As they say….colder than a witch’s teat. -11º Celsius (12.2º F)

Well actually the first day here on this part of the island. Everywhere else has had snow off and on for about a month or so. This will probably last only for today, maybe tomorrow. Snow doesn’t like to visit us often in this area.

There was a lottery this past weekend for almost 60% of the new government-built houses (603 out of 1017) being developed for residents of the island who meet certain requirements and are interested in owning a home through low-cost payments. Those who were registered in 1999 were somehow left off the drawing and things got ugly with a lot of screaming and yelling-maybe some punches thrown. In addition to that, some people tried to take matters into their own hands by seizing some houses(about 40 of them) to claim as their own. What a mess and now they are trying to figure out what to do with the whole situation. Some are saying that this was politically motivated. Who knows.

Anyway, it is hard to get any decent new photos of the large Chacra XIII housing development that I previously posted about due to these events. The police have sealed off all entrances to everyone except workers.

Some of the houses are already being painted on the outside as you can see in the picture below on the left. Hideous two-tone blue.

New seawall being developed near the mouth of the Rio Grande river to prevent erosion and flooding. Will also include a new paved road along this part of the waterway, walkway, lights, benches, park, etc. Part of an ongoing project to improve the city’s image while at the same time boosting the defense of the coastal area.

What was once a hotel long ago, the structure was gutted and is currently being transformed into a government-run culinary arts, hospitality, and hotel management school.

Probably one of the best things about winter down here is the spectrum of colors that slap you in the face each morning on the horizon. This morning was spectacular and I couldn’t resist stopping to take a pic. This is the closest I could get to showing the true colors and I think I got it pretty close. Expect more.