Any info on homesteading Puerto Rico? Also there was an article in this magazine a few years ago on this but I cant find it! Help!

-- Tina Rohde (peace4vr@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002

Answers

How's yer Espanol? Spanish is the language of PR, not English. Go to www.google.com and type in homesteading in PR.

-- George (wycowboy2@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

You won't have any problem homesteading in Puerto Rico, the laws down there are very lax, you could raise chicken in the middle of San Juan, it is not unusual to wakeup, in a 5 star hotel and somebody have a chicken coop close by. The puertorricans don't eat ducks, so is difficult to find them, goats and sheep? To tell you the truth, I saw many goats, and I know a family who keep them, but sheep, I don't even remember if I ever saw them in the island, now pigs are everywhere, puertorricans love them, they eat them all the time, its called in Spanish,"lechon", and they put them on stick and roast them, I eat kocher so I don't know if they taste good or not. Now the puertorricans are great people, the island its gorgeous, and the weather it's delicious, but to keep your animals, like the chicken coop you have to keep them under a padlock, crime is very bad, the same with rabbits, and goats, everything under a padlock, I keep all my padlocks under one key, but if you don't do this some of your chickens will disappear, also in the country side, the dogs, docile in the morning and at night are wolf like and they will kill your animals and eat them. This happened to me several times, mainly with my rabbits,(kept them as pet) until I put poison in one dead rabbit and guess what, my next door neighbor's dog show up dead. I know this is terrible but, I complained to my neighboors many times and they didn't care. You would find that Puerto Rico is a very exotic place, and just recently their native people found out about it, and conservation, started to help to maintain this beutiful island. gardening in PR?. it's not a problem during the whole year, I advised to plant bannanas, and plantains (platanos) you plant the seed one time and you don't have to replant them never ever again, they keep growing and giving you fruit always, however rats and bats will eat your bananas, and plantains if you have no cats around them. They have a lot of exotic tropical plants, that you should learn about them and eat them as well. Good Luck in your homesteading in Puerto Rico. Don't critizice their "cock fights' this is part of their culture, and its absolutly legal in the Island. I went to some of their "cock fight arenas" and its a lot of fun, these animal are bred to fight and they know how to do it, sometimes they kill each other. The experience starts when you hear in the loud speakers "Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico" bye Ralph.

-- Ralph (rroces1@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

Cuidate a las chupacabras.

-- chuck in md (reply@mission4me.com), February 19, 2002.

Chuck, you took the words right out of my mouth! We had heard they have made it up through Mexico in to southern California LOL!

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

They're in Puerto Rico?

Wonder when they'll make it to Florida? I think they'd make great sport.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 19, 2002.

Gracias ?Los vecinos amables? Nos mudamos a Culebra !ten cuidado! Tina Marietta Rohde

-- Tina Rohde (peace4vr@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

I considered moving to Vieques, P.R., (Spanish Virgin Island) until I researched it and found that Navy bombing over the years has turned Vieques into a toxic paradise, land and water. Go Navy.

-- (juanamustang@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

Boy I wish I was at the same Puerto Rico as all of you. I was Stationed in Sabana Seca for three years in the Navy and hated every moment of it. The people were rude, driving ANYWHERE was flirting with death and when one strays away from the tourist beaches hard soled shoes were required since there were so many used syringes laying about. Our house in Levitown had bars on every opening to the house. We even had a barred in front porch to keep the thieves out! Gun fire could be heard in the evening. While driving to work, one could watch at least one drug deal go down and I even watched a policeman on a motor cycle swirve to dodge a beer bottle being tossed out of the car in front of him. I waited for the blue lights and they never came. The police chief from Fajardo was tried for using the local police department protect drug shippments to San Juan. The list goes on and on. Puerto Rico does have some beutiful spots, just stay to the tourist areas. Puerto Rico would be one of the last places on earth I would want to spend much more than a day at.

-- Ed Holt (goat@sssnet.com), February 25, 2002.