Taxes

Taxes- one of our easiest experiences in Puerto Rico so far!

One of our coworkers recommended a local place for taxes because they spoke English fairly well.   We stopped in one Saturday to find out their hours and if we needed to make an appointment.  They didn't take appointments and it wasn't busy...Jake forgot to grab the tax information on the way out the door that day which was a bummer because they could have helped us right then.

Instead, Jake went back one morning after dropping KC at work.  It took them about 10 minutes to write down all of our information and said that the taxes would be ready to sign in a few days.  Three days later the forms were ready to be signed and filed.  We stopped by after work one night and finished signed and picked up the forms.  We will definitely be going back because of their professionalism, and efficiency.

Our Weekend

Our weekend started with a change of plans.  We were planning to head to Rincon for dinner, but the dark ominous clouds (and radar) told us it was going to be raining there for a while...

So, we stopped at the Post and Shop to grab our mail.  There was a surprise Easter package from KC's parents along with our stack of mail.  KC opened it up, and saw it was full of treats!  Thanks KC's Mom and Dad for thinking of us- we appreciate it! :)  Candy here is so expensive- $6.99 for a bag of Cadbury eggs, and the Peeps in Puerto Rico seem to be the ones which didn't pass quality control...  So, KC was especially happy to get some Peeps!

Our box of goodies

Our Chinese food was good, and the order was huge!  We were able to get two meals out of it, and still have some left.  KC grew up having Chinese food almost every Sunday, and we hadn't had it in four months.  We enjoyed this indulgence- now we still need to find a place that makes spring rolls!

There was a Kite Surfing Challenge on our beach this weekend.  Their music, announcements, and air horn could be heard from our place.  We headed down to the beach, and there were a lot of people there (not as many as Easter weekend), but more than usual.  Medalla (Puerto Rican beer) had set up umbrellas and tents around the beach, and there were lots of advertisement banners around.  

We sat on the beach and watched the competition for a few hours.  It was interesting to watch, but we didn't really know what the competition guidelines were since it was in Spanish.  The waves weren't as large as normal, so the jumps weren't as big as what we normally see when people are kite surfing out there.

Medalla umbrellas and tents

Some of the kites

Announcer's podium / stage at night

Saturday night we cleaned up, and headed to Villa del Mar Hau for their concert.  It was supposed to start at eight, but our work friends texted and said they'd make it around nine.  We went to check it out around eight, and there weren't many people there.  When our friends made it there were more people there, and we had to go through the security guards to find the concert.

When we actually found the concert area, it was on the beach!  We could have walked there from our house.  Once we found our friends we ended up walking back again to get towels for them.  No one knew the concert was on the beach, so many people weren't prepared.  We went back- grabbed our chairs, some towels, and a cooler with refreshments and walked back.  

The first act was a salsa band called Orquesta el Macabeo.  Here's a video of them.

The second act was Dreadless (Reggae Tribute Band).   They played a lot of the typical Reggae songs and most of them were in English which we appreciated!

After listening to Dreadless for an hour, we were starting to feel the effects of a long day in the sun and wind, so we headed home.  

We spent Sunday relaxing and preparing for the week ahead.  It felt good to unwind a little around our place before heading back to work.  

Burgers and potatoes for dinner

Easter Weekend

We had a relaxing Easter Saturday and Sunday after coming back from Ponce.  We spent time at the beach (surprise, surprise- our new normal), cleaned, and relaxed.  Our complex, and beach were filled with people!  People everywhere- in the pool, walking around the complex, at the beach.  On a typical weekend our complex is about 25% occupied, and the beach might have 10-20 other people on it.  

We had noticed the number of people at the beach increasing over the last few weeks due to spring break, and weddings at the vacation rentals nearby.  But, Easter weekend was insane!  We knew we were in trouble when driving back from Ponce, as Jobos beach was overflowing with people and cars.  Our beach was packed!  It's clear that people celebrate Easter at the beach here! 

Typical weekend beach view

Easter weekend craziness!

Jake surprised KC with an "egg shaped" surprise- a spaghetti squash!  They're so expensive here we don't eat them often, but we loved it.  Also, we made a new chicken/potato/cheese recipe for Easter dinner which turned out well.  

Easter dinner

Our Easter was completed two days later when KC found a leftover Easter egg from a hunt our neighbors had.  Sadly, the candy inside had already melted- and the kids must not have looked too hard, because it was sitting right on the shrub.

Ponce: Dinner and Day 2

Lola
After reading about this restaurant in our Puerto Rico guidebook, we wanted to give it a try.  The atmosphere was hip, and the food was delicious!  KC had filet mignon and mushroom risotto, and Jake enjoyed creamy chicken pesto fettuccine.

Cathedral of our Lady of Guadeloupe

After dinner we stopped at this church, which was right across the street from the restaurant.  Since the church is in the middle of the town square and it was Holy Week, there were cars everywhere.  We tried to envision how people were going to get out after Mass.  There was going to be a lot of waiting!

Parque de Bombas

On the other side of the town square we stopped and saw this museum about the history of firefighting in Ponce.  It was closed, so we just peeked in.

Plaza de las Delicias

A few steps away from the Parque de Bombas was the Plaza of Delights.  We snapped a quick picture in front of the fountain.  There were a few people milling around who made us feel uncomfortable, so we headed back to the parking ramp.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Ponce.  Here's the view from our room's balcony, and a shot of the pool.   We enjoyed our free night using Jake's reward points.  

La Guancha

On Friday morning we spent some time at the boardwalk in Ponce.  Most everything else was closed since it was Good Friday, so we walked around, and saw the view from the top of the lookout.  A lot of the restaurants were closed, and there were only a few people there.  We imagine it's a lot busier most days.

Then we started the two hour trek back to Isabela!

Ponce: Day 1

Puerto Rico Honeywell had Holy Thursday and Good Friday off as holidays, so we decided to make the most of our time off and explore Ponce.  We had a lot of recommendations from coworkers on what to see while we were there.  There were a lot of activities packed into two days!

We left early Thursday morning because almost everything was closed on Good Friday, and we wanted to get in as much as possible.  

Tibes Indian Ceremonial Center
At the Tibes Indian Center we were given a tour of the grounds which contained different rock structures (ball court, ceremonial areas, and rock structures in line with the solstices and equinoxes), and a model of what homes may have looked like in the past.  This site was found in 1975 when a tropical storm hit Puerto Rico.  So, it's a fairly new site.  It was interesting to learn about the Indians: pre-Taino, and Taino.  Also, the tour guide gave us a more complete history of Puerto Rico, and its native people.

After the tour of the grounds we went into the small museum and learned more.  We saw petroglyphs carved by the Indians, pottery, and human remains found in the area.  KC loves history, so this was right up her alley!

Petroglyphs on rock structure

Rock structure in line with solstices and equinoxes 

Petroglyphs

Cruz del Vigia

We saw this cross on our way to our next stop.  You can walk up to the top of it, but after reading reviews on Trip Advisor we decided to just drive by.  We didn't want to pay to walk up a few stairs and take in the view since we knew we'd be able to see the view at the next museum- which was literally across the street.

El Museo Castillo Serralles

We made it just in time for a tour of this castle in English.  A short video taught us about the sugar cane and rum industry and the Serralles family.  We learned that this house was built in the 1930's for the son of the founder of the Don Q rum industry.  The city of Ponce purchased it in the 1980's and it now functions as a museum and wedding location.  This house or "castle" was very ornate, and the family made sure only the best went into the floors/walls/furniture that was inside the home.

We couldn't take pictures inside the house, but once on the balcony you could take pictures of the city of Ponce below, and the view of the water.

The tour was a little long for our liking, but now we can say we've provided equal time to both Bacardi and Don Q while on the island! ;)  

Old Don Q bottles

Museo de Arte de Ponce
The #1 attraction on Trip Advisor was our next stop.  This Art Museum was a lot larger than we expected it to be, and the building itself was a work of art.  Their collection contains many pieces from European and Puerto Rican artists.

One interesting piece we found was this photograph taken in 1898 when the Americans landed in Ponce, and the painting depicting the same event.  

The oldest painting we found in the museum was of Emperor Maximilian I from 1518 made of oil on a cradled wood panel.  It's amazing something from this long ago exists, and is in such good condition.  We were impressed with the amount and selection of art in this museum.  

Driving around Ponce was interesting...  Many of the roads were in poor condition, and seemed to be neglected.  The further we drove up in the hills of the city the more deserted the streets became, and it left us wondering what happened.  During our tour of the castle the guide said the sugar cane industry left in the '90s, we're wondering/guessing if that had something to do with it.  Some streets in Ponce were alive and vibrant, and others felt like a ghost town.

We also encountered this situation while driving...  Can you help us out here?  How was this intersection supposed to work?  Thank goodness Jake has patience and is decisive when he needs to be!  Crisis averted!  We could probably do an entire series of posts on driving in Puerto Rico...  We'll save that for another day! 

Notice the lack of turn signals, something not uncommon in Puerto Rico...