CURRENT LOCATION: Tied to a mooring ball near Cayo Pirata, in Ensenada Honda, Culebra, Puerto Rico

18 18.400' N, 065 17.842' W


Yesterday's hike took us to the northeast side of the island. Our destination for the day...Zoni Beach:



Jan (from Irise) was kind enough to provide dinghy transportation across Ensenada Honda to the DRNA dock (near the mangrove swamp). Hers is a catamaran-style inflatable with a 15-horsepower outboard. Needless to say, it goes a bit faster than Patience II. With her tender tied to the dock we started walking. We got no further than a half-mile when a kind lady stopped to offer us a ride. Our driver was only going as far as Costa Bonita Villas (a turn off the main road just past the mangroves), but was nice enough to take us all the way over to Zoni Beach. It turns out that she is a realtor from the big island, under contract to sell the remaining 30 units at the resort. Apparently, the time-share approach was not working at Costa Bonita, and they are now selling the studio and one-bedroom suites outright. For around $200k (which includes a little government incentive assistance with your downpayment), you could own your own little apartment in Paradise.

Zoni Beach is a popular nesting ground for sea turtles. Colorful signs indicating such adorned the entrance to the beach...



...and numerous zones were marked off where eggs have been lain:


Sheryl kept hoping to spot movement in the sand, but alas no little baby turtles were to be seen. CLICK HERE, though, to see some photos taken of hatchlings on Culebrita by some recent guests at Palmetto Guesthouse.

In the absence of tiny turtle sightings, we walked to the western end of the beach,...



...did a little swimming, and then decided to walk around the point on the rocks:



After navigating the rocks and spray, we discovered another beach. This one is much smaller than Zoni, and definitely less frequented. As best we can tell, this little strip of sand is known as Tortolo Beach.



So, now we have achieved what some of the Culebra promotions espouse. We have identified a sufficient number of beaches to have 'one for every day of the week.'

As the midday sun declined toward late afternoon, we started the hike back to the dinghy. It was 3 miles of some fairly steep hills on a hot asphalt road before we found ourselves back at the DRNA dock. A quick dinghy ride brought us back to Prudence and a well-earned night of rest and relaxation.

Today, the skies are clear, the winds are down, and it looks like a perfect day to do some snorkeling. Stay tuned, as more underwater photos are sure to appear on not-too-distant future posts, dear Reader.