Puerto Rico

We just returned from a fun-filled, energetic, adventurous 4 day trip to Puerto Rico. It was nothing short of amazing!!! There was electricity in the air mixed with the calm, slow-going attitude found in the carribean. The coffee and food was terrific. We got a chance to practice some spanish and relax on the beach. We started our trip in Old San Juan where we walked around downdown on the cobblestone streets and made our way over to San Cristobal Fort. It has a wonderfully rich history and is one heck of a site to see. The following day we drove to the middle of the island to visit the El Yunque Rain Forrest. Wow! It was unbelieveable! That afternoon we hopped on a ferry to Vieques, a small island off of the mainland that is home to the world's brighest bioluminesient bay, called Mosquito Bay. We kayaked out to the middle of the bay and swam. Every movement caused a flash of blueish-green light that was totally breath-taking! The light is caused by aggitating dinoflagellates (plankton-like organisims) who use the flash as defense against predation. After our bio-bay tour we slept on the beach at one of Vieques most beautiful, hidden bays. We heard the popular Reggaeton music and the famous call of the Coqui frog all over the island. The following day we spent some time at the beach, and did some snorkling off of the shore, and saw an amazing coral reef. Jim even made friends with an octopus and jellyfish! We took the ferry back to the mainland and hit a street festival in San Juan. We tasted some food and had a few pina coladas and took in the local culture. That night we stayed at the Windchime Inn in San Juan. It was a neat little place that was full of character! On our last day we traveled to Arecibo Observatory. There we saw the world's largest radio telescope. It was huge! Later that day we returned to San Juan and wandered the streets of old San Juan one last time to picked up some souvineers before reluctantly heading to the airport. It really was amazing and we can't wait to have more island adventures soon.