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Very interesting..Ramey looked like it could've been any subdivision or Military Base housing in the States..really reminded me of Ft. Dix NJ where I did my Basic ( second military enlistment)
What town where you from, that you competed with 'The Bombers?'
I got this movie for my FIL birthday 2 years ago..we watched it together.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbzRbA3Nn1c
Tell your Dad MAA2 mr.magoo thanks him for his service.
Ramey Base in the 80's. In 83 or 84 there was a summer camp there for kids. it was 4 bucks for a week or two. we stayed in old barracks and did summer camp stuff like watch First Blood and go to the pool or do hikes at night and a talent show. I sang the Schaeffer jingle ("Es la mejor, cuando se toma mas de una!") and melted many a 12 year old girl heart. :P
Other than that Ramey Base was on the way to Isabella where we knew an ex hells angel. he taught me to throw knives and gave me all his soldier of fortune magazines. Isabella is where the pozo de jacinto is and jobos beach. Years later i had too many puerto rico libres and went to take a closer look at the waves. i got to meet a nice nurse at the aguadilla hospital. she wore street clothes and stitched me up with stuff out of her purse. we saw Wilkins come in, while we were waiting in the emergency room. no idea what he was doing there.
between those two events, when we were 15, Base Ramey had all the strip clubs. as young men we 'snuck' into one. an unexotic dancer on the stage berated the audience for not clapping. we got scared and left.
I spent two years at Ramey AFB back in the early 60's and fell in love with the island.They were still harvesting sugar cane with oxen in the countryside......music filled the air and little rumshacks beside the road always offered some refreshment and maybe some pastelitos .People were friendly and the beaches are beautiful and there was always the excitement of a visit to San Juan.
We've been back many times on vacation and,although things have changed,it's still the beautiful place of my memories.
if you have any pictures, i for one, would love to see them
They have bicycle lanes in Rincon, Mayaguez, Isabella! Bicycle lanes. In Isabella they have a divider between it and the road for extra protection.
Rincon is rich. the plaza is surrounded by restaurants. even mayaguez has two restaurants around its plaza. many more food places. but mayaguez centro is still dead other than that. bars and food places seem to be the best businesses. the western bank building, the one with the large time & temp sign on top, stands dark.
On thursday nights there is an artisan market in rincon plaza. there is a micro brewery on the square. gluten free tacos on the corner of the 413. everyone wants to invest in condos and rent them out on airbnb.
in old san juan, one church, the one up the street from the cathedral, with the ponce de leon statue, is being renovated. at least two separate groups of protestors stood quietly outside the gates of la fortaleza.
my last remaining friends all want to leave. the one guy with a government job, child support enforcement agent, has a second gig to make extra cash. they fear a 20% reduction in pay as part of the crisis payouts.
many items are doubletaxed. you pay the local tax and the crisis tax. you get a separate receipt for the crisis tax. it has a name that i do not recall.
the malls are full.
boqueron poblado was fine.
el tunel de guajataca was not. i stopped there expecting the usual food places they had there. nothing but ruins. though there was a pincho dude and a jibaro selling avocados and fruit and a coco frio guy so we made out ok.
el faro in cabo rojo has iguanas. loads of large iguanas. apparently they are everywhere. they call them gallina de palo as they taste like chicken. it is now legal to hunt them and eat them. but not to sell the meat. there are places that will fix it for you if you bring in a dead one. they are ugly as hell yet if the crisis gets out of hand...
steps beach and its reef were beautiful. crowded for sure, but the reef had a sting ray! never seen one there before.
Nice report, everything changes. Some good, some not so much.
Like you say the bike and running path in Isabela is impressive, they did a good job. And Rincon is always interesting but for me there is something missing, or I've missed it's something. Maybe I should spend more time there. The iguanas are and invasive species and there are way too many of them... As notorious nest raiders they are decimating the wild bird populations by eating the eggs and young. Eating them, eating a lot of them may be the answer.
Rincón has changed so much since I first went there in 1997 ..and even more since I got a place there 6 years ago.
Boquerón too..with the fancy condos and the helipad.
Thomas Wolfe said; 'you can't go home anymore'
sad...
When we were near Ponce this Feb..Iguanas were larger and more ubiquitous than I could remember..We saw guys running them over, stopping and throwing them in the backs of their cars and trucks...
Sad about your buddies leaving PR..
You hit the nail on the head when you said the Malls are packed..KMarts, Wal-Marts too..economy is in shambles but everyone is still shopping..
Well, people have to eat, and get their medicine..
Mym, when was the last time you were back to Puerto Rico, before this visit?
I guess lots have changed for you..I see differences every few months..been going more often now that my FIL is really slowing down..he gave up driving in Feb. of this year..he turned 93 in April.
I am happy that you recently got back to your beloved Island that you remember so vividly and write so ferverently about.
Nice report, everything changes. Some good, some not so much.
Like you say the bike and running path in Isabela is impressive, they did a good job. And Rincon is always interesting but for me there is something missing, or I've missed it's something. Maybe I should spend more time there. The iguanas are and invasive species and there are way too many of them... As notorious nest raiders they are decimating the wild bird populations by eating the eggs and young. Eating them, eating a lot of them may be the answer.
Man, Villa Pesquera in Isabela was my favorite hangout/go-to place between 2003 and 2013. I'd rent a room at a local place, just yards from the beach. I enjoyed the kiosks and that Mercado Del Centro which provided everything from beer to bread. This was the place which hosted Las Noches Bohemias where locals sang their hearts out for nothing more than an applause.
The locals were some of the nicest people I've ever met. I befriended Toño: the local Thug/Helper/Tumba Cocos. Each time I arrived, we'd share a few beers. One evening, after drinking a few, Toño pulled out a long blade knife and walked up to me. I wasn't sure why he was approaching me with his knife in clear view of everyone. He walks up and says, "Brother, if anyone here ever gives you a hard time, you let me know." That was the day I became a local patron.
That aside, there were weekdays in which I'd get up at 7am. After a eating a sandwich with cafe con leche, I'd go for a 1 hour westbound walk along the beach. Listening to those ocean waves was like soothing therapy. Those waves gave me reason to pause, think, contemplate, meditate, appreciate. One hour later, I'd turn around and walk back to Villa Pesquera. Cold Heinekens, Coronas, and Medallas were always waiting at the Mercado Del Centro by 10am. By that time, it was just a matter of an hour before the kiosks would open to sell their bacalaitos, alcapurrias, and pastelillos.
Last edited by chacho_keva; 07-27-2017 at 09:17 PM..
Isabella is a mad house now. it reminds me of el combate in the 90s. jeeps go by with huge speakers - music at all volume. people bbqing on the beach.
when we were young and dumb we'd jump from the edge of the pozo de jacinto. i never dared jump into the pozo itself but you could dive off the side and swim inside. climbing back up the side of the wall was a pain. you always ended up with a bit of blood. to get out the water you had to climb onto a ledge. the ledge was too high to grab and climb up so you'd wait for a wave, have it push you up and then you'd hold on as the water dragged away. the next wave, you'd use to push yourself up unto the ledge. and quickly climb up before the next wave comes and sweeps you off...
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