Lizard
I believe it was one day when Kyle was watching a football game on TV that a commercial for Puerto Rico popped up and he asked me if I wanted to go. Heck yeah! So we decided to go over New Years and were there from Dec 30, 2010-Jan 5, 2011. We stayed at the Caribe Hilton which was a very nice non-all-inclusive resort. This was our second time traveling outside the country and yes, I consider Puerto Rico to be a different country even though they are part of the US.
The resort was huge. They had a bird cage right when you walked in and it was an open air lobby. They had lots of little shops and restaurants you could go to. For lunch one day there was a mariachi band that was walking around playing which was pretty cool to see. Although the resort offered a dance party for NYE we decided to go out to eat and celebrate there. It was to a place on the resort property called the Pina Colada Club which was a brightly colored restaurant with Latin dishes. They passed out kazoos and when it was time to count down we all counted in Spanish which was fun.
The next day I wanted to get out of the resort and go into town where there were shops. We got some directions from a guy on the staff (we will revisit him later) and headed out. We ended up getting turned around and had no clue where we were. It didn’t look like a very nice area to be mixed up in and I was pretty scared. I went into a store to ask for directions but they didn’t speak English…. We decided to find our way back to the resort and wouldn’t go back out till the end of the trip. That was not a fun
Resort
experience. Back at the resort we hung out on the beach. I remember watching a little crab pop in and out of his burrow and trying to get a photo of him for a long time. One evening while walking around the resort we spentsome time by the pond. There were koi fish in the pond, turtles, ducks and swans. The ducks were pretty aggressive and it was hilarious watching Kyle get chased and yelled at by a duck. I got some of the action on video. It was also cool to walk around and try to find iguanas on the palm trees. They are so cool to see not having them in Michigan and all. At nights we would grab some left over bread from a restaurant and go down to the dock where they had a big spot light and you could feed the fish. People said there were sharks that you were feeding but not in the sense of the shark that we think of. That was one of my favorite things to do was feed the fish at night.
Me
The next day we decided to have a lemon daiquiri which was the best I’ve ever had. Strong drinks + sun + 0 tolerance for holding my liquor meant a good time. I remember watching a three legged bird and laughing so hard I cried (sorry bird). Then walking around we saw the same guy that gave us directions to the town and I dubbed him kung-fu panda (that’s what he reminded me of apparently) and wanted to kick his @$$. Kyle restrained me but he will forever be known as kung-fu panda.
One evening, I cant remember which one, we booked a night kayaking tour to the bio-bay. We each had our own kayak that had glow sticks on each end so you knew where the front your boat was and the person behind you knew where the back of it was. We paddled through a mangrove forest which was an unusual experience. Some spots were tight and you had to duck or you would get hit. Once we got out to the bay it was dark and the movement of the water made the bioluminescence happen. The glow is caused by these organisms called dinoflagellates which light up blue when disturbed. The boats and oars all lit up. You could stick your hand in the water and make light swirls. It was impressive and enchanted to say the least. I wished so bad I would have been able to capture it on camera but I do not have a good nighttime camera and I was afraid of losing it in the dark and getting it wet. This was a fun experience and there are only a dozen or so of these places in the world.
Before our trip ended we booked an excursion into the rainforest that took us through the country side. It’s amazing to see what some living conditions are and try to imagine life there. There are lots of stray dogs, too. The trip to the rainforest was a nice hike through the woods. We got to see pretty flowers and plants and even baby bananas. We saw a couple waterfalls and the highlight was a waterfall that you could go in and play under. There were lots of people in the water. Kyle drug me in and the water started beating on my head which is when I had my first panic attack which is a great time. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough. After the waterfall we went to a local restaurant where we drank coconut water for the first time. It was cool to see them chop it up but the water was disgusting. Don’t need to get one of those again.
The day before we left we went out into the town again. Seeing the old town was really neat. All the buildings are brightly colored and there are cobblestone streets. We visited the Fort which was built by the Spanish to protect the city from attacks. The yard in front of the fort was really big and nicely cared for. People would go and have picnics in it and fly kites.
Overall we enjoyed our trip to Puerto Rico. It was nice to get away to a warm place when it was cold and snowy at home. We were greeted with a snow storm when we landed in Detroit and a four hour trip home. Kyle wanted to go back so bad.
