Dawn In Tortola

•January 19, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Dawn At Hodges Creek

Looking out from my hotel room balcony, this was the view at sunrise. Our overnight in Tortola is very short – in fact it is the shortest rest period allowed by federal law. This doesn’t allow for much sightseeing, since we arrive at 10:30 pm and depart at 7:00 am.

Even so, there is a BBQ joint down the street called ‘Fat Hog Bob’s’ which has become a must-see while in Tortola. It’s a funky kind of place with low lighting  that attracts locals and touristas alike. We go for the burgers and ribs. After a long day of flying, nothing satisfies like a rack of steaming ribs or a monster 1 pound burger from Bob’s. It’s worth the reduction in sleep time for us, so the place MUST be good, right?

Posted in Airline Flying, Caribbean, Photography, Tortola
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Where’s The Beach?

•January 18, 2008 • Leave a Comment

OK, OK. I received an email from a friend asking where all the tropical beach shots are hiding, so here are a few that I took last February while in San Juan for meetings. These were taken with my first digital SLR, an Olympus E-500 on Valentines Day in Condado, Puerto Rico.

Post In Condado

Sunny beach shots are easy to take and very pleasing to the eye.

Condado 3

A view to the west along the Condado beachfront.

Condado 4

Trying to keep it all in focus. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy when timing shots like this one.

I’ve got other eye candy beach scenes in the archives – I’ll save those for a slow day in the blogosphere.

Posted in Caribbean, Photography, Puerto Rico
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Arroz Con Gandules

•January 15, 2008 • Leave a Comment

There are many things for which Puerto Rico is famous: salsa bands, carnivals, the rainforest, and the food, to name a few. Because I’m an avid cook when I’m at home in Washington, DC, I’ve decided to try my hand at making authentic island dishes whenever I can. One of the staples of daily life in the islands is rice, cooked a bunch of different ways. Arroz con gandules is a dish which is distinctly Puerto Rican, and in order to gain street cred, I donned my apron, rolled up my sleeves and went to work. Gandules, by the way, are called pigeon peas in english and they are becoming more common in stateside grocery stores.

The recipe and method were straightforward, actually. Like a lot of folks I know, I was always afraid of cooking rice until recently. I had burned, dried out, and made mushy messes of many a serving of rice in the past, much to my own horror. I’m not sure when or even how I made peace with the rice gods, but make peace I did. I strongly suggest buying a quality rice cooker and experimenting, for those of you who are still rice-challenged. Arroz con gandules calls for stove top preparation, though, and a patient hand is required. While researching the recipe, I came across a very well presented video in english, and I based my efforts upon this fine tutorial. Many thanks to elagasse for his excellent website, videos and authentic recipes.

My first effort paid off with a very tasty plate of rice, and when I offered samples to my friends in San Juan, they were quite impressed. As some of my readers are all too aware, I frequently make unsolicited offers of matrimony when suitably ispired, so you can imagine my surprise when an offer of marriage was immediately iterated by a very pretty Puerto Rican woman after her first bite of my home made arroz con gandules!

The trickiest part of the recipe is the achiote oil, which is really a cinch to make. Simply toss 2T of annatto seeds (from your spice market or latin grocery) in a cup of vegetable oil (I use corn, but olive oil works too) and heat for 10 minutes over a medium flame. Strain out the seeds, and viola! The resulting oil can stain things, so be careful with your clothes and countertops.

This dish is now a staple in my kitchen – I make a batch nearly every week, which has come in handy when my lazy friends drop in unannounced for a quick meal. Here is a shot of a plate that I brought to my neighbors for an impromptu dinner party.

Rice and mangoes

From left, clockwise: Zuhal’s coconut rice, arroz con gandules, fresh mango. You know, I think the old saying has some truth to it – ‘Living well is the best revenge!’

Posted in Caribbean, Photography, Traditional Cooking
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After Breakfast: Takeoff

•January 11, 2008 • Leave a Comment

In the turn from SLU

Photos from the airplane are always a challenge due to distance, lighting, and dirty airplane windows. This is the view as we made the left turn out of St. Lucia heading north to San Juan. The famed Piton Mountains are in the background on the horizon.

St. Lucia’s western coast

We climb quickly in our ATR-72, although we only make about 230 knots in cruise. You can see the storm which rolled through during breakfast in the upper left corner of the shot. Most days the flying is smooth, but even small cumulus can really pack a punch in the tropics.

Tropical cumulus over Martinique

Here’s a prime example of cumulus in the tropics. Back in the states, flying through a cloud like this would be a non-event. Down here, though, these little guys contain a surprising amount of energy and can be somewhat exciting. We normally avoid cumulus when possible since no one wants airborne excitement at this hour of the morning.

Posted in Airline Flying, Caribbean, Photography, St. Lucia

Breakfast in St. Lucia

•January 11, 2008 • Leave a Comment

OK, so flying around the islands is hard work. No, really, it is. 13 hour days and 9 hour rest periods will wear out even the hardiest seafarer. Every once in a while, though, we get to stop and smell the roses – if only for a few minutes. Such is the case with our St. Lucia overnight.

Early risers are treated to the morning’s early light, the smell of fresh coffee brewing, and an invitation to whatever breakfast dish one’s heart desires. I decided to put this to the test, ordering eggs benedict. Since the island has a partially French heritage, I hoped for a hollandaise sauce with that perfect balance of butter and lemon. I wasn’t disappointed.

Oh yes, come to Papa!

The sauce was quite good, but what made the dish pop was the local ham. Chickens, pigs, and goats are common in the islands and particular pride is taken in preparation. This ham was not smoked, as I am accustomed to in Virginia. Instead, it had a slightly herbal flavor reminiscent of pancetta. Awesome stuff!

Storm rolling in at breakfast

This is the view from where breakfast is served. The restaurant is open, with no windows or screen. This seems to be common in the islands and it adds a freshness to the table, I find. As I finished breakfast with my crew, a shower rolled in to the harbor and the sky went grey-blue for a few minutes. The rain was, well, tropical – but short lived.

Some Tail

Later on at the field, I scored a decent picture of our tail in the dawn. Sometimes with photography you just get lucky, as in this case, but I hope to get better with my cameras so that high quality photos are more common.

Posted in Airline Flying, Caribbean, Photography, St. Lucia, Traditional Cooking

Coquito (or, The Gringo Meets Ron Cana)

•January 10, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Mmmm. Coquito.

Ahhhh. The Holidays. A time for warmth and celebration with family and friends. In Puerto Rico it is a particularly busy time, as there are numerous observance days which entail ritual, feasting, and fellowship. There are special foods to go along with these special days, such as pasteles. Pasteles are similar to the tamale, from Mexico, but only in the general concept. Pasteles are made from plantain, bananas, potato, and taro root which is mashed into a dough of sorts. The dough is spread on banana leaf and meat filling is added, typically roasted pork, and the tied banana leaf is then boiled. I was fortunate enough to have a dozen pasteles prepared for me by a local family in Puerto Rico.

Additionally, I have been introduced to Coquito, another holiday treat that is particular to Puerto Rico. Coquito is often described as a type of egg nog, although eggs are not mandatory. The process is simple: combine coconut milk, coconut cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, rum, and the secret ingredient of your choice (every family has its own recipe, you see) along with the optional egg yolks, blend for a minute, and you have it. Healthy and delicious.

In my case, there was a twist.

The family who graciously took me under their wings had their own secret ingredient: Ron Cana. Ron Cana, or cane rum, is the island equivalent of moonshine. Illegal, traditional, highly prized, and delicious. As I am told, the preparation takes years and involves a mystical process whereby the rum mash is buried underground. Families have been making this stuff for generations in Puerto Rico and there are definitely bragging rights involved.

So how did it taste?

It was unbelievable. I was instantly transported to a place of sunshine, laughter, well being, and mischievousness with the first glass. The flavor was purely tropical: smooth and exquisite, bright and sensual, relaxing and invigorating all at once. That was a night to remember, truly, and then…

The headache.

Oh yes. 100% pure pain – lightning between the eyes and thunder in the ears. I wasn’t hungover, trust me, I’m well aware of my limits. But I got a massive headache the next day that just wouldn’t let up. Sure, you could point out that illegally distilled liquor is bound to have a side effect or two, but me? I’m blaming the iguanas. Yep. Those damn critters are the root of all evil. more on that in future posts.

Posted in Caribbean, Photography, Traditional Cooking
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The Essentials

•January 5, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Welcome, friends.

By way of introduction, this blog is an account of my life on the road as a flight crewmember.  I also enjoy cooking, reading, writing, lounging, and photography when I’m not busy ‘saving the world’, as one friend says.

In the fall of 2007, I decided to move my professional flying career to San Juan, Puerto Rico after being based on the mainland for many years. This rambling blog is about my experiences in the islands as the new guy, where I don’t speak the language (in some cases) and almost everything is just a little bit different than what I know from the mainland.

Read on, my friend, and see the things that I see…

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