In one of my last blog posts I talked about a beautiful place I visited in Vieques, Puerto Rico. However, Vieques has been going through a rough patch since hurricane Maria. That’s why, to better understand the situation viequenses are going through, I decided to interview Luis Monserrate. He is a viequense studying at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. He got to see up close how tourism was affected by the hurricane and the negligence by the government.
How long have you been living in Vieques?
L: I’ve been living in Vieques for 18 years, my whole life.
Were you able to witness how Vieques changed after hurricane Maria?
L: Yes, I got to see all the physical destruction and the social neglect from our government.
To my knowledge, Vieques has been somewhat, if not completely, ignored by our government. Would you say that is correct? Why?
L: Most definitely. Vieques has been ignored by government officials since before the hurricane. Vieques still doesn’t have and is suffering a transportation crisis as we speak with the maritime transport being unavailable.
How do you feel about that?
L: It makes me feel mad, mainly because not only is the government abandoning us, but so are our own people that choose not to fight the system.
Did it [the hurricane] have a significant impact on tourism?
L: The hurricane did hurt the island’s aesthetic but it recovered quickly and got it’s tourism back. However, now the whole government issue has made it impossible for tourist to get here because of the whole maritime transportation crisis I mentioned earlier.
Which are, in your opinion, the most visited locations in Vieques?
L: I would have to say Sunbay Beach, Fuerte Conde Mirasol, La Esperanza (beach, neighbourhood), Red Beach and the Ceiba Tree, which is five hundred years old.
What’s your favorite place?
L: My favorite place is La Esperanza. It’s the most gentrified area in Vieques and it has amazing food.
Lastly, what makes Vieques a great place to visit? What makes it unique?
L: The resilient people in Vieques are what make it unique and worth the visit. They’ve gone through so much, yet they are such open and warm toward everybody.
Vieques is a beautiful place we should all visit, because if our government won't help them, we should all try to.
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