Days Three and Four: Water, Water and More Water!
Wow! We've been so busy with water activities the past two days that I didn't even get to post last night! I heard the comment today, "We've been IN the water more than OUT of the water during this trip!" I say, "Awesome!"
We started yesterday with a scenic drive along the north shore to El Yunque- the only National Park in the United States that is a rainforest. On the way, we stopped at the Maria de la Cruz Cave where parts of Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed. Upon arriving in El Yunque, we started with a video to introduce the impact of the rainforest and its wildlife and then hiked our way down to La Mina Falls where the group had a blast swimming and playing in the falls. We learned that while El Yunque is one of the United States' smallest National Parks at 28,000 acres, with more than 500 different tree species, it actually has more different species of trees than all of the other U.S. National Parks combined!
For the afternoon, we enjoyed lunch and free time at Luquillo Beach. Luquillo is one of Puerto Rico's four Blue Flag Beaches which means it's clean, beautiful, and has great facilities. One special treat several of us enjoyed there were Pina Coladas served in fresh pineapples with the pineapple center served on the side. They were a big hit!
Dinner was the usual rice, beans, and chicken, but this time served with Pastelon- a lasagna that is made of fried sweet plantains instead of lasagna noodles... I loved it!
After a dish of yummy coconut ice cream, we were on our way to my favorite excursion of the trip... kayaking the Bioluminescent Bay at Fajardo. Our large group was split into two smaller groups. I was in the first group that kayaked out through the channel and to the bay just after sunset. Kayaking through the mangrove trees is sometimes just as fun as seeing the bioluminescence. The sounds of the coqui, twinkle of fireflies, splash of the warm salt water from the paddles, and sightings of wildlife like the huge iguana that hung out over our heads, created the perfect kayaking atmosphere... until it started downpouring. Like really downpouring. And THEN it was perfect. Kayaking... through the Mangrove forest... at night... in the pitch black... with warm rain pelting down on you... not something
I get to do everyday and absolutely my favorite part of the trip!
After all of the fun we had in the water yesterday, why stop? This morning was our snorkel excursion on the island of Vieques, which is about ten miles to the east of the main island. There we explored some of the most diverse coral reefs I've seen, with an abundance of colorful fish, conch, and even a large stingray or two. We then checked out the Luquillo kiosks for a quick lunch and some shopping.
Dinner was at Raices, Spanish for Roots. It's a Puerto Rican chain that specializes in all of the flavors of the island. Everyone enjoyed their meal and Mr. Cook even got a surprise birthday serenade! :)
Another surprise in store for us tonight was a private Salsa lesson from Astacio back at the hotel. Yesterday at the beach, I saw him grooving to some Salsa music and and asked if there were any good venues in the area for lessons. Unbeknown to me, he made some calls and found us a room in the conference center where he would teach us the dance. We had a blast, and now will be fully prepared next time we need to impress someone at a wedding. :) Just another example of the kindness of the people here and the love they have for their culture. A lesson we all can learn from.
We started yesterday with a scenic drive along the north shore to El Yunque- the only National Park in the United States that is a rainforest. On the way, we stopped at the Maria de la Cruz Cave where parts of Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed. Upon arriving in El Yunque, we started with a video to introduce the impact of the rainforest and its wildlife and then hiked our way down to La Mina Falls where the group had a blast swimming and playing in the falls. We learned that while El Yunque is one of the United States' smallest National Parks at 28,000 acres, with more than 500 different tree species, it actually has more different species of trees than all of the other U.S. National Parks combined!
For the afternoon, we enjoyed lunch and free time at Luquillo Beach. Luquillo is one of Puerto Rico's four Blue Flag Beaches which means it's clean, beautiful, and has great facilities. One special treat several of us enjoyed there were Pina Coladas served in fresh pineapples with the pineapple center served on the side. They were a big hit!
Dinner was the usual rice, beans, and chicken, but this time served with Pastelon- a lasagna that is made of fried sweet plantains instead of lasagna noodles... I loved it!
After a dish of yummy coconut ice cream, we were on our way to my favorite excursion of the trip... kayaking the Bioluminescent Bay at Fajardo. Our large group was split into two smaller groups. I was in the first group that kayaked out through the channel and to the bay just after sunset. Kayaking through the mangrove trees is sometimes just as fun as seeing the bioluminescence. The sounds of the coqui, twinkle of fireflies, splash of the warm salt water from the paddles, and sightings of wildlife like the huge iguana that hung out over our heads, created the perfect kayaking atmosphere... until it started downpouring. Like really downpouring. And THEN it was perfect. Kayaking... through the Mangrove forest... at night... in the pitch black... with warm rain pelting down on you... not something
I get to do everyday and absolutely my favorite part of the trip!
After all of the fun we had in the water yesterday, why stop? This morning was our snorkel excursion on the island of Vieques, which is about ten miles to the east of the main island. There we explored some of the most diverse coral reefs I've seen, with an abundance of colorful fish, conch, and even a large stingray or two. We then checked out the Luquillo kiosks for a quick lunch and some shopping.
Dinner was at Raices, Spanish for Roots. It's a Puerto Rican chain that specializes in all of the flavors of the island. Everyone enjoyed their meal and Mr. Cook even got a surprise birthday serenade! :)
Another surprise in store for us tonight was a private Salsa lesson from Astacio back at the hotel. Yesterday at the beach, I saw him grooving to some Salsa music and and asked if there were any good venues in the area for lessons. Unbeknown to me, he made some calls and found us a room in the conference center where he would teach us the dance. We had a blast, and now will be fully prepared next time we need to impress someone at a wedding. :) Just another example of the kindness of the people here and the love they have for their culture. A lesson we all can learn from.
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