Vieques was a short flight on an even shorter plane from San Juan.

We got a Kia Soul to get around from one of a few local car rental agencies.

Gone were the creature comforts of San Juan – now we were roughing it, beach style. The roads were rough and rubbly, the beaches beauti- and plentiful.

We also kayaked in bioluminescent bay, which was really interesting. The tour guide was well-versed in astronomy, biology, history, and philosophy. You could see fish swimming around highlighted by the glowing germs in the bay. But it was not good for taking pictures. The pirates named the bay Mosquito Bay to keep out the riffraff.

Places to eat tended to have a beach view and focus on seafood, though they also did a fair job at beef and pork.

Food trucks were also a reliable option for greasy food. Near one we listened to a young Puerto Rican woman give an “intro to Spanish” lecture to some gringo fellows she had somehow fallen in with. She had no understanding of the grammar of her language and said such tonterias as “agua” is maculine because one says “el aqua.” All of us were dumber for sitting there that day.

The fly-ridden horses apparently had owners who never fed, penned or cared for them.

We took a fun drive to a national park to look at the nature there.

We also took a detour out into the relative hinterlands of the island to try to find some old buildings. And we sort of did – and sort of more!

And, there was a rum distillery that was OK.

On the way out we saw more wildlife at the airport.