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The current weather in Culebra

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Camping questions...
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Mort (---.tampabay.res.rr.com)
Date:   08-27-07 11:55

Hi all!

Buried in another thread, Janet asked some good questions that never got answered, and I too am curious about the answers. Here's her post...

My family and I are planning on camping on Flamenco beach in February. For those of you who have camped there before and enjoyed it....a few questions,

-are bugs an issue? I mean more than screens on your tent and bug spray at dusk? (I love the idea about sewing sleeping bags out of sheets)

-is security an issue? I know the island is safe but what about belongings etc at your camp site?

-Does one have to make a reservation in advance at the campsite? What is the latest one can arrive at night to set up camp?

-are there plenty of kids at the campground or mostly adults?(my kids are 11 and 13-any other recommendations for them?)

-what to do people generally do for food and food preparation(eg is there a bbq pitt vs bringing own cookstove vs buying from local venders etc). I am hoping not to lug too much for a 1 week trip.

-how likely is it to rain for prolonged periods of time(like more than a hour here or there)in Febuary...is rain gear advisable or is it a don't worry

Can't wait to hear more!

thanks,

janet

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Re: Camping questions...
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: richard (---.hsd1.dc.comcast.net)
Date:   08-27-07 18:24

I can only answer bugs, food and rain.

bugs: the worst are the no-see-ums or a few sandflies and there's little other than deet to deter them.

food: if you have access to town there are plenty of options for unprepared or prepared food. I believe cooking at the beach is limited to only propane, but couldn't one make friends with neighbors and split the cost of that? or freecycle through here or craigslist.

rain: it will usu. be light and pass quickly. I was accused (by friends) of looking like a bum when I curled up under a bush with a beach towel. I should have just gone swimming. another time (May) it poured all night.

oh yeah and always lots of kids at Flamenco, they seem to be mostly day-trippers, but still a good chance for yours to practice their Spanish and social skills.

security and reservations will have to be addressed by someone else.

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Re: Camping questions...
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: MJ (---.prtc.net)
Date:   08-27-07 20:19

There are individual charcoal grills at the beach and in the camping areas...and food kioskos with excellent, inexpensive food sold.
Mosquito coils work. They cost less than 1.50 for about 10 of them, one lasts for hours. Keeping your tent zipped up works too!
Rain...who knows...bring a ground tarp or if it looks like you'll need one, buy one at Superette Mayra's for about 5 bucks. As said, rain, if it happens, rarely lasts long...unless it DOES last long, which is extremely rare-er!
Have snorkel stuff for your kids...there is excellent snorkling down past the shark pens (no sharks, no worries) and kids usually take to snorkling like ducks...pick up some disposable underwater cameras for them to play with and you may launch them on a life long love affair with the sea. Also, fish identifiers are good for kids to have...along with sea turtle information.
While February isn't a sea turtle time, it's still cool to see where they come up to lay eggs. Another good thing for the kids is star maps. There are some very cheap ones to buy that show the skies here at different times of the year. Google the product under something like...children star maps...the sky is so brilliant at the beach here, and they can find the major constellations easily.
Yep...I'm still pretty kid like...shovels and pails are still good toys to me! Water shoes are good if you go to beaches other than Flamenco, even though you want to pay attention to what you are stepping on...all that stuff is alive, you know, and some of it bites (urchins, certain corals), but with awareness, nothing that need worry or stop you from enjoying.
Also, depending on your tastes...there is some good hiking...bring sneakers and one pair of long pants if you are into that (along with water for the hikes!).
A pair of small binoculars is also good...great present for a kid anyway!

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Re: Camping questions...
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Mort (---.tampabay.res.rr.com)
Date:   08-27-07 22:27

Thanks, Richard and MJ! Much appreciated.

I love the tip about going swimming in order to escape getting wet in the rain! It's funny how it's more palatable to get completely wet than to be rained on. But it's true.

MJ, special thanks for reminding me about binoculars. I added them to my "Things to Bring" list. There are all sorts of uses, some of which my wife won't even tease me about.

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Re: Camping questions...
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: richard (---.hsd1.dc.comcast.net)
Date:   08-28-07 03:22

yeah MJ - def. second the night sky point.

won't see that around up here anymore.

http://www.darksky.org/

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Re: Camping questions...
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: janet Fowle (---.ptldme.east.verizon.net)
Date:   08-29-07 20:56

Thanks much everyone for your comments!

janet

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