In my previous post I talked about Quenepas (mamoncillos), a very popular fruit here in the island. They grow in grape like clusters in trees as tall as 80 feet during hurricane season. Next to the mango they are my favorite. While in Ponce I bought a cluster since that is the way most street vendors sell it. Ponce is the best place to find the sweetest and biggest quenepas, and you see them in every corner thus the reason for traveling to the south a couple of hours is more than worth it

The best ones have a shiny and smooth skin. Usually, after a few hours the skin gets dull and rough, although they still taste ok. That is the way I know how long they have been plucked from the tree. They tend to ripe too much after a couple of days and some vendors try to trick you into buying rotten ones. So I always look for the shiny ones and puts them in the fridge to keep them

The tough outer shell of the quenepa bursts easily between your teeth with just the slightest pressure revealing a slick, fleshy pulp clinging to a pit. The texture of the pulp feels kind of weird in your mouth, but the fruit is tangy, sweet and slimy. You just suck the gelatinous pulp. You have to be careful, since the smooth ball can easily slip down your throat and choke you and the pit will stain your clothes with a nasty brown color. The good thing is: you can roast the seed (pit) and eat it like sunflower seed, so nothing goes to waste

Without exaggerating, I would say that I eat at least more than a thousand every season. I buy them every chance I get. When my nutritionist told me that I could only eat 5 a day, I just laughed out loud. That is something I won’t do!

Yesterday we hit the road again. After a few days stuck in the house because of Earl, we decided it to take a breather. This time we took the central part of the island and visited the new suspension bridge in Naranjito

Then, we went north to Guajataca in Quebradillas, which is a rest stop and mirador toward the Atlantic Ocean. The below were taken @ the beach below the mirador

We then visited the famous Guajataca Tunnel, which was built inside the rock. You can see the tunnel from the mirador

On the other side of the tunnel is this magnificent view of the ocean. Down that path you come right at the beach (no swimming though, just sharp rocks)

Coming on the west coast, we encountered a massive traffic jam and this ” little” storm in Mayaguez. Impressive cloud, but just light rain

We then hit the south coast and stopped in Ponce, the southern “capital” to buy ” quenepas”. Went home through the central mountain range. The trip took us 12 1/2 hours and 188.5 miles. I was doing all the driving. Got home, bathed and went to bed without even eating supper. I was dead!

More pictures @ the album

Yes. That is the true. Earl’s eye passed around 100 miles up north so we didn’t have mayor winds. It was and still a huge storm and the thought of that monster hitting us head on was beyond being scare. We did have tropical storm wind forces and rain, but not as much as anticipated. I never lost the power, though I lost the water yesterday. But now the sun is shining and there is a light breeze. Blessed indeed!

Still, around 100,000 people don’t have electricity since Sunday, so there is a lot of complaint for loss of work and groceries. Awful. Now the blaming is starting due to the lack of organization in the bulletins that created the chaos in the roads on Tuesday. I have never seen anything like that. People got stuck in traffic for hours in the middle of the storm, including my brother who got home around 3 hours after leaving work. A trip that is only about 45 minutes

Anyway, there is no much damage. I went to the city yesterday and the road was clear, with little debris. I got more supplies for the next round. Fiona is setting its eye this way and we expect a lot of rain tonight and tomorrow. Here we go again!

Earl is now a cat 4 storm. The gusts and squalls have been bombarding us all day. There is panic and pandemonium since it was supposed to affect just the eastern tip of the island but it has moved more to the west, so most of the island is covered. People are going crazy trying to get to their kids, to get provisions and to get their homes ready.  It is plain madness. Traffic jams are huge and some are still going on since 11:00 am

Bad organization from the agencies have created the chaos. This is a small island, that is a huge storm. Everybody is going to feel the effects. So who was the idiot that came with the idea of canceling school in only a few counties? Stupid!! The order to send all the kids home came around 9:00 am, so hell broke loose then. Goodness!

So far, there is some damage. Bunch of trees mostly. Here at home I have lost at least 3. Let’s see tomorrow

Anyway, I am just waiting for the worst, which will be around 8:00pm. I’m bundled up, warm and cozy, watching the wind and rain from the comfort of my bedroom. So far, I still have electricity. I lost the internet for a few hours, but it just came up a few minutes ago

I will post more later

It has been a long night. I have slept only a couple of hours. The squalls are awful right now and Earl still a long way from here. Actually, the latest report places it closer to us so that will change the emergency plans for all. The wind is gusting @ around 25 mph. With all these trees up here the noise is overwhelming. My wind chimes are going nuts so I better take them down before the wind breaks them *Ü*

The water pressure is already low, so it won’t be long before the service is cut off. I’m surprise that I still have electricity. I will try to take a video of the storm and will post it as soon as I can. The mayor impact will be this evening. Hate that. At night you can’t see nothing. The water and batteries in most places are gone as well the gas. It’s going to be a looooong day!

Went to the city to get provisions. It was not bad when I got there but by the time I was done, the place was packed. The same @ the gas station. I got just a few groceries and bought a pocket digital tv because I KNOW the electricity will go out. Only the eastern tip of the island is expected to fall under Earl but being just a speck of an island, I have no doubt the rain and wind will cover most of it. Just look @ the picture below and you will understand. Living way up the mountain we expect around 12 inches of rain and 70 miles per hour wind. Yikes!

So, I will post updates as long as I can. The wind is already picking up and we have had some squalls during the day. If I don’t post for a while is because the electricity went zappo

Well, we wake up with the news that a hurricane watch has been issue for us. Apparently, the turn to the northwest away from the island is not happening as we thought. It is turning more to the west now. What bothers me, is that there is no news on tv. All my info is coming from the net. I don’t know what the weather people down here are waiting for. I need to know exactly how this is going to affect me. I have not prepared in full, just around a dozen gallons of water and a few cans of food. This has taken us by surprise (never listen to the weather people, especially when they tell you not to worry. Yeah, right). From a tropical watch last night to a hurricane watch this morning. Yikes! How nature develops still amazes me

What is need to be done it will be done, so I must be ready. Today will be critical as to what to expect tonight and tomorrow. I’m going to the city to get provisions. I will keep posting