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Irene
Reena joined us for 10 days in during our Nov 2020 trip. It was over a year since her last visit and it was fun showing her the improvements to the house, new places we discovered and introducing her to our friends. Like us, she worked during the day and made the most of the evenings and weekends. Both daughters are talented artists and before long she had the itch to paint. She started with one plant, then added a new colorful and graceful plant each day.
She even let me help.
I now have a beautiful indoor garden. She says it is unfinished, like any other garden, there is more to come. But unlike the garden outside, I am glad I will not return to find jungle weeds and vines in this vibrant garden.
In January, just before we left the island, my friend Beuhla and I sowed some red chilie seeds (from the dried red chilies she had brought with her for cooking) right next to the curry leaf plants. Chilies are one of those must-have ingredients in Indian cooking. I always have curry leaves and green chilies in my freezer. In March, these little plants were doing quite well. However, the iguanas discovered and devoured all their tender leaves. I did not have much hope. In November, I found that some of the chilie plants survived the iguana banquet. Surprised, I learned that the chilie plant is not an annual and can grow for many years. I weeded the bed and staked the plants. I am now hopeful for fresh, spicy chilies whenever I need them.
People love tropical islands. Turns out that there are many reptiles that love them too. Our yard was overgrown and iguana’s loved living in the hill. If it was not for the neighborhood cats, we would be overrun with iguanas.
Iguanas as herbivores. First I noticed they loved the tender leaves on the noni trees. I soon decided to cut those trees down as they looked sad and mangled. Next the iguana’s went after the passionfruit vines. I added some barbed wire to the area, which I think mostly hurt me. Luckily the passionfruit got bigger and tougher, and the iguana left them alone. Finally I planted some hot chilies in the garden. I could not believe it when I saw the leaves of those plants chomped.
The iguana’s mostly hide out in their burrows. But they like to come out strutting in the afternoon sun. And they scurry away when anyone approaches them.
We had an unfortunate incident when one got lost and found its way into out kitchen. Reena was in the living room painting a mural. All of a sudden, she sees an iguana coming at her. I was on a Zoom call. She screams “There’s an iguana in the house!” Luckily, it turns around and runs outside, and scurries up the hill! Poor child almost had a heart attack!
I love being organized and ready for fun. About 10 years ago, we would frequently picnic at Peace Valley Park in Doylestown, PA. I had a picnic basket filled with everything we needed – utensils, napkins, bug repellent, band-aids, etc. We just had to pack food or pick it up on the way.
Well, in this house I decided to create a nook, which I call Beach Central to keep all the paraphernalia associated with going to the pool, beach or the rain forest. Santosh and I built the shelves, Reena and Dom stained them on a subsequent trip. The beach chairs hang on hooks.
We are slowly accumulating fun gear – hammocks, floaties, hiking sticks, fishing rods, umbrellas, etc.
Most times, we keep towels and swimsuits in the car, so we can stop at the beach for a dip anytime. This is the spontaneous life I would like to lead one day, everyday. Beach hair? Don’t care!
Clearing out the yard yielded some interesting finds including a sad looking statue of David. He is missing his head and limbs. Well, he is just torso and groin. The workers decided that David was trash and painted on a t-shirt. But I decided to keep him. Eventually, I painted him gray.
I have a tall Morringa/drumstick tree and several dwarf ones. The leaves make a delicious albeit slightly bitter side-dish. The tender leaves are better. It does take a while to remove the tiny leaves off their stem. I am going to try and use a herb stem remover next time – stay tuned.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1/4 cup diced onions
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 cups moringa leaves, separated from stems and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup grated coconut
- Salt
- Heat the oil in a frying pan
- Add the mustard seeds. Give them a moment to pop.
- Add the red chilies. Give them a moment to roast.
- Add the onion and curry leaves. Saute till the onions become soft and translucent.
- Add the turmeric. Give it a moment to cook.
- Add the leaves. Give it a mix. Cover and cook till the leaves are tender.
- Add the coconut and salt to taste. Cook for a couple more minutes.
Palmer is a small town in Rio Grande just before the entrance to El Yunque. It is also close to the Wyndham Rio Mar and how we discovered the street with a few of our favorite destinations for breakfast, burgers, ice cream and souvenirs.
On that street there are also some lovely gardens. On our first trip, six months after Maria, we were walking down the street and came across the most beautiful bougainvillea. It’s amazing color and fullness was captivating. It was growing through a small fenced in patio. Like typical tourists we posed under the magnificent bush and took pictures.
A lady inside heard us and came out to talk to us. We complemented her on her spectacular bougainvillea specimen. She told us how, when Maria struck the island with raging winds, she held onto the plant and prayed that it would survive. I am so glad it survived (and the family) so we can enjoy its beauty on each trip.
Bougainvillea are a common plant from my childhood in Zambia and India. However, I did not really think of them till more recently, living in a PA climate where they cannot thrive.
I love their bright colors. There are a few in the side yard. It will take a few years before they all mature and paint the hill with vibrant color.
A section of the backyard is not fenced. In order to create a bit of privacy, I decided to create a bougainvillea hedge. Look at the amazing colors I found.
Two months into Covid, the island was in lockdown. We were not allowed to go to the beach or the rainforest. There was a $5,000 fine for any offenders. I was anxious to just see the ocean, so we did a drive by at Luquillo. The ocean looked amazing. We decided to ride higher into the mountains (past Rio Mar) and enjoy a birds-eye view. As we passed Rio Mar we noticed cars turning right and decided to explore.
We drove past several developments all with a beautiful ocean view. We started descending and it started to feel more like a NJ beach town. Homes of all sorts next to the beach. Some large, others smaller and even some ship container homes.
Finally we started seeing some beach access. We followed a car down a muddy road that lead to the beach. There were a handful of people enjoying a beautiful calm beach. We took a risk and enjoyed walking in the water since we did not have our suits. No photos on social media please, said my husband.
We have been back several times since that discovery. Unfortunately the last time this particular beach was full of trash. Sad. We moved to another smaller spot and enjoyed the waves.
Playa Las Picuas – In front of Blue Paradise Resort
Coordinates : 18.412092, -65.776960
The side garden is a hill. The gradient varies, and it is a challenge to work the hill. I realized that the base was full of small rocks, debris and loose soil and covered with weeds. I realized that if I dig out the area, I could increase the usable area in the garden. So every evening, for a month, during our extended COVID stay in Puerto Rico, I started digging. I exposed roots, trash, rocks and soil. It took me forever to separate these into separate piles.
I lined the base of the hill with weed block and piled on the large rocks. The smaller rocks went below, along with some large decorative rocks. I added bromeliads and orchids, some from neighbors. We brought some driftwood home from the beach. Finally we added solar lights we found in Costco. Grass seed was planted and kept moist till it sprouted.
It took about six weeks to complete this project. Much of it was back breaking work. I did not have a solid plan when I started out but I’m glad I did the work and can now enjoy this garden!
