very exclusive resorts and the marina had several enormous
'mega-yachts' when I was there. But don't worry, there are
several very reasonable hotels that anyone can afford - right along
the same beach used by the 'rich and famous'.
Since Provo is so new, there aren't and towns like we know them with central plazas and churches. There are just a few main roads lined with small 'strip malls' and only one big supermarket amid a very dry, rocky and scrubby landscape. Thank goodness for the constant breeze - and that great beach!
The islands have a reputation for being expensive, since virtually everything has to be imported from Miami - a pineapple may cost you $6.00 and a box of corn flakes $5.00 - all the prices use US Dollars since there is no local currency. But even with the high prices, the quality of life is high - with many workers from Jamaica and The Dominican Republic and Haiti working here to support all the new hotels.
Other than this spectacular beach - there isn't that
much on the islands. Until the 1990 - there were only a few
hotels and not very many people that called Provo home. Until then,
most people lived on another island called Grand Turk - which is still
the capital of the island group and was a center of salt production
during colonial times when the British settled the islands.
Before the British came - the islands had been home to Arawack and perhaps Taino Indians - with some cave paintings found on the less populated 'Middle Caicos' island which lies between Provo and Grand Turk. Most of the native population derives from African slaves brought to work in the salt plantations - giving a very rich cultural background of music, dance, songs, art and folklore which is being preserved with a museum and cultural center. The islands were also home to many famous Pirates through the years. Today, the islands are still part of Great Britain - but have local elections and seem more culturally American than English.
With so much to discover, I didn't have much time to
read my books - and didn't have time to discover the world's only
conch farm, go horseback riding on the beach, take an eco-tour, visit
the iguana sanctuary, go on a day sail or fly off to Grand Turk to
discover the National Museum & colonial history. I even missed
the monthly 'glow worm' display - where 3 days after the full moon,
the local 'glow worms' which inhabit the waters off Grace Bay Beach
conduct a mating ritual which creates a spectacular phosphorescent
display once a month.
As always, you can send any comments to info@coquiviajero.com - until next month and my report on New Years in Rio!
