For those that find themselves in Puerto Rico on vacation, or otherwise… don’t think you have to stick to the main island.  If you haven’t been to the island of Culebra you are missing out on one of the world’s best beaches!  It’s so close, it would be a sin not to visit.  Don’t take my word for it; just google Flamenco Beach and you’ll find it on many of the top lists. White sands, and crystal clear blue waters are what you will find there. It’s the Caribbean at its finest, and feels so private even when there are 100 people spread across the beach.  You find yourself tucked in a gorgeous cove with mountains all around you, palm trees, and a coral reef that is great for snorkeling. Culebra’s world renowned Flamenco Beach is no doubt the best beach I’ve ever been to in my entire life. I forgot to record some video of it, but here are some stills instead.

Below is a short video clip of the view from the upper deck of the Fajardo Ferry, which for only a few dollars you can take to see the amazing Puerto Rican Island of Culebra. To get to Fajardo you will either need a rental car, or maybe even a taxi cab.  Overall I would recommend just getting an economical rental car.  Driving in PR can get a little crazy near San Juan around rush hour, but overall it’s not that bad, or too congested.  We were driving a little Mitsubishi Mirage from Budget rent a car, and a few times people on motorcycles were weaving right in between cars through highway traffic.  Nothing you wouldn’t see in the states, but combine that with potholes everywhere and it can be a little bit more testing on your nerves.  You also have to watch out for stray dogs that wander all over the place (sad but true) because they don’t seem to have any animal control over there.  As long as you keep your eyes on the road you will be fine.  They drive on the right side of the road over there, just like in the states.  Once you get your ticket for the ferry in Fajardo, don’t forget to buy another additional ticket for anything large that you’re bringing along with you, like a cooler or other cargo. I would highly advise never to sit in the front, lower end of the ferry, because on the way over to Culebra we did just that. It was nauseating. We sat on the top level, to the back, on the way home and the cruise back was perfect. You also get a lot better of a view!

If you’re not the ferry riding type, you can also fly right in to Culebra on a small airplane; the cost is much more, of course.  I say be adventurous – take the boat and bring a good book to read on the way.  Once you get to Culebra, taxi cabs will take you right over to Flamenco beach very cheap.  They line back up at the beach around the time when the Ferry is due back for the return trip.  Once you’re on Island time, you had better make sure both you and your cab driver is on the ball.  It’s a slower paced life without all the stress we are so used to living with, when you’re in the Caribbean.  It even takes longer to get fed at most restaurants, because things just aren’t as hectic as they are in the US.  I wish it was more like that here, because maybe we would live longer and be generally healthier.  Stress kills!  Feeling stressed?  Culebra is the perfect place to get away and relax in paradisaic surroundings.

Here are some more stills I captured  ( all available as stock imagery for licensing at http://arenacreative.com )

The story behind the old rusted tanks found on playa Flamenco is interesting.  They seem so out of place, but they remind you of a military presence that once polluted a lot of the land.  What a terrible place for bombing and military artillery range practice, isn’t it?  That’s pretty much what it was used for… what a shame.  Thankfully it’s back to being safeguarded from that today.  Standing near the food vendors at Flamenco beach, I was approached by what appeared to be a park ranger.  In English, he asked me if I had any glass bottles in my cooler, because glass was not allowed.  Of course I didn’t, but I was very impressed with how much the Culebrans are trying to maintain the level of cleanliness on their fine land.  There were trash recepticals everywhere, and nowhere will you find trash laying around, unlike at other mainland beaches in Puerto Rico.  Luquillo beach was pretty messy, with litter, glass, Medallo Light beer cans, and papers all around.  It’s a shame, to see a palm tree lined beach with crap all over the place; so much that you have to watch where you walk.

By the way, when you visit PR you have to suck down some of these… they are delicious.  I wish I could buy this Medalla Light beer back home.

So basically, this last summer my wife and I finally were able to plan our first “real” vacation, somewhere far away that took us out of our element.  Having being so broke from buying a home, an engagement ring, paying for our wedding, we didn’t do anything spectacular for our honeymoon about 4 years back.  Ocean City Maryland was nice, but it was no Caribbean.  This is what I wished we could have afforded at the time, but in retrospect; we probably could have.  Don’t think you can’t visit a tropical place for 5 nights in a 4 or 5 star resort for $1000-2000 (including a rental car, flight, and hotel stay) if you watch the deals.  Going during hurricane season enabled us to find an incredible deal. If I had only known this back then, I would have been all over it like white on rice.

Don’t be an idiot like I am, getting excited in the midst of taking pictures and forgetting to apply sunblock or sunscreen, or just to wear a stinking t-shirt, at least.  If you’re used to the “sun is strongest between 10am and 2pm” rule from the northern parts of the US, then be sure to realize that down near the equator it’s more like “between 12pm and 4pm”, or maybe a bit longer.  Rash guards were suggested to me (special shirts you can get at any sporting goods store for around $20) but I failed to listen.  Stupid me – at least now I know for next time.  Hopefully I didn’t get cooked enough to develop melanoma down the road.  Here are some photos of the peeling and cracked sunburn that I developed while down in the Caribbean   OUCH!  Not all the aloe vera gel in the world could stop this sunburn from peeling.

If you’re a US resident and are worried about passports; don’t worry.  You don’t need one!  Puerto Rico is sort of a territory of the US, so none is even required for travel back and forth.  I honestly don’t understand what the big fuss about is with Cancun and Puerto Vallarta Mexico, when for a much shorter flight  you can see beaches and amazing resorts in PR.  Check it out, if you haven’t considered it for your next big vacation getaway.  It hels if you speak a little bit of Spanish, but overall most on the island also speak English.  Spanish definitely seems preferred, but supposedly Puertoricans learn English in school as early as the second grade.  Not all seem to keep up with it, but moreso than us mainland Americans probably do with our Spanish.  It’s funny, because I pulled back the Spanish I learned back in high school and college while I was there, and it was amazing how much of it I recalled.  I was having pretty decent conversations with fellow airplane passengers, and others than only spoke Spanish.  My wife is Puerto Rican, but she doesn’t speak it much being born in the US, so I don’t get much practice at home.  The power of our brains is amazing, though – you really do recall a lot of the basics of a language when you’re completely immersed in it, forcing you to use what you have stored up in the depths of your good old noggin.   Overall, I think people understood me pretty well.  I felt comfortable enough where I was probably looking like a gringo but surprising the locals with what I could say.  It’s fun learning a new language when you can actually make practical use of it, applying what you have learned.  Go visit Puerto Rico the next time you find a good travel deal.  Staying in Isla Verde is highly recommended!  We loved the Intercontinental Resort  but on that same strip you will find many other quality resorts, like the Ritz Carlton and the Hilton.  The beach there is very clean, only the water isn’t as blue as it was in Culebra.  I hope to be able to see it again someday, and you should too!

Did you ever wonder how to make realistic water reflections?  Sure, there are filters that will do this for you.  Flaming Pear makes the flood filter which is another way to achieve this.  Filter Forge is another.  Here Bob illustrates how to create this look from scratch in Photoshop with an ultra realistic water ripples effect.  Best of all, it costs you nothing but your time (only about 5-10 minutes).  The Miz’s photoshop video tutorials are always a great resource to all photographers, graphic designers, and Photoshop users alike.

Adobe Photoshop video tutorial by Robert Mizerek