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Spring 2009
LIVING ON THE EDGE>>>
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Puerto Ferro Bay at Sunset |
Well the last entry was just before Christmas and New Year’s,
lots of things, big real life things are happening. We voted in
a new Mayor, we got some new speed bumps, a few more guest homes
opened up and more people have found this little diamond in the
rough. I look around me on a daily basis and see those red faced
travelers from all corners of the world coming to find the next
best thing and you can tell they have found it from the glow of
utter content. Now I have heard the horror stories of what it is
like far from Vieques and the challenges facing people of many
creeds from many more nations including ours the good old USA…..
I am hopeful to see a new type of president sitting at 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue waiting to set an example of how one guy
with a lot of help can get this country out of a big hole. A
stool with three legs Education, Environment, Ethics……needs to
be the basis for all decisions made for the nation and that
includes Vieques. We have the power to decide what type of
guest, visitor, tourist, journalist etcetera we attract here and
depending on what we consider to be valued activity we will make
the decisions. Why can’t we all band together to say “ Let’s be
the green example of what to do” We practically have a clean
slate to start with and who wouldn’t want to come do an install,
training, selling, servicing, etc in the Caribbean. Wind, Sun,
easy.
Now more than ever, travelers are looking for the value in the
dollars they are spending whether it is for a Big Mac at
McDonalds or a vacation rental in the Caribbean, people are
tightening up their purse strings. Vieques Island has both its
positives and negatives, that not much different from anyone’s
home but… after you have had all the Medallas (local beer) and
sun block you can handle you will want to try out something to
kindle the heart and cleanse the soul. Our nature is amazing,
abundant, and a great example of the diversity on Vieques, the
Flora, the Fauna, and the People.
Vieques will be a Mountain bike riding destination in the future
and I hope to have a lot to do with this phenomenon, it’s green,
healthy and a very inexpensive way to cover lots of ground.
Hopping on a mountain bike as the sun is rising and the roosters
are still doodling for supremacy of a new day... the smell of
strong coffee and bread waft on the cool morning air. The horses
still laze under the mango trees, and the ocean is bluer than
the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. I can honestly say bicycles have
changed my life here on this island, and our tours have touched
the lives of visitors young and old. I am in better shape than
ever; I have a wonderful opportunity to have some common ground
with people from all over the world with varying ability
levels…who like me are in love with this island. Mountain Bikes
give another perspective to the islands beauty, you peddle past
things and you can slow down to inspect closer, like what kind
of flower is that? Or can I eat that fruit hanging from the
tree? I mean come on, yeah, it’s hot and you’re on vacation but
that’s nothing riding 15-20miles in the morning can’t fix and by
lunch time you have seen and done more than most who spend a
week in Vieques. So my rule is that I get you, your friends, and
family the first day on the island. This way I can get you
oriented and confident about what you want to do and where you
want to do it. It’s a small island so referring you to my
friends is always a pleasure if I am booked.
We are living on the edge of the frontier, living on the edge of
more national Wildlife Refuge Land than any other island in the
Caribbean, living on the edge of the Caribbean and Atlantic, and
on the edge of every hope and dream. It’s a balancing act; just
like in nature too much of one thing throws off the
balance…elements are introduced to equalize this imbalance, but
the inevitable play a hand in the demise of this delicate dance
of survival. Now, anything precious should be protected
right..??Well…………
This is a little island that has been through the ringer and
back. Despite all the attempts of time and history to destroy
this place it just isn’t happening, Vieques is far more
resilient... and so are the residents. Now is the time to get
together and repair the damage left by others or maybe even
ourselves… These scars are ugly and well not very much fun to
talk about, but the overall consciousness of the island is
elevating and things are getting done. So… do not believe
everything you read on trip advisor by the disgruntled
impatience of excess and down right intolerance for things that
are different. People are banding together to make progress in
their various causes. We are on a road to lots of change and it
is inevitable and because of this ever more temporary world we
live in we must all be positive and help where we can.
Like Hunter S. Thompson’s novel, “The Rum Diary”, we must be
careful to not spoil the very thing we all came here to enjoy.
So I am asking everyone who has had the pleasure of visiting the
best little island in the Caribbean must tell a friend and
remind them that by each of our actions we can collectively make
a difference. Vieques is the best greenhouse to grow and nurture
these values which will pay endless dividends… let’s network all
the talent out there to create grassroots efforts to build what
we see missing. An elder I respect deeply said, “ there were
only two kinds of people in the world…the doer’s and the
watchers…the doers are to busy doing and learning from their
mistakes, the watcher’s always sitting and watching and if they
do not know what your doing well they will just make it up.
Let’s all try to be a bit more on the doer side and let the
watchers…well watch…and wonder…
Garry Lowe
The So Real Life is a bi-monthly publication.
