I’ve mentioned before that I can sit at the beach all day and be completely entertained and fulfilled. Sometimes I actually feel a little guilty about it, as if I should be productive or experience something I’ve never done before. With that in mind, this is how I ended up in Vieques. During my trip planning, I read a lot of different opinions on whether Vieques or Culebra was the more idyllic vacation spot. Culebra is smaller, and some say it has better beaches. Vieques is described by some as too populated but more lively– and some say it has...
I’m not sure when I lost my interest in the beach, but I certainly remember the exact moment I rediscovered it. I spent much of my childhood going to the Jersey Shore, even after the days when hypodermic needles were washing up on the beach. The whole state gets a bad rap, but I remember the joys of swimming in the ocean and playing in the waves with friends and family. I never saw any needles. In fact, the beaches there were quite nice and, if I remember correctly, CROWDED! Then followed the years in which I just stopped going...
Vieques has quite an interesting history. Once inhabited by the Taino Indians, it was eventually under the rule of Spain and ultimately the US. After the start of World War II the US Navy assumed control of over 70% of the island, and they began to use the island for training and bombing practices. Though controversial with the locals, this continued until 1999 when a civilian was accidentally killed in a bombing target practice. And so began the Navy-Vieques Protests. These protests drew international support, and lasted until May 2003 when the US government finally announced the Navy would leave...
