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Nuovo appuntamento con la rubrica di James Weaver. Questa volta il giornalista americano ci racconta con l’arguzia di sempre la storia di una coppia di Philadelphia che ha mollato tutto e si è trasferita ai Caraibi.

There are still a few places in the Caribbean where you can find pristine beaches. Some of them are on Vieques, the small island just off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico’s mainland. Commercial development has been slow to come here in part because of the island’s history. During the Second World War, the U.S. Navy, took over the about two-thirds of the island for weapons testing. In 2003, following pressure from island residents, the testing range was finally closed. The area is now managed by the National (U.S.) Wildlife Service and is the largest nature preserve in the Caribbean.

About seven years ago a Philadelphia couple, Glenn and Wynne Curry, decided to exchange cold winters and urban traffic for sandy beaches and tropical breeze. Along with their two dogs, the Currys moved to Vieques. They purchased a small guest house and restaurant and called “BANANAS” right off the beach in the coastal resort village of Esperanza on the island’s south shore.

Several years earlier, Wynne had visited a cousin who has a home on Vieques. She fell in love with the island and when Glenn wanted to make a job change, they decided it was the ideal time to make the move here. The couple was not new to Latin America. They met while both working at the U.S. Cultural Center in Cartagena, Columbia. Also, Glenn holds a Ph.D. in Latin American studies from Vanderbilt University.

Within a short time the Currys found a house to purchase and began settling in. They brought two dogs with them from Philadelphia, but now they have five, plus two cats, and what’s left of the island’s lizard population. One of the bartenders at BANANAS says that stray dogs here know, instinctively, if they find an English speaking family, they’ll get well fed.

Vieques is located just six miles from the Puerto Rican mainland and served by several airlines from San Juan (daily) and from the islands of St. Croix (direct), and St. Thomas (on demand). There is also a regular ferry service from the big island. There are about 10,000 permanent residents on Vieques, and the population is growing as more people discover it, according to the Currys. The number of English speaking people is certainly greater, they say. Tourism is also up. BANANAS doubled its restaurant seating capacity a year ago.

Interestingly, a number of visitors from the Baltic nations of Latvia and Lithuania have been vacationing at the Curry’s guesthouse. There are also tourists from German and England, as well as the U.S. While they are all ages, most are young in their late twenties or early thirties.

One of the major attractions that brings visitors to Vieques is a spectacular bioluminescent bay. Here a mysterious blue-green light is created by microorganisms which thrive in an environment uniquely suited to their needs. A trip into the bay on a balmy night can be a magical experience.

Island Adventures Biobay Tours offers nightly excursions through the amazing waters aboard its electric powered double-pontoon boat. Bilingual guides explain the fragile ecology of the bay, then park their boat in an area of high bioluminescent concentration, and give visitors the an opportunity to swim with millions of glowing creatures. “It’s pretty spectacular,” said Glenn. When you slip into the water for a nighttime swim, you see Day-Glo marbles of light roll off your arms. A small bottle of water can hold 40,000 of these bioluminous fireflies of the ocean.

Vieques was featured recently on a episode of House Hunters International on the cable network HGTV. It also getting some attention in major travel guides. But it’s still just a quiet, sleepy place according to the Currys. “When we first moved here we thought commercial development would occur pretty quickly, but it been very slow to come,” said Glenn.

”For all the publicity Vieques has gotten about the Navy, it’s a pretty, safe, welcoming place,” he said. “I’m from Key West, and its much like Key West when I was growing up — not like Key West now. There are a lot of things it doesn’t have to offer. That’s one of the things we like best about it. No stoplights, little night life, and only one small, newly opened casinos.

BANANAS is located on Malecon, the seaside boardwalk on Esperanza beach, just across the street from the water and just a short walk of Sun Bay, a large, beautiful and popular public beach. Its a half-moon of beautiful white sand and palm trees and offers decent snorkeling. The bar/restaurant is a popular spot with both locals and tourists because of its good food and refreshing drinks. The restaurant serves a varied menu of light fare from burgers and gazpacho to fish and chips and fried chicken strips.

The seven room BANANAS guesthouse offers comfortable accommodations most with air conditioners, but no ensuite phones or television. This is where you come to get away from those things. Learn more at www.bananasguesthouse.com.

San Juan is just a two hour flight from Miami and its only 20 minutes from there to Viaques airport. The capital, Isabel II with a population of 2,000, is located on the north coast. The ferry dock is here and boats go to Fajardo on the big island, and to the small isle of Culebra. There’s also a shopping district here and the island’s only ATM machine.

The lighthouse and 150-year-old fort are now museums recalling the island’s sugar-plantation days. Exhibits tell of the island’s archaeological importance. The 4,000-year-old Puerto Ferro man, was discovered here. They also pay tribute to the 1816 visit of liberator Simon Bolivar, his only Puerto Rican stop.

Most of the former Navy lands are now wildlife refuges, but legislation designating them as such leaves room for change. This makes some locals worry that developers will gain control of now pristine lands. Rumors circulate that big hotel chains are looking to make deals with local authorities regarding lands they now control. But between dealmaking, permitting and construction, any significant new projects are at least five to 10 years away.

“That’s all right with us,” say the Currys. “We like it just the way it is.”

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