San Andres Still

We are closing in on a month here in San Andres with no weather window in sight. Its warm (high 20’s to low 30’s Celsius) and rains for short periods of time almost every day and sometimes multiple times a day. We open all the hatches to get some airflow through the boat then run and close them all as the cloud burst hits. Wait 10 minutes and then open them all again. I’m afraid if we stay here much longer, we are going to wear out the hinges. Current forecasts have us pinned here for at least two more weeks, probably longer. We are trying to make the best of it by exploring the island, trying new restaurants and working on a few boat projects to pass the time.

One morning we took a dinghy ride behind the main commercial pier to a canal in the mangroves. We’ve seen the tour boats go in and out and figured we should check it out as well. About a mile back it ends at an old abandoned concrete building. Now displaying “graffiti art” that is really quite good.

One of our starting batteries died on us. We made some inquiries, and we were able to find a replacement one. As usual it involved a bit of an adventure. The directions we received were a bit vague and while we though Barrio Obrero was a specific business, it turns out is actually the name of a neighbourhood. No wonder the people we asked for help were confused. We had a couple of police officers point us in the general direction of where we needed to go. The fourth guy walked us right to the shop.

Yesterday, along with Ramble on Rose, we rented a Mule not the 4-legged kind but the 4 wheeled kind. It’s a side-by-side ATV made by Kawasaki and renting them is a very touristy thing to do here. They are street legal and perfect for touring the island.

We checked out the First Baptist Church, it was founded in 1844. The church was built in Alabama, dismantled and shipped to San Andres where it was reassembled.  We were able to walk up to the old bell tower where the panoramic views of the island were stunning. The church is still in use and has a large following on the island.

We visited the Botanical Gardens where the highlight was seeing this blue lizard. We had not seen a blue lizard before.

Our lunch stop was a seafood place right on the beach where we enjoyed a wonderful paella. We were entertained by the several kite surfers playing in the wind and waves. Having the Mule for the entire day allowed us to spend time criss crossing the island and checking out all the back roads. There is a big mix of modern glass and stucco homes, brightly painted wooden homes and less well cared for residences scattered over the island.

The sun is warm, the water is clear and the beer is cheap. I guess there are worse places to be “stuck”.