the spectacular hills of rincón

As much as we love our condo, we do miss the privacy we used to enjoy when we had a house.  The boys in particular miss having their own yard.  Going to the condo grounds requires carrying a set of keys which is, more often than not, good enough reason for them to just stay inside, eyes glued to a screen of some electronic device.

When a friend of ours asked us to house-sit for them, we were more than happy to oblige.   A change of scenery with some privacy and an actual yard for a couple of weeks sounded pretty darn good.

Life in the hills of Rincon

They have over an acre on the side of the tallest peak in the hills of Rincón: Pico Atalaya which stands 1,175 feet above sea level.  The view is second to none; a panorama of where the Atlantic ocean meets the Mona Passage.  In addition to iconic Desecheo island, you can even catch a glimpse of Mona and Monito Island in the distance on a clear day.  Every evening they get to watch the sun seemingly disappear into the ocean from their back porch.

imagine seeing this at the end of every day…

Last Sunday I spent several hours walking the perimeter of the property.  The steep tropical hillside is incredibly productive with countless banana trees as well as coconut, breadnut, breadfruit, grapefruit, soursop, mango, ginger, and probably others I didn’t notice.

what I found last sunday

The boys enjoyed feeding and spending time with their horse and their dogs, all of which were adopted and rescued by the family.

two cool dudes

The modest house on the property was in pretty rough shape when our friends bought it nearly two years ago.  However, they have done an amazing job renovating and remodeling it, doing most of the work themselves.  Seeing the fruits of their labor has really opened my eyes to the possibilities.  If you are willing to put in some hard work, there are some real gems to be uncovered off the beaten path.   I’ve mentioned before that it is a buyers market here in Puerto Rico and that is even more true for properties further away from the coastline.

My time here has shown me that laid back country living can be every bit as nice as living right by the ocean.  And in some ways, I actually like it better.