Day 4: Organic Plant Farm in Surf City

Rincon view from the farm

Today Luis and Abner took us to work at an organic farm in Rincon called "Joya Brava". Located about a fifteen minute drive North of Mayaguez this farm is one of the few (if not the only) organic farms in Puerto Rico that is currently working to become certified by USDA. The manager of the farm Agro. Ricardo Albarracin was a former gradutate at UPRM and student of Prof. Sally Gonzalez. Even better I found out that he is a bodyboarder like myself. The farm, located in the hills above the town of Rincon, has two acres that are under full cultivation with a drip irrigation system. In this part they grow assorted tomatoes, sweet peppers, swiss chard, beets, lettuce, lemon grass, mint, green onions, collard greens, radish basil, and a few other crops. There is also a pond where they raise tilapia and shrimp and an area where they grow tropical fruit trees.








Ricardo

During our visit we learned that the full cultivation area was damaged by severe rain the week before. This destroyed a lot of the produce and also moved a lot of the drip irrigation lines. The main job for us was to get involved in fixing up this area of the farm after the severe weather. Our duties involved pulling weeds, clearing the rows and harvesting some of the produce. The girls also were involved in pulling the damaged leaves off some of the produce. Basically we all worked during the morning and we were all exhausted (Pauline and I almost passed out cause of the heat and humidity!!). The hardest part for me was dealing with the weeds. Because the farm is organic they do not use any weed chemicals to get rid of them so all have to pulled by hand. Quickly we felt how tough this work was (Luis and Abner felt it too!) and I could understand why some farmers wouldn't want to go organic. Also I could understand why some people don't want to do farm at all. Its hard work!! But of course I know that organic farming has many benefits and farming itself is extremely important to all people. After doing the work we talked to Ricardo more about the produce and the process of becoming certified. According to him the biggest seller are the tomatoes. Sounds familiar... He also shared how its a three year process to become certified for established farms and there are a lot of things you have to do. In the end, I think the benefits outweigh the costs though.






the produce we picked


we were all exhausted

By lunch time we were all exhausted and ready to go. Before we left we thanked Ricardo for having us and he thanked us for helping out on the farm. He also recommended us to a good restaurant to eat lunch and some beaches that we should check out nearby after. In the end we were all glad we were leaving and not working more!!!







We had lunch at the Rincon Tropical restaurant. The food was great and we all had some of the specials that were only 5 bucks each. After that we left to check out some beaches in the area. Rincon is known as the North Shore of the Caribbean and I guess the top surfing spot in Puerto Rico. I was super excited that we would be checking out the coast but I wasn't expecting to see much.


Rincon Tropical


Roast Beef w/ papas fritas

The first beach we went to was two minutes away from the restaurant. It was a very pretty beach with sand and coral slabs at the water line. While there weren't any good waves in the area it seemed to be pretty nice with people and families hanging out on the shore.



After visiting that spot we headed to one other beach near a light tower before heading back home. When we got there I had a feeling something good was nearby. Soon I could hear the waves and knew there was something going on right around the corner. I rushed down the walkway to the lookout and saw the most beautiful sight Ive seen during the trip so far. A beachbreak with offshore waves 2-3ft and with only two surfers out. It seemed perfect!!! I was so excited that I rushed down to the beach to check out the scene (leaving the rest of the crew at the lookout). When I got down to the beach I saw two local bodyboarders in a dirt road parking area and went to go speak with them about the place. They pretty much told me the wave was really fun right now and that's all I needed to know. At that point I was jumping with joy...









But all the joy was quickly killed when I returned back to see the rest of the crew up at the lookout. Everyone was tired and ready to go and I knew I wouldn't be surfing today. I even asked if they could just leave me there and I would try and find a way back. No can do. Very depressing considering that I knew the waves today were only there for today and that the summer in PR tends to be flat. On the way back I could hardly speak and I felt that feeling that I wouldn't be able to do what I love once again(last time I felt that was in the months right after I tore my ACL). Of course I knew I had to cheer up and hope for the best in the weeks to come and by the time we were back in Mayaguez I was back to my normal self. At least I was able to see the waves right?...


not even seeing the biggest lizard Ive ever seen in the wild could cheer me up


not much of a site when you see the break of your dreams

Overall today was a very tough day for me both physically and mentally. Tomorrow is another 7am start so I'm gonna end here and crash out.