sea, field & tribe » destination

Island Hopping: U.S. Virgin Islands

chelsea — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 12:00:00 +0000

My best friend Morgan just moved to St. Thomas. From Chicago. Big change.

Her and boyfriend are blessed with the ability to uproot at whim and transplant wherever their hearts desire (in some sense of the phrase) because their jobs are computer/internet based. Of course not everything has the glamorous appeal that it may seem, they definitely face similar job related struggles that many independent contractors do. But for the next year, they get to experience the Caribbean in the U.S. Virgin Islands. So naturally, after just giving them about a week to settle in, I had to island hop over to pay a visit.

At the same time that Tropical Storm Erika was making her devastatingly drunken path up the Antilles.

So as we prepped for her demise of the USVI, we watched from their balcony overlooking Red Hook bay and St. John to see….. pretty much nothing. No rain, just lots of wind. Lots of scary wind, but that’s all. St. Croix and Dominica seemed to take the brute of the hit, while we confined ourselves indoors, afraid to venture too far from home on foot and get caught in the torrential downpour that was expected.

But alas, the sun came out and all was well and good for St. Thomas. So we explored the area, soaking up the sun and shade at a couple different beaches, trying some of the specialty cuisine nearby and certainly not passing up the chance to eat a funnel cake — something I cannot seem to find ANYWHERE in Puerto Rico, despite the fact that it would pair well with all the other fried food that locals cannot get enough of.

We also ventured over to St. John, a quick and cheap ferry ride to explore the less touristy, more residential island. We hiked a couple trails in the national park route, ending up at two relatively deserted beaches where we spent the whole morning and afternoon. Snorkeling the shoreline, I saw so many large parrotfish that seem to not exist in PR. We laid in the white sand and clear, beautiful reflecting waves of turquoise waters. We watched sailboats pass, and shared hours of pure joy at the life we are blessed with. Being present.

Hiking back to the ferry landing, we grabbed some lunch and made our short boat ride back to their home at the top of the hills. Four days had quickly passed, but we were all able to see a little bit more of an area we had never been. Sunday morning brought me a 15 minute flight back to San Juan, and brought them another week of settling into their new home. I’m so thankful we live close again, something Morgan and I haven’t experienced since we graduated from high school about 10 years ago. Wow, does time fly. Memories have been made over those years, but I’m very excited about all the ones that lie ahead of us in the Caribbean.

travel: gili air, lombok

chelsea — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

This is one of my last posts on the Bali honeymoon. We spent one month traveling around the island – and off the island – that it took several weeks to recount the details of the experience here for you. On our last week in Bali, we decided to hop on a “fast boat” and head over to Lombok’s famous little islands – the Gilis.

We were not interested in the party scene, so we skipped Gili T – instead, we settled in at Gili Air and spent almost every day out in the ocean. We dove at least twice a day, sometimes three times, and experienced something new every dive. We are amazed at the beautyl of the corals, the fish, the diversity. It was breathtaking. Our dive operators were so friendly, and after realizing we did this for a living, they made sure we were given ample time underwater to explore. No quick 45 minute dive for us!

The one thing I wanted to see and experience more than anything in Bali was…..

the mandarin fish. My favorite little fish. The most beautiful fish in the world.

AND… we saw them! We did a sunset dive at the house reef in front of 7Seas Dive Resort. Our dive guide, who had dove with us every day, was so eager to help us find these fish. Equipped with flashlights, we dove in and dropped down onto the reef. Within minutes, we spotted them. They are so incredibly shy that we had to float perfectly still above the coral, using a red-light flashlight to observe them but not frighten them. They swam and danced underneath the coral, and then finally after about 30 minutes of watching, they emerged from the reef.

The mandarinfish has a very unique mating ritual. The male and female will dance around each other before connecting their bodies side by side and using only their pectoral fins (the ones on the side) they swim up above the reef as though they were only one fish. After this little dance, they dart apart and return back below. We saw 7 fish in all, and watched for at least 45 minutes.

Diving is not all we did on Gili Air. We also did a whole lot of nothing. The island was easy to circle in a couple hours; we walked the perimeter twice. There are no cars on the island, so we rented bikes, but the sand roads made it very difficult to use these in certain areas. We found several secluded beaches, so we laid out and soaked up the sun. We both came back pretty bronzed.

The food was not wonderful anywhere here, but we did find that Le Cirque was pretty decent, and they had delicious desserts. We weren’t that impressed by Chill Bar or Scallywags (which was definitely overpriced for the quality), both of these were recommended by the travel books. We really liked Coffee & Thyme for a quick little iced coffee and snack cake.

Gili Air was said to be the quiet island, but we definitely found it to be bustling with tourists too. We did make it over to Lombok mainland, but by a very unusual method. Well, unusual in that we never saw anyone else try it. We rented paddleboards and paddled across the channel to Lombok. We spent only a few minutes on the soil, but mostly we just wanted to definitively say we had “crossed to the other side” (of the Wallace line, it’s a science thing). Nerds, I know.

Lombok is part of Indonesia, and is Muslim. It was very different from Bali. The mannerisms of the service industry were different, almost as though they were trying SO hard to be just like Bali, but were just not quite there yet. We would walk along the dirt road, passing restaurants and bars and shops, and even just the slightest glance would result in being pelted by “Yes, please! Good food!” . I think “yes” and “please” were the most commonly used words in English for the Gilis.

Our trip back to mainland Bali was quite an adventure though. An unpleasant one.

We took a “fast boat” Ekajaya on the return trip, and it was horrible. The interior of the cabin was nice, the seats were comfortable, their was A/C and a movie, but the captain literally had no problem taking the most direct route to Bali – even if it meant taking wave after wave to the portside of the boat. The rocking was intense, and there were a couple times that I was certain we were about to capsize. I think the captain realized it too, as the boat when they come to a screeching halt and go dead in the water for a couple minutes. But that didn’t last long, we were soon back on course, back to feeling like I was not going to make it out of Bali alive. Too bad it didn’t end there. When we made landfall, we were supposed to have a shuttle back into Ubud, direct to our hotel. Which of course didn’t happen; we had to argue with the shuttle drivers since our Ekajaya ticket counter in Gili Air did not give me any receipt or shuttle pass. Thus, we had to pay twice for a transfer, and then pay for another driver to take us to our hotel. It was a nightmare, but we made it.

Word of advice, do not bother arranging for transport ahead of time. Your hotel in Gili Air will offer to do this for you, but you’ll pay double the price and you still are not guaranteed an easy process. Just visit one of the many ticket counters on the east or southeast coast, buy your tickets there. You can even wait to purchase your return once you arrive in Gili. We let the hotel do it all for us, we paid a premium price, and still had difficulties. Just some things to consider! I need to share these experiences too!

Overall, we enjoyed Gili Air – the beaches were exactly what I was looking for, the diving was wonderful. We would probably return again, but would only spend a couple days here. Our next trip to Indo will be focused on visiting the outer islands. But until then, I’ll just enjoy the island life on Puerto Rico!

holy places, sacred spaces in bali

chelsea — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

I love Eastern cultures. The vibrancy of the offerings, temples, songs, wardrobe… I am always just in awe of the amount of time and attention to detail that go into these aspects of life. It is truly as though your faith comes first, everything else is only secondary. I love that.

This was particularly true for Bali.

One day, we were taken to a waterfall that our driver referred to simply as “500 steps”. We didn’t count the steps down, but it certainly felt like 500 as we hauled our tired, jet-lagged, dehydrated selves back up to the top. We didn’t get in the water, except to wet our feet and feel the powerful mist of the falls from several yards away. We love to hike to waterfalls, but we pretty rarely swim in their pools. I haven’t found a waterfall yet that feels like a bath tub, so alas, we enjoy from the distance.

But the majesty of the falls was something awe inspiring. The fact that this place was obviously something special to locals – they built 500 steps to get down to it – was enlightening. Tiny offerings were laid at the foot of the falls, and randomly on the steps. I just imagined a tiny, petite, older woman balancing a tray of offerings on her head while precariously climbing down these steps in her wrap skirt. Dedication.

And we encountered other beautiful places, like the rice terraces I wrote of earlier, and the Tirta Ganga water temple in the east. This water temple was unlike the first we visited – there were fewer crowds, it was peaceful and quiet, and beautifully manicured. The ponds were filled with huge koi fish and lily pads; a Balinese man was strumming a guitar from a restaurant behind the walls. Our driver waited for us at the entrance, so we strolled to our heart’s content.. This was the only temple that I sensed a spiritual presence and reverence. Perhaps it was the time of day, but this sacred place felt sacred.

There were so many other places we hoped to explore but time was not our side. A month was not long enough to explore all of Bali’s great wonders. We never made it to the north coast, and did not spend much time in the southeast. However, our month on the island did open our eyes to a place we have grown to love and cannot wait to return to. We met some amazing travelers along the way, drafted a list of favorites and jotted down our memories on receipts and napkins as we experienced the vibrant culture of Bali.

Vamos a Sur: A Day Trip to Puerto Rico’s Southeast Coast

sunburntandsalty — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

It was early in the morning as we loaded up the truck and headed south on the 115. The town of Rincon was just beginning to wake up as we drove through the main square, past the grocery store, and through the tunnel of mango trees that shade the road to Mayaguez. We made it through the city before traffic got too bad and then we were off, heading south in search of adventure and hopefully some fun, little waves.

Our goal was Playa Inches, a beach nestled in the town of Patillas, located on the southeast corner of Puerto Rico. My boyfriend Brian had been here before, but I had never been to this area of the island so I was excited to see something new. Patillas, which is the Taino (indigenous people of PR) name for a native type of watermelon that was grown in the area, is surrounded by San Lorenzo to the north, Yabucoa to the east, and Arroyo and Guayama to the west. This entire area is known for producing sugar cane and oranges. Patillas is also home to the Carite Forest Reserve, a 6,000-acre reserve featuring a dwarf forest and panoramic views of the town of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea. The Carite Forest is also home to “Charco Azul,” or “Blue Puddle,” a natural pool fed by the river rains of the Rio Grande de Patillas. Because of this, Patillas is known as “La Esmeralda del Sur,” or the “Emerald of the South.”

As we made our way from the northwest corner to the southeast corner, I was amazed at how much the topography changed within just a few hours drive. Especially once we were on the other side of Ponce, Puerto Rico’s 2nd largest city centrally located on the south coast, I was amazed at how arid and dry the land was. Compared to Rincon’s lush, tropical foliage, the south coast reminded me more of a desert, like somewhere in Southern California. Seeing this allowed me to gain a little better understanding of the water “crisis” I kept hearing about. In Rincon we are blessed with a lot of rain during the summer months; other areas of the island aren’t so lucky and experience water rationing due to this shortage.

Anyways, the trip to Playa Inches from Rincon took us about 2 ½ hours… Our trusty truck, Dora the Explorer, gets a little sensitive when we push her over 60mph so we kept it nice and steady. The beach at Inches is made of river rocks with little, typical bars and restaurants scattered along the road. The beach is called “Inches” because of the surf spot out front: it’s a perfect, left-hand point that breaks over a shallow reef made of fire coral. At certain spots it’s literally inches between you and the bottom. Sketchy, yes, but that’s what makes the waves so good.

We got to the beach around 9am and took a look at the surf. Not great, but not flat, plus it wasn’t very crowded, so we decided to give it a go. Inches is probably the most popular, and the most consistent, wave on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, so it can get very crowded with surfers and boogie boarders from all of the surrounding towns. And paddling out at a new surf spot for the first time is always a little intimidating: you don’t know the lineup, you don’t know the locals, and you definitely don’t know want to piss anyone off (it’s a surfing thing)… but my boyfriend and I have been doing this for a while, so we knew what to do: sit to the side, be respectful, and stay out of other people’s way.

I was pleasantly surprised with both the quality of the waves and the friendliness of the other surfers in the water and on the beach. Smiles were exchanged, high-fives were slapped, and waves were shared. We hooted each other on and took turns catching the set waves. Everyone was happy and everyone was having fun… what surfing is really all about. We surfed all morning and by the afternoon the waves had dropped and the crowd had picked up so we decided to kick back, eat some lunch, and enjoy a couple of cold cervezas with our newly made friends.

By the late afternoon it was time for us to head back to our little corner of the island. We packed up the truck, dusted the sand off of our legs, and said our goodbyes. Business cards were exchanged, hands were shaken, and hugs were given. “I’ve got a place for you to stay anytime you are in San Juan,” one gentleman told us. “No, come to Luquillo! You guys can stay with me and we will go surf!,” urged our new friend, Iris. The local boogie boarder chimed in, “Next time you’re down here I’ll show you two some different surf spots. There are a lot of good waves!”

It was right around dusk when we made it back to Rincon. We drove through the tunnel of mango trees that welcomed us back to the “country.” We made our way past the grocery store, through the town square, and finally to our driveway. We left that morning with the intention to just catch a few waves, but when we returned home we realized that we had received much, much more. During our day trip to south coast we were able to experience, first hand, the beauty of community: the power of a smile, the importance of connection, and the simple reminder that, essentially, we are all the same. Thank you, Playa Inches, for such a great first experience. We will definitely be back!

canggu & ulu , beachin it in bali

chelsea — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 19:46:24 +0000

Six days after arriving in Bali, we journeyed from Ubud and the central mountains out over to the coast. I was definitely not prepared for the beauty that awaited us on the west side of the island. Pictures do not do is justice. Your presence is required to soak. this. in.

We stayed three nights at the gorgeous and unique Temple Lodge, perched atop the cliffside over Bingin Beach. Serene, isolated, breezy, island-like. With just a handful of rooms, we rarely encountered many guests except at eating times. While Evan surfed, I would explore the Balinese art of massage (several days in a row..) or wander down the cliffside staircase to the water below. We snorkeled out over the reef, ate fresh caught fish-dinner right on the beach, and walked from one cliff to the next in the soft white sands.

We rented a scooter and toured the Uluwatu – Pecatu area, stopping over at Single Fin bar for a drink at sunset, and wandering down their cliff side to check out the swell at Uluwatu surf break. We mostly ate at the Temple Lodge because the food was truly so splendid, we had no reason to leave. They are open to the public for breakfast and dinner, so do yourself a favor and stop by for the gorgeous view, hospitable service, and delicious food!

Our stay in Uluwatu was brief, but at least we were wandering just further up the coast to yet another surf town, with yet another delicious spread of wonderful restaurants, and yet another awesome place to explore – Canggu.

We heard about Canggu from the lovely Lou and Bar — our hosts the time we were there! — who recently moved out to the surf town from Ubud area. They wanted the slower pace, and Bar was eager to surf. As they worked on getting their online business ready to launch, they also played tour guide and met us for numerous meals, beach excursions and one unforgettable time at Bali Circus playing on the silks and hoop! Lou & Bar, we so much enjoyed our stay and please don’t forget you’re welcome here in PR!

We rented another scooter and literally toured almost every inch of this town. We ate at some wonderful places — our favorites were Grocer & Grind, the Avocado Cafe, and Samadi Bali. The last place was double wonderful for me, because it was also the first encounter with some exceptional yoga teachers in Bali. I was blessed to be there while the talented duo of Ashtanga Yoga Korunta were there, teaching Mysore Ashtanga – a style I had previously never experienced. And let me tell you, as a yoga instructor myself, I was humbled by the experience and devotion of the students around me. I feel in love with this style. I cannot wait to seek more.

And then alas, time would dictate we move across the island to the east. We bid farewell to our new friends, and made the almost-three-hour drive to Amed. Then the diving began.

travel: central bali

chelsea — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 11:02:00 +0000

I was recently married and traveled to the southern hemi to spend my honeymoon in Bali for one month. Evan and I were able to experience and see so many things in this time, but we already feel that draw to return again some day soon.

When you think of Bali, you immediately daydream of gorgeous beaches, bikini clad chicks, surfers, lush jungles and Instagram snapshots of Kuta parties and infinity pools. Well, the real Bali is not too far from that image. Even though tourists make up 1% of the island’s population, it is actually quite difficult to get away from them. Of course, it depends on where you go, and we were able to find many spots without hordes of crowds.

The average tourist is European or Asian, we encountered a few Americans. Whenever anyone (Balinese or tourist) asked where we came from, we always started off with “Puerto Rico”. After the look of bewilderment, we followed it up with “it’s in the Caribbean sea”. Again, the ponderous looks. Ok, America. Ah, YES! America! And then that was the end of the conversation. On one occasion, we had an Australian ask why all Americans tell foreigners what state they are from, rather than just saying America. What an interesting and true statement. I usually always tell people Texas, but that is just because Texans are a proud bunch.

We spent our first 6 days in central Bali and this was definitely the part of the island to experience true Balinese culture. We started off at the monkey forest of Sangeh, shown in the photos above. Our hosts suggested this monkey temple as opposed to the one in Ubud, where the monkeys tend to be rather aggressive towards people. We found these guys to be relatively indifferent to our presence, unless we had peanuts. A few of them were quite interested in the cameras though.

Next we were off to one to visit a legendary water temple Pura Ulun Danu Bratan. This temple is the primary holy temple for all the rice farmers in Bali. It sits on Lake Bratan, which supplies water to the subak irrigation system in Bali. There are several water temples throughout the island, and gods for every element and aspect of life. One interesting thing we discovered is that Bali is the only Indonesian island that is Hindu, the rest are Muslim.

I expected to observe the same Hindu customs that I witnessed and experienced in India, and although many things were similar, these lifestyles and traditions were very different. Western clothes were the norm, except when dressing up for special religious or holy occasions. Offerings were placed out every morning, meticulously observing the ritual for each shrine and family temple. Offerings were placed at the front of warungs and street vendors, offerings were left in the middle of the streets, or on the sidewalks. I many times found fresh offerings randomly in the rice terraces, or on shrines hidden and overgrown by the tall grasses in what seemed like a completely forgotten locale.

The attention to detail is what set central Bali apart from the coasts. In the center, real Balinese life goes unhindered or bothered by tourists. Unfamiliar faces are welcome, but life moves about in a manner that is completely unobstructed by our presence. Offerings are created with slow, methodical purpose. Buildings are clean, shoes are not allowed inside, the family temple is respected and honored. On the coasts, the livelihoods cater to tourists, so someone is always calling out to sell you trinkets, or people are always trying to offer you taxi services, or usher you inside their shops. Boutique hotels are built on previously occupied Balinese grounds, and family temples are offered only a faint glimpse by the waitstaff. Of course, not every place is exactly like this, but the differences were not subtle. However, there were certainly aspects of the island that we loved in both locations.

I’ll continue to share about this amazing month long journey over the next several weeks! I hope it inspires some wanderlust, but perhaps also sheds a new perspective on Bali from the eyes of two Caribbean “islanders”.

tips for island living

chelsea — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000

This is a post originally shared on my travelogue, Roots Transplanted. In case you are moving to an island, or perhaps just recently moved to one, then here are my learnt-the-hard-way tips that should save you time and frustration!

Thus far, my journey in the Caribbean has taught me many lessons about life, happiness, and where not to hang my clothes to dry. So, I’ve compiled a very special list of things I’ve learned, in an attempt to help you with your transition into this life in paradise.

Indoors Arm & Hammer cat litter poured into an 8oz cup with help draw moisture from the air in small places (like closets) and won’t turn into water like those Damp Rid packets. See my DIY here.
*Check your clothes periodically for mold – some materials that you least expect can gather these spores.
*Keep medicine tablets out of humid areas. They turn to mush.
*Use eggshell, or a more glossy paint finish on all walls inside. This keeps moisture from ruining your freshly painted walls.
*Move furniture away from exterior walls; they absorb moisture and will smell dank and musty.
*Almost everyone is on septic systems; don’t use Charmin brand toilet paper as it tends to expand drastically when wet and soggy.
*Keep your windward facing windows only slightly cracked during January (west side of the island only, as far as I know) or your clothes, couches and everything will be covered in the itchy and microscopic fibers of “pica pica” — for Puerto Rico
*Water and electricity can be expensive and go out often without warning. Always be prepared with extra gallons of water, even when its not hurricane season.
*Invest in a small generator to power your fridge and a fan when the power goes out for days

OutdoorsBounce dryer sheets keep away mosquitos, so does natural citronella essence
*Paint outdoor ceilings a blue color to keep bugs off of them
*Spray your car battery hookups with WD40 to prevent corrosion
*Hang light colored clothes in the sun and dark ones in the shade to prevent fading. Don’t hang clothes to dry during “pica pica” season.
*Wash the undercarriage of your car frequently. Everything rusts 100X faster down here. Use a pressure washer under your car if possible (never on the paint!).
*Take advantage of the long growing seasons – plant a garden!
*Don’t build a garden in your yard during the wet season – wait and see what portions tend to flood.
*Trash pick-up can be infrequent and irregular. Start a compost to minimize waste.
*Keep trees and bushes trimmed back away from the house – this will reduce mosquitos and bugs.
*Walk wherever you can, reduce the number of cars populating the roads.

PetsSpray your yard once every couple months with pest control or find a natural alternative that works just as well.
*Revelution dog heartworm medicine does not work on ticks in Puerto Rico. Switch your pet to Frontline prior to moving to prevent costly vet visits with weird diseases.
*If you discover your pet develops an allergy to mold, dust, etc. on the island – first try supplementing their dog food with an all natural vitamin/mineral mix. Check out OnlyNaturalPet.com – I’ve been happy with all their products. Vet treatments for allergies is very costly and long-term.
*If you let your dog run free outside, be cautious of other stray dogs. Many are not neutered or spayed. Always keep a collar and ID information on your pet, as this is a sign of ownership. You’ll notice “stray” dogs with collars quite frequently.

Around TownTourist season for most of Puerto Rico is end of October through April.
*If you need a job, ask around during the low season. It’s all about who you know. Talk to waiters and bartenders, people that live on the island year ’round will likely have connections. Same goes for house hunting.
*Ask what fruits are tasty and learn where to pick them yourself. Save money!
*Island time is slow. Latin time is slow. Puerto Rico is latino and island, so its double slow. Dinner guests will likely arrive 2 hours late at least.
*Emergency medical service is very lacking. Particularly in Rincon – the hospital can not treat anything serious (like major accidents). Know where your closest hospital is and what their hours are. Expect long wait times.

Please feel free to add to this list! (Photo of Evan holding an invasive green iguana)

how to ship your car to an island

chelsea — Tue, 12 May 2015 09:28:00 +0000

This post comes over from my first blog, Roots Transplanted, where I chronicled my and Evan’s move to Puerto Rico. It was quite a popular post, and I’ve received many emails with questions about other aspects of life on the island as well. But alas, I have decided to try and consolidate my online presence, so I deleted old blogs and accounts I no longer use. However, this post was one of the few that made the journey over to sea, field & tribe. So if you’re considering moving to the Caribbean from the States, this will certainly apply to you. In fact, the key concepts of this post will really apply to anyone moving to an island! Best of luck!

If you are moving to Puerto Rico and will be in need of transportation (and you will, don’t count on public transportation because its virtually nonexistent), then you have two options: 1. Buy a car or 2. Ship your car. There are benefits and disadvantages to each option. I’ll present both and let you decide.

Buy a Car
First, when deciding to purchase a car in Puerto Rico, consider whether you want to buy a new car or a used car. There are plenty of dealerships here with a variety of car makers. Puerto Rico does not have it’s own car manufacturing, so plan to purchase something that you test drive and see in the States. Keep in mind that new cars come with pretty little import tax figures, which generally means you’ll be paying at least $4,000 to $6,000 more over here for the same car you would buy in the States. Also, research how to finance it. Many times, you may be required to pay your monthly car payment in person… and wait in a long line of people doing the same thing….. the internet payment plans haven’t really caught on here yet. You can find the dealerships online and try calling to ask about it.

If you want to buy a used car here, there are plenty to choose from, but most are unreliable. As I have found, the used cars here are typically “abused” cars. You will not get a vehicle history report. You’ll be taking your chances buying something that may have set at the bottom of a river for some time… In other words, if you are a person who doesn’t have the money to fork over to a repair shop more frequently then you would with your car in the States… then consider buying a new car. If you are moving to the island for only a short duration ( a few months), then buying a used car will definitely be more practical for you.

Shipping a car, you’ll still be paying the import tax to get it here… but of course, you may get a better deal in the States on the price. Consider this, do you speak Spanish well enough to haggle a salesman here (many will speak English just fine, it depends on where you will be living)? If the answer is no, then that is something else to consider too. Are you shipping a car that was made recently? Example, when I shipped my 2008 Jeep Patriot for my move in 2010, it cost me $3,300 in import tax to get it here. But I paid $12, 650 for the car – the same car here was over $17,000. I still came out on top.

The import tax price is determined by the year, make and model of the car. The department that determines that price is called Hacienda. There is no way to negotiate with their overinflated value of your car, so don’t bother. Here is the webpage where you can input your VIN or car information and get an estimated value for the import tax. Mine actually ended up being slightly less than the estimate. You will have to pay this tax in person, in cash or ATH (which is the Puerto Rican debit card, but it CANNOT have a Visa logo. They will not accept this, I learned the hard way.) But, it actually looks like you can do some of this process online now!!

Thus, if you don’t plan to fly over with that much cash on you, then open a Puerto Rican bank account online. The popular choice is Banco Popular. You can open an e-account (it takes several days for it to process and open) and then transfer money from your Stateside account into this one. Have them send your ATH card to the States, so that you will have it when you arrive in San Juan to pay the import tax (do this if you are planning well ahead). You cannot retrieve your vehicle without proof that you have paid this tax. Again, check the Hacienda site because you may be able to now pay online with other options.

If you are reading this far, then you’re still considering shipping as an option.

There are various companies that will ship your car for you, but it’s not cheap and it requires some planning. Check out this website for more in depth information on the actual shipping process. But, essentially you will need five things to ship your car with any company:

1. A vehicle authorization letter from your lien holder that recognizes that you’ll be shipping your car to Puerto Rico (or your title)
2. A copy of your insurance in the States
3. A copy of your insurance in Puerto Rico (this can be tricky to get it, if you aren’t there already)
4. Nothing left in the car when you drop it off (except a roadside emergency kit)
5. A 1/4 tank of gas, at least.

It’s very important that you start the lien-holder letter process several months before you plan to move. You never know how many hoops you might have to jump through with them, so give yourself plenty of time.

Next, talk to your insurance company. Do they cover you in Puerto Rico? If so, that’s great! If not, then start looking up companies in Puerto Rico so that you can list these as options when you go to ship your car (you won’t be able to get the insurance, because you’ll have to first register your vehicle in PR before they will issue you the insurance. Many companies in the States will cover you until your vehicle lands in PR , and that’s usually good enough for the shipper).

Finally, decide on a shipper. This will be the hardest part, because it comes with several options and price differences. If you live in Florida or California, this process might be easier for you, because most of the companies are located here. If you don’t… you may have to drive your car to Florida first. I chose SeaStar line. I think they did a great job from their offices in the States, but once in Puerto Rico, they were hard to get a hold of and not fluent in English.

The car will ship into San Juan only. So make arrangements to stay in San Juan for a few days, because retrieving your car will not be a one-day process (especially if you have the unfortunate luck of arriving before a tropical storm, or on a holiday). You will have to pay the tax at a Hacienda office there in San Juan. This office is not near the port. Have someone, or a taxi, take you there and back. Also, do not plan to do any of this around lunchtime. It’s a common Caribbean custom to take over an hour lunch break. Most people don’t get back to their office until 1 or 1:30 pm. Ask ahead.

You are also probably wondering about how your car will show up after the travel?

Make sure you abide by the regulations of your shipper. Most do not allow you to keep anything else in your car, except a road hazard kit. Your car will be unlocked, sitting on a lot, waiting for you behind a fenced and guarded area. But I’ve heard horror stories of workers breaking into the car and stealing the headunit of someone’s sound system (obviously, take this out before shipping it). I encountered no problems and had no dings or scratches on my car either. I think my situation is the normal one.

Best of luck and as always, just read ahead! I try to keep this information up to date but it has also been 4 years since I shipped my car to the island. Some things appear to be online now, which will definitely save you time and money.

travel: barbados

chelsea — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Evan and I just recently returned from the island of Barbados. It was a work trip, seriously. No really, it was. We both presented our research at the Gulf & Caribbean Fisheries Institute conference, and spent a little time exploring Barbados on the side.

The island is so beautiful: clean water, clear and blue. White sands, no trash. Easy to explore, we felt safe and everyone was friendly. The food was expensive, but that was to be expected. The diving was expensive, but we expected that too. I do want to go back.

Here are just a few snippets of our week, which including sailing through the late afternoon, touring the oldest rum distillery in the world, snacking on soursop while getting lost through Bridgetown, entertained by a monkey on the beach, trying their local flavor Mauby as a vegan ice cream, and site seeing the other Caribbean islands as we hopped back up to Puerto Rico.

travel: new hampshire

chelsea — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000

That’s right, I went up north. Believe it or not, I ventured out to New England yet again. This is now only the second time I’ve ever been past Virginia on the East Coast. And it was beautiful! With Sophie in tote, we flew up to Lake Winnipesaukee for Evan’s cousin’s wedding. It was a gorgeous event, right on the water, with such emotional ties to the location for both the bride and groom – I loved it. We arrived a couple days early, so we spent some time exploring the area, which was just starting to turn into Autumn. The little town of Wolfeboro was quaint and pet friendly; we found a craft beer store (had to bring some brews back, naturally), a little hippie store where I found this, and a couple cute coffee shops where I discovered this new-to-me book. We walked around an antique car and boat show, hiked for a couple hours, and spent time with his family.

The couple were blessed with a perfect weather weekend for their wedding, and we got lucky with the “warm” clothes we packed, considering we practically didn’t have anything that would be warm enough if it was as chilly as the New England I expected.

So, Good Morning Monday! This week, Evan, Sophie and I pack up yet again but this time we head to Texas for my brother’s wedding. I’ll have a couple inspiring posts + a pretty sweet giveaway to share with you while I’m gone, so stay in touch!