Where to Eat in Rincon....

We finally started making some money here, Cyndi through massage and the rental of our "La Olita" unit downstairs, and I've been working with a catering chef, Organic Surfer Chef, at a large villa near Corcega Beach. So, we've been trying a few of the restaurants around town.

A few nights ago we went to The Spot at the Black Eagle, a restaurant near the Black Eagle Marina that serves steaks and fish and pasta and is mostly overpriced and definitely geared to the tourist crowd. It's a great location, and at sunset the sailboats and katamarans floating by provide a dramatic setting, but the place itself is mostly a dive. The menu is prety limited with most entrees over $20. We ordered the Flatiron steak for $23, but to share there is an $8.50 charge, so we didn't order an appetizer. The food was too salty for Cyndi, but I thought it was good. The biggest problem I have with the Spot is that their menu is very limited, no burgers or cheaper entrees, even in the bar and their prices suggest some better service and decor.

Calypso Cafe is just above Maria's Beach and is what you would expect, good burgers and burritos at reasonable prices. The view from the bar is great, surfers and Desecheo island in the distance and Happy hour drinks that are actually pretty good.

We also tried the Shipwreck Bar and Grill, also located near the marina, and while not great, it was better than the Spot, we had Mikeys Famous Fish Kebabs which were very good and there was plenty to share, we also had calamari, which was a huge portion, but a little greasy. There is no view, but the decor was a little nicer than the Spot and the service a little better too.

In the plaza, there is a Mexican restaurant that recently changed ownership so we thought we'd give it a try. We went on Tequila Tuesday so shots of Jose Cuervo gold were just one dollar and Corona's were two dollars. Once again Cyndi and I shared a dish, the fish wrapped in banana leaves. It was about $16. The fish was good, but the plate came with about 3 tortilla chips and nothing else, I guess we were expecting rice and beans. The decor is nice and much like any Mexican restaurant in the states and the service was ok. I think the food was overpriced for what we got, but the drink specials, made up for it.

The best food I've eaten since I've been here has definitely been with Pedro, The Organic Surfer Chef, who I've been working with. He made a rabbit stew one night and whole red snapper another night and recently he served an Asian influenced duck breast with noodles. The food he makes is fesh and from local ingredients and just tastes better, not overly seasoned or just thawed out like so many dishes we find here.

I would also recommend the pizza truck on the 413, near the Lazy Parrot, the crust is very good. And Tapatio a small Mexican restaurant on the 115 toward Aguada.

Dispatches From Rincon....

The picture here is from Domes, a beach just below an old nuclear power plant. The surf's been pretty small this week, but the weather is amazing. The past 2 weeks Cyndi and I have started to focus our energies into what we may end up doing for money here in Rincon. Cyndi will always have massage, but she tries to limit her massages to 2 per day, so that she can provide a better service and not wear herself out, that leaves her (and me) plenty of time to work on something else. In Cyndi's past life she worked in IT and has alot of experience helping people market their businesses on the web and I do a little graphic design here and there so there may be opportunities for us to get more Rincon businesses to have a web presence.
We've started working with the owners of Beachside Villas, http://rinconbeachside.com/ to market their property and we hope to get a few more and the coming weeks. Cyndi's massage business has been doing great and we've met so many great people here in Rincon that we feel confident we'll be able to make enough money to stay here. There are lots of websites that market Rincon to would-be tourists, most of them are really helpful, but I started a website that will refuse advertising from Rincon businesses and list the businesses that I personally recommend, http://rincon411.jimdo.com/ . It just strated, but soon I will have more photographs and info about the businesse listed.
We've just booked our first stay at "La Olita", http://www.rinconsportsmassage.com/Rincon411.html , our studio apartment downstairs and have had quite a few inquiries as the $50/night, $300/week price is very reasonable.

Friday night we went to the Lazy Parrot for a Surfrider fundraiser, they had a band called Supertones who played some cool surf-tunes and probably at least 100 people showed up. I've heard the Surfrider criticism from a reader of this blog, but to me, the work that Surfrider does is invaluable. Wess Merten and the other people who volunteer their time are not "hipcrites" (sic), but people who work hard to keep our ocean, the cradle of so much of our environment, as clean as possible. Denyers of climate change and proponents of unrestricted devolpment can stay in the stone age of their own development, but creating jobs doesn't need to come at the cost of the environmental damage inflicted in the past.

Re-zoning in Anasco & Rincon

There's been alot of talk lately about a re-zoning plan for certain beach areas in Rincon and Anasco. At a meeting at City Hall in Rincon the public was offered a platform to see the plans and comment, Cyndi went to the meeting. We haven't lived in Rincon long enough to be sure about too much, but the mood around town seems to be that San Juan is looking for ways to make some tourist dollars and Rincon and Anasco are the targets. Even the mayor of Rincon spoke against the proposal.

I read a New York Times article posted on the Surfrider blog :http://s.nyt.com/u/CpO that tells of a town in the Dominican Republic that is working toward attracting the eco-tourists that seem to in vogue currently, and that may be a model for Rincon to follow. Of course any development of these areas and especially anything near the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve http://www.surfrider.org/rincon/rmtp.php should be discouraged, but sometimes the lesser of two evils is the only choice.

Eco-tourism may be a fad and and may draw more people here than we want, but it's not going to be large condominiums and all-inclusive resorts that are the other end of the spectrum. The people in Rincon care about its resources and the future of their town. If we can counter the proposed re-zoning plans with an organic plan of our own, perhaps San Juan would be more interested in listening.

Thankful!

The picture here is a poster I made for a Surfrider, Rincon volunteer tree planting that took place while I was in Los Angeles: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvn30n62EhZNxnzhQoHdrZT9vGgU6xn-FJ8S-MIH7WXSoL0ihWKq0zo4G4OctuivMfQZcDZHWDzmLtrscMYEWBUJR609z3ksv4eWGZ7oXMsrPATcWsaRaD9uJWyykuoA2ONOxdQhpUJg8/s1600-h/surfrider+tree+poster+Nov7.jpg Definitely a labor of love as I think it is important that people see how much Surfrider does for the town of Rincon. I am thankful for them. This past year has made me so much more aware of the things I am thankful for and none is higher on the list than Cyndi. It has been her courage and dream that has led us to where we are and for this I will always be thankful.

It's been difficult leaving behind family and friends in California, but their support and enthusiasm for our adventure has carried us through some difficult days and for this we are thankful. We are also thankful to our new friends and neighbors who have and continue to help us along the way, we constantly wonder if we were lucky to have such great neighbors or does the island just bring this out?

Of course I am thankful to have found such a beautiful place to live, a place that offers us so much of what we want and very few of the things we don't, but also so thankful for the basic necessities of life such as running water (most of the time). It's sad, but until I experienced not having water for a full 24 hours did I realize what a shameful fact it is that at least 13% of the world's population doesn't have access to running water.

Finally, I am thankful to have my health. Neither Cyndi nor I have a healthcare plan, unless you call eating right and exercising a viable plan. I don't expect the goverment to foot my healthcare bill if I don't take care of myself, however I don't think your income bracket should determine how good your healthcare is. Somewhere there is a way to improve the system, but it seems any attempt at "socialized" medicine gets demonized. We need to open our minds to all options, it's not that slippery a slope. Anytime there is such a blanket backlash against something the way healthcare reform has fared, chances are the truth is being hidden by a different agenda. If you have affordable healthcare, be thankful and consider those that don't.

Back In Rincon (For Good)!

It took me exactly 1 week in Los Angeles to realize that I was just spinning my wheels and that I needed to get back to Rincon. The plan was to stay a few months in LA and make some money, but I'll be honest, I missed Cyndi and I missed Rincon and LA just wasn't where I wanted to be. I kept getting these emails with pictures of the dogs on the beach and Cyndi describing the surf, it made me wonder why I was sitting in an empty, cold house juggling car and homowners insurance bills. So I packed my things and said goodbye to the job and 3 weeks after I left I was back in Rincon.

Had I changed, had LA changed?I think living in LA is more of a romantic idea nowadays than a real viable way of living, unless of course your income exceeds 95% of the rest of us and you can hover above the congestion and crime. Maybe in the 60's and 70's when housing and the costs of living were reasonable it was the place to be, but overcrowding and a lack of urban planning have left LA to be like a knotted up clump of wires behind your computer where nothing leads to what it should and everything just needs to be unplugged and begun anew.

I guess I look at all my friends struggling to make the rent, car payment, living in neighborhoods where parking is nonexistent and working to cover the increasing costs of living and while I understand chasing a dream, for me that was never my reason to be there. LA was my home because I liked the weather and the beach, I guess I never realized it could be summer year-round somewhere else.

I needed to go back because when we moved to Rincon it was on Cyndi's terms and I guess I would always be wondering if it was the right thing unless I had gone home after being in Rincon and decided for myself where I wanted to be. So the 3 weeks in Los Angeles weren't a total loss.

So now sitting down, writing this and looking down at the houses that dot the hills into Aguada, I can feel confident that I am home and that whatever happens, going back to LA is not an option. And it is this revelation that will make me work even harder to make it work here, I'll keep you posted ;-)

"Making is Thinking"

The title is a quote from a book by Richard Sennet called, The Craftsman, linking the work of the hands to the workings of the mind. I've read a few books in this vein, books that call upon a new arts and crafts movement and we can see this DIY philosophy having an effect on so many areas of commerce. With global conglomerations merging and finding more and more ways to make things cheaper and in more far flung labor-efficient markets, locally made, hand-crafted items may be the equalizer. From small batch foods like cheese and wine to things for the home and clothes, smaller may be better. Better quality, better for the environment and better for the people who make the goods.

I'm writing this because, out of necessity, I've had to construct the furniture and cabinets for our house here in Rincon. Originally we were hoping to buy the kitchen cabinets from Ikea, but there isn't an Ikea on the island, so Home Depot became our second choice, but after seeing the prices and talking to a few people who voiced concern about the quality of such cabinets for a termite infested area such as Rincon, we started thinking about plan C.

I've made a few wood tables, but kitchen cabinets are a whole new ballgame. I started by making a cabinet to hold our TV receiver and DVD player. It came out alright so I looked up some diagrams for kitchen cabinets online and decided to give it a shot. So far I'm working on my second cabinet for the downstairs kitchen as well as making a wall bookcase and shelf for the kitchen. Everything has been made termite-proof and to our specifications so it fits right and I know it's made right.

I understand what Sennett is trying to express in his book because the more I work on this woodworking thing, the more gratifying it becomes. The time I spend in my workshop is satisfying, I've got music playing and the Puerto Rican jungle to look out upon. I see the quality of the work improving along with my confidence in what I can do. I feel the pride in completing a project and seeing the difference between cutting corners and taking the time to do it right. Not everything turns out perfect, but perfection isn't the point. Knowing that there are alternatives to "Made in China" and spending a fortune on a designer kitchen is.

Surfrider Trashcan Day

Saturday Cyndi and I helped Surfrider install 12 new trashcans at 4 different beaches here in Rincon. We started at 7:30 in the morning at the offices Surfrider rents out of a house near Steps Beach. Wess, the Surfrider, Rincon Chairman and Roger, who owns Surf 787, a surf camp and guest villa in the hills above Rincon, http://surf787.com/Surf787OurLocation.html had already started loading the materials in their cars. Roger donated all the materials; barrels, posts and concrete. There were a couple other people there, but it was looking like it might be a long day if more post hole diggers didn't show up.

We dropped off the trashcans, posts and cement at each location and made our way to the furthest beach, Domes, and started digging holes. Luckily a few more guys showed up and Roger really knew what he was doing so the work went pretty quick. Domes has the biggest parking lot of all the beaches we were doing that day and already had 4 trashcans but needed more so we installed 4 more trashcans in 2 seperate areas. The biggest factors on where to install the cans were putting them where they could be emptied by the municipal trash trucks and not blocked by parked cars, also they needed to be placed where they would get used, not out of the way where more than a few yards walk would be involved. There are also drainage and vista issues we needed to think about and a few places where the ground was too hard to dig.

Indicators, the beach just south of the lighthouse, didn't have any trashcans so we installed 2 at the start of the trail that leads to the beach. Next stop was Maria's which is a very popular spot and will be a focus in future Surfrider projects. There were 2 cans there and we installed 2 more. Finally we installed 2 more trashcans at Steps, to make a total of 4 there. About 10 people ended up showing up and most of the work was done by 11am.

As I wrote before, Cyndi worked on a beach cleanup day with Surfrider, Rincon about a month ago and I'm sure we'll be doing plenty more, but hopefully these trashcans will help keep the trash out of the water between those days. We got to meet a few interesting people, all but one North Americans, most fairly recently moved here. After speaking with more and more people we notice that there are alot of people who live here awhile and eventually leave. Either they can't make a good income or they get sick of the small town life or it's just time to try another spot on the globe. I can't help but wonder how Cyndi and I will feel about Rincon after one, two or even five years of life here, but hope we're still interested in making it a better place.