Cafe Arenamar is Back

After a brief hiatus, Chasti has reopened Arenamar Cafe at Sun Bay.  He has a full menu of Puerto Rican taste treats such as pastelillos along with some excellent burgers.  Even more excellent are the frozen margaritas and pina coladas.  And, he delivers to the beach when he can.  Yes, that is correct, Chasti will deliver to your beach chair on Sun Bay.  As you can imagine that makes for some pretty interesting beach afternoons.  The cafe is open seven days right now, and will be until Chasti is exhausted.  787-741-0200.

The Coqui Fire Anniversary Cook Off was a huge success last week.  The party raised $625 for the Humane Society.  Maria from the Mar Azul and I manned the door and therefore did not manage to get much in the way of food.  We did get some corn ice cream made by Misonia and it was outrageously good.  If you ever run across this ice cream give it a try.  Obviously, the traditional recipe is not chock full of Coqui Fire hot sauce.  The ice cream, being corn based, has a slightly grainy texture and is sweet without being over the top.

On the 25th, the Vieques Concert Society is hosting an African drumming and dance concert at Hector's by the Sea.  Concert tix are $20.  There is also a dinner after the performance for $100.  This is a benefit that allows the Society to bring musical instruction to the youth of Vieques.  For more info call 787-413-2450.

On March 3rd, the Vieques Pops are (is?) at the W. (never could get that english rule right)  I understand that there just a few tickets left.  Call the Trust at 787-741-8850.

Also on March 3rd, the Mayor is hosting a "Dia Para Los Animales".  The Day for the Animals will be at the plaza in Isabel from 10am-2pm.  Juntos, the educational arm of the humane society, is working with the municipality to promote good animal care.  The video produced for the humane society will be running in a loop during the day.  There will also be a blessing of the animals around noon.  If you wish to have your pets blessed, just make sure they are on a leash (or in a carrier), vaccinated and well behaved.  My pets do not qualify in the "well behaved" division and will be staying home.  There will be a focus on the free range horses of the island.  As much as they make Vieques unique, there are simply too many horse/vehicle incidents. 

There is another pothole update.  On the fake middle road, which is the first left past the Green Store heading out of Esperanza, there is a hole on the east side just past the rotary club.  It is not that deep, but it is just wide enough to cause your front tires to head off in whatever direction they choose.  If they choose to go left, it can be dicey for the oncoming car.  The good news is that since this is an election year, we will get new pavement. 

The fin and feather people on the wildlife preserve are cracking down on speeding, and also on the Medalla can in the cupholder that you swear you aren't drinking.  Be sure to obey the 25 mph speed limit.  Besides being a fairly safe speed, it avoids spending your lunch money on a federal traffic fine and keeps your car from being airborne after hitting the lomos (speed bumps).   The bridge to Blue Beach is still closed, but the crane is gone.  This must mean things are moving along.  Meanwhile, the detour is another reason to keep your speed down.  The washboard surface is a killer.  It has the ability to rattle your fillings out, so imagine what it is doing to the car. 

Remember, the airport is not just for flying anymore.  The Crabwalk at Isla Nena Cafe is a great place for lunch.  Lyman is up to his old tricks with the chi chouito thing.  (that's a shot of bad rum and anise).  Have a couple of those and you won't need a plane.  The conch fritters are really, really good and you get a pretty nice view of the main island. 

JC