Day 1-Travel to San Juan Puerto Rico
Daily update provided by Mrs. Smith.
No major hiccups today, which is pretty amazing since we left the school around 4 AM. When we got to the hotel we walked around the "neighborhood" and then picked a place to eat. The food was decent and the service left something to be desired.
After that we walked a whole 2 blocks to check out the beach. When I told the kids they could go back to the hotel and get their suits they were elated and were back dressed for a swim within 20 minutes. William lost his hat, but thank goodness it was found! When we returned to the hotel they decided to check out the pool.
Ashford Ave. is still a hopping place to be and there are some remnants of Hurricane Maria. It will be interesting to see other damage in the coming weeks.
We didn't get to see sea turtles make their way to the ocean this time, but it was still a great first day.
See today's video by following this link.
No major hiccups today, which is pretty amazing since we left the school around 4 AM. When we got to the hotel we walked around the "neighborhood" and then picked a place to eat. The food was decent and the service left something to be desired.
After that we walked a whole 2 blocks to check out the beach. When I told the kids they could go back to the hotel and get their suits they were elated and were back dressed for a swim within 20 minutes. William lost his hat, but thank goodness it was found! When we returned to the hotel they decided to check out the pool.
Ashford Ave. is still a hopping place to be and there are some remnants of Hurricane Maria. It will be interesting to see other damage in the coming weeks.
We didn't get to see sea turtles make their way to the ocean this time, but it was still a great first day.
See today's video by following this link.
Day 2-Planting Native Trees in Manati and Beach Cave Exploration
Daily update provided by Mrs. Houser.
Today was our first full day on the island. We had a very early start which took us to a nature reserve near Manati. We planted hundreds of black mangrove trees on the reserve with 2 other groups (Tropa 62 ie boy scout troop 62 and some teenagers with a NatGeo group who were on their last day in PR).
After that we went to an awesome roadside restaurant owned by MLB player Rey Fuentes' mom and dad (he played for the Dbacks but is now in the minors on Long Island). Food was fantastic! After that we went to 2 beaches (Marchiquita and Poza de las Mujeres) with spectacular views and rock formations, although it's clear that they're still struggling from Maria.
PS we got the Mother ship stuck in a sand dune and some nice people helped us push it out. It was like getting stuck in a snowbank...but not.
Today was our first full day on the island. We had a very early start which took us to a nature reserve near Manati. We planted hundreds of black mangrove trees on the reserve with 2 other groups (Tropa 62 ie boy scout troop 62 and some teenagers with a NatGeo group who were on their last day in PR).
After that we went to an awesome roadside restaurant owned by MLB player Rey Fuentes' mom and dad (he played for the Dbacks but is now in the minors on Long Island). Food was fantastic! After that we went to 2 beaches (Marchiquita and Poza de las Mujeres) with spectacular views and rock formations, although it's clear that they're still struggling from Maria.
PS we got the Mother ship stuck in a sand dune and some nice people helped us push it out. It was like getting stuck in a snowbank...but not.
Day 3-El Yunque Rainforest and Luquillo Beach
Daily update provided by Ceci.
The day started off with us meeting our tour guide, Alejandro (Alex for short) at El Meson so we could follow him to the rainforest, El Yunque. Little did we know, we’d have a little “pre-adventure” along the way. Alex saw a man on the side of the road selling passion fruit and what did he decide to do? Stop in the dead middle of the road and went to buy passion fruit for everyone!! We couldn’t believe it, but Alex says “there are no rules in Puerto Rico!”Anyway, when we finally got to El Yunque, we hiked into the rainforest, and got to learn really cool things about the vegetation and how Hurricane Maria effected it. Like for example, they lost 80% of the canopy and it won’t be back within our lifetime. Or, the fact that Maria wiped out a lot of the endemic parrots to the rainforest and now there are only 6 left in El Yunque. We also learned the history of some plants, like the Mimosa pudica; a plant whose leaves close when you touch them. It was brought to Puerto Rico because when slaves would run away, you could tell where they were because the leaves on the Mimosa pudica were closed. We also just learned some interesting facts, like bamboo grows up to 60 ft in less than 6 months!!
Alright, now onto the adventurous stuff. Once we had hiked pretty far into the rainforest and MANY, MANY falls later, we made it to the rope swing and cliff jumps! The rope swing was so fun, but the cliff jumps were exhilarating! The first jump was maybe about 15 or 20 feet. Once we jumped, we got to swim to a little cave under the waterfall (it was during this time that Jilly and I got sucked under the current and Alex had to pull us up). Nevertheless, the cave was pretty cool. Then, we moved on to the naturally-made waterslides in the waterfalls. They were so smooth, they actually didn’t hurt. After this we got to crawl behind a waterfall, and that was amazing and so beautiful. Lastly, we got to the scariest part: the 40 ft cliff jump. Yes, 40ft!! I liked this jump the most just because I love the adrenaline rush. The only downside was jumping with my arms out. It was not the best idea, as they smacked the water. It’s okay though, it only stung for a minute or two.
After we were done with the jumps, it was time to eat our passion fruit and head back out of the forest. The fruit was delicious, but Jilly would be the first to tell you, the texture wasn’t really to die for. On our way out, we all picked up trash and that felt really good.
Saying goodbye to the rainforest was hard because I loved it so much, but it was time to head to Luquillo beach.
At the beach we all just relaxed; the rainforest wiped us out! Jilly, Ella, Jo, and I all took some well-deserved naps on the sand. The perfect way to end out a perfect day.
Oh! And I can’t forget the amazing barbecue place we went. We all ordered meat ranging from, chicken and ribs to blood sausage and pork stomach. We put it all in the middle and dug in. Interestedly enough Ella said the pork stomach was yummy. In contrast though, after a nibble of the blood sausage Ella felt a little urge to puke, Gianna disagreed though, as she popped the entire sausage piece in her mouth and went ham, stating she thought it was good! I decided to play it safe and keep my distance from both. We also left with our soon-to-be midnight snack: mofongo! It’s my favorite food here. We ended up falling asleep with the leftover mofongo by our bedsides.
Videos from our fun day in El Yunque.
The day started off with us meeting our tour guide, Alejandro (Alex for short) at El Meson so we could follow him to the rainforest, El Yunque. Little did we know, we’d have a little “pre-adventure” along the way. Alex saw a man on the side of the road selling passion fruit and what did he decide to do? Stop in the dead middle of the road and went to buy passion fruit for everyone!! We couldn’t believe it, but Alex says “there are no rules in Puerto Rico!”Anyway, when we finally got to El Yunque, we hiked into the rainforest, and got to learn really cool things about the vegetation and how Hurricane Maria effected it. Like for example, they lost 80% of the canopy and it won’t be back within our lifetime. Or, the fact that Maria wiped out a lot of the endemic parrots to the rainforest and now there are only 6 left in El Yunque. We also learned the history of some plants, like the Mimosa pudica; a plant whose leaves close when you touch them. It was brought to Puerto Rico because when slaves would run away, you could tell where they were because the leaves on the Mimosa pudica were closed. We also just learned some interesting facts, like bamboo grows up to 60 ft in less than 6 months!!
Alright, now onto the adventurous stuff. Once we had hiked pretty far into the rainforest and MANY, MANY falls later, we made it to the rope swing and cliff jumps! The rope swing was so fun, but the cliff jumps were exhilarating! The first jump was maybe about 15 or 20 feet. Once we jumped, we got to swim to a little cave under the waterfall (it was during this time that Jilly and I got sucked under the current and Alex had to pull us up). Nevertheless, the cave was pretty cool. Then, we moved on to the naturally-made waterslides in the waterfalls. They were so smooth, they actually didn’t hurt. After this we got to crawl behind a waterfall, and that was amazing and so beautiful. Lastly, we got to the scariest part: the 40 ft cliff jump. Yes, 40ft!! I liked this jump the most just because I love the adrenaline rush. The only downside was jumping with my arms out. It was not the best idea, as they smacked the water. It’s okay though, it only stung for a minute or two.
After we were done with the jumps, it was time to eat our passion fruit and head back out of the forest. The fruit was delicious, but Jilly would be the first to tell you, the texture wasn’t really to die for. On our way out, we all picked up trash and that felt really good.
Saying goodbye to the rainforest was hard because I loved it so much, but it was time to head to Luquillo beach.
At the beach we all just relaxed; the rainforest wiped us out! Jilly, Ella, Jo, and I all took some well-deserved naps on the sand. The perfect way to end out a perfect day.
Oh! And I can’t forget the amazing barbecue place we went. We all ordered meat ranging from, chicken and ribs to blood sausage and pork stomach. We put it all in the middle and dug in. Interestedly enough Ella said the pork stomach was yummy. In contrast though, after a nibble of the blood sausage Ella felt a little urge to puke, Gianna disagreed though, as she popped the entire sausage piece in her mouth and went ham, stating she thought it was good! I decided to play it safe and keep my distance from both. We also left with our soon-to-be midnight snack: mofongo! It’s my favorite food here. We ended up falling asleep with the leftover mofongo by our bedsides.
Videos from our fun day in El Yunque.
Day 4-ZIPLINING AND ARECIBO
Daily update provided by William.
Today we went to the Arecibo telescope. It is the largest radio telescope in the world. It has been used to figure out the speed of asteroids coming toward us and it has also been used to find the speed of satellites. It can test the speed of satellites to see if they ran out of power or are broken. I thought that it was very interesting to learn about because of how powerful it was. They said it could find things billions of kilometers away which is crazy to think about. The area we went to was also very mountainous and pretty. We then went zip-lining which was also really cool because we could see more of the terrain from pretty high up. Overall today was one of my favorite days so far but that’s not saying too much cause we have only had four days now.
Today we went to the Arecibo telescope. It is the largest radio telescope in the world. It has been used to figure out the speed of asteroids coming toward us and it has also been used to find the speed of satellites. It can test the speed of satellites to see if they ran out of power or are broken. I thought that it was very interesting to learn about because of how powerful it was. They said it could find things billions of kilometers away which is crazy to think about. The area we went to was also very mountainous and pretty. We then went zip-lining which was also really cool because we could see more of the terrain from pretty high up. Overall today was one of my favorite days so far but that’s not saying too much cause we have only had four days now.
Day 5-Manatee rehab center and botanical gardens
Daily update provided by Mya.
Today was one of our more laid back days. We started off being able to sleep in as our leaving time was 9:45; which we all took full advantage of. The day started off driving though the rain which thankfully cleared up as we reached our first destination of the day. After driving on roads too narrow to fit two cars we reached the Manatee Educational and Rehab Center. There we got to see all the animals they had on sight and hear about their unlucky pasts. At the center they house marine animals like manatees and sea turtles as their main focus, but also house different birds.They had nine animals at the moment. Three sea turtles, two of which had a condition called “bubble butt” which causes their hind ends become more buoyant making their balance abnormal. Three birds: a brown pelican named Coco who was found with chronic arthritis and is now a permanent resident, a duck, and a hawk named Pua. Then finally three manatees. Two were Caribbean manatees, (which are now endangered with only a few hundred left) one that was abandoned by its mother due to being scared by humans and taken to the center at only 4 hours old. The second one was found with a skin condition making his body covered in different scabs and scars. The final manatee was brought in from Florida and is now a permanent resident due to being in captivity for too long (along with some other issues).
After lunch we arrived at the Caguas Botanical Gardens and Museum. There we mostly learned about the Taino Indians (natives) Within the garden there was the Taino burial site which was covered by a species of cactus that had shallow roots due to the fact that they are still excavating and finding new bone pieces. We also saw a statue which depicted the image of the African god of nature who was believed to have protected the important plants and trees which were essential to survival. Personally my favorite part of the whole tour was the fact that we got to touch all the different types of plants and learn how they were used. I always think it is more memorable when you can be hands on and can imagine what it must of been like using those same plants back hundreds of years ago. Many of the plants within the garden have a purpose. The malagata leaf could repel bugs along with many other uses. Other leaves could be used liked napkins and could take the dirt stains off of the tribes teeth or the leaf that can remove stains from clothes or nails. After the quick walk over a bridge we got to the area where they used to grow sugar cane. At this time period people owned slaves which would do all the planting, harvesting, and grinding of the cane. We then reached the station in which they ground up the sugarcane. There we learned that this machine was powered by animals being strapped in and made to walk in circles to make it run. Once the animals got tired they would bring in slaves to take their place; the only catch was that once these slaves became tired they were not allowed to swap out, they were whipped and made to continue. I still can’t fathom the fact that we used to treat animals better than humans. As we were entering the hotel we noticed some things were different. Turns out the power had gone out randomly so we had to walk up many flights of stairs with some of us rooming on the 11th floor.
We ended the day walking to Miramar Food Truck Park. There we all got to choose from seven different trucks ranging from classic Puerto Rican foods to Chinese. Some favorites of the group were the stuffed avocado and passion fruit lemonade from ¡Que Tostóns! To wrap things us I think everyone enjoyed the day. It was more laid back but still really fun due to seeing marine animals close up and having the down time between the gardens and dinner.
Today was one of our more laid back days. We started off being able to sleep in as our leaving time was 9:45; which we all took full advantage of. The day started off driving though the rain which thankfully cleared up as we reached our first destination of the day. After driving on roads too narrow to fit two cars we reached the Manatee Educational and Rehab Center. There we got to see all the animals they had on sight and hear about their unlucky pasts. At the center they house marine animals like manatees and sea turtles as their main focus, but also house different birds.They had nine animals at the moment. Three sea turtles, two of which had a condition called “bubble butt” which causes their hind ends become more buoyant making their balance abnormal. Three birds: a brown pelican named Coco who was found with chronic arthritis and is now a permanent resident, a duck, and a hawk named Pua. Then finally three manatees. Two were Caribbean manatees, (which are now endangered with only a few hundred left) one that was abandoned by its mother due to being scared by humans and taken to the center at only 4 hours old. The second one was found with a skin condition making his body covered in different scabs and scars. The final manatee was brought in from Florida and is now a permanent resident due to being in captivity for too long (along with some other issues).
After lunch we arrived at the Caguas Botanical Gardens and Museum. There we mostly learned about the Taino Indians (natives) Within the garden there was the Taino burial site which was covered by a species of cactus that had shallow roots due to the fact that they are still excavating and finding new bone pieces. We also saw a statue which depicted the image of the African god of nature who was believed to have protected the important plants and trees which were essential to survival. Personally my favorite part of the whole tour was the fact that we got to touch all the different types of plants and learn how they were used. I always think it is more memorable when you can be hands on and can imagine what it must of been like using those same plants back hundreds of years ago. Many of the plants within the garden have a purpose. The malagata leaf could repel bugs along with many other uses. Other leaves could be used liked napkins and could take the dirt stains off of the tribes teeth or the leaf that can remove stains from clothes or nails. After the quick walk over a bridge we got to the area where they used to grow sugar cane. At this time period people owned slaves which would do all the planting, harvesting, and grinding of the cane. We then reached the station in which they ground up the sugarcane. There we learned that this machine was powered by animals being strapped in and made to walk in circles to make it run. Once the animals got tired they would bring in slaves to take their place; the only catch was that once these slaves became tired they were not allowed to swap out, they were whipped and made to continue. I still can’t fathom the fact that we used to treat animals better than humans. As we were entering the hotel we noticed some things were different. Turns out the power had gone out randomly so we had to walk up many flights of stairs with some of us rooming on the 11th floor.
We ended the day walking to Miramar Food Truck Park. There we all got to choose from seven different trucks ranging from classic Puerto Rican foods to Chinese. Some favorites of the group were the stuffed avocado and passion fruit lemonade from ¡Que Tostóns! To wrap things us I think everyone enjoyed the day. It was more laid back but still really fun due to seeing marine animals close up and having the down time between the gardens and dinner.
Day 6-ECO GUIDED CAVE TUBING ADVENTURE IN UTUADO
Daily update provided by Ella.
We started the day bright and early with a 5am wake up call. With a little bit of skill we were able to load all of the luggage into Mother Teresa (our van), and we were on our way before 6. After a pit stop at Krispy Kreme and an hour and a half drive we made it to Arecibo.
We had two amazing tour guides from adventureopr (Jose and Raphael) who took us on a 6 hour trek through the Tanama river cave system. In that time we hiked down into a canyon, jumped into a river, floated down rapids, went through two caves, did some climbing, ate some snacks, and then hiked back out of the canyon. Oh, and I can’t forget about all the fun facts we learned. Did you know that the legend of the Chupacabra originated in Puerto Rico, or that parts of James Bond and Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed in Puerto Rico? Of course we also learned about the environment too. The Coqui, a type of small frog that we heard throughout the entire hike, is seen as a sign of home to Puerto Rican’s because they are endemic to the island.
After a very long hike back to the van, we made our way to our Air BNB. We took some time to appreciate the view and get cleaned up before we got back in the van to find dinner. We stopped at a little grocery store were we bought makeshift dinners of everything from Hot Pockets to cake in a box, and of course the boys decided to buy Tech Decks.
We started the day bright and early with a 5am wake up call. With a little bit of skill we were able to load all of the luggage into Mother Teresa (our van), and we were on our way before 6. After a pit stop at Krispy Kreme and an hour and a half drive we made it to Arecibo.
We had two amazing tour guides from adventureopr (Jose and Raphael) who took us on a 6 hour trek through the Tanama river cave system. In that time we hiked down into a canyon, jumped into a river, floated down rapids, went through two caves, did some climbing, ate some snacks, and then hiked back out of the canyon. Oh, and I can’t forget about all the fun facts we learned. Did you know that the legend of the Chupacabra originated in Puerto Rico, or that parts of James Bond and Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed in Puerto Rico? Of course we also learned about the environment too. The Coqui, a type of small frog that we heard throughout the entire hike, is seen as a sign of home to Puerto Rican’s because they are endemic to the island.
After a very long hike back to the van, we made our way to our Air BNB. We took some time to appreciate the view and get cleaned up before we got back in the van to find dinner. We stopped at a little grocery store were we bought makeshift dinners of everything from Hot Pockets to cake in a box, and of course the boys decided to buy Tech Decks.
Day 7-cabo rojo lighthouse, salt flats, and crashboat beach
Daily update provided by Cody.
We started the day by going to Cabo Rojo Lighthouse and seeing some salt flats where we got some sweet pics with our tech decks. There was a nice beach where we found a sea urchin and some sick skating spots. You can check out my Instagram @codykoeppel for some sweet tech deck pics from the day. After the lighthouse we went to a museum where we watched a film about the wildlife of Puerto Rico and did some more skating. After the museum we went to Taco Maker for lunch then drove to Crash Boat Beach where we snorkeled and jumped off the docks. We got chicken on a stick (pinchos) and coconut water (coco frio) at the beach and then headed to dinner. We ate dinner at Pena Blanca in Aguadilla where the food was all very good and we got some epic pictures of our tech decks in our fresh red snapper. We also got a few desserts to try which were good (tres leches and flan). After dinner our GPS (Cindy) got possessed and took us to a cemetery which I missed because the fellas was boolin in the back with some tech decks and Blueface. After dinner we went to Walmart for groceries and we bought some more Tech Decks and ingredients for french toast. On the way home we saw a protest. We finished the day by assembling our Tech Decks and jammin to some Blueface. Blueface baby, yea yeah aight.
We started the day by going to Cabo Rojo Lighthouse and seeing some salt flats where we got some sweet pics with our tech decks. There was a nice beach where we found a sea urchin and some sick skating spots. You can check out my Instagram @codykoeppel for some sweet tech deck pics from the day. After the lighthouse we went to a museum where we watched a film about the wildlife of Puerto Rico and did some more skating. After the museum we went to Taco Maker for lunch then drove to Crash Boat Beach where we snorkeled and jumped off the docks. We got chicken on a stick (pinchos) and coconut water (coco frio) at the beach and then headed to dinner. We ate dinner at Pena Blanca in Aguadilla where the food was all very good and we got some epic pictures of our tech decks in our fresh red snapper. We also got a few desserts to try which were good (tres leches and flan). After dinner our GPS (Cindy) got possessed and took us to a cemetery which I missed because the fellas was boolin in the back with some tech decks and Blueface. After dinner we went to Walmart for groceries and we bought some more Tech Decks and ingredients for french toast. On the way home we saw a protest. We finished the day by assembling our Tech Decks and jammin to some Blueface. Blueface baby, yea yeah aight.
Day 8-mangroves and bioluminescent bay
Daily update provided by GIanna.
Sleep-in day! Mrs. Smith made pancakes and eggs, and after breakfast we left at 11.
We arrived on Isla Magueyes around 1230. The boys tried to techdeck on iguanas - Aidan lost 3, Smith and Houser went to retrieve them while Aidan was having withdrawals. The island was covered in iguanas, and Nicole, our lecturer, told us that they were cuban iguanas - remnants of the zoo that used to be on the land that is now UPR Mayaguez's Marine Natural Sciences department.
We took tiny boats out to 2 cays to learn about corals and mangroves respectively. They let us swim around a little at each, and the second one had a shallow "pool" area to swim in, as it was more touristy.
We learned that corals are closely related to jellyfish, and that corals can sting you if you touch them! This is because of special cells on the tentacles they use to feed. The other student with us found some sea creatures and we got to hold a sea urchin, sea cucumber, algae, and 2 corals, and later she found an upsidedown jellyfish. We also learned that there were 4 kinds of mangrove that appeared in this order, closest to furthest from salt water: red mangrove, white mangrove, black mangrove, and buttonwood mangrove.
We took the boats back at 430 to walk into town (La Parguera) and get dinner at a plaza. After eating dinner we walked around and shopped for about 2 hours! We also met Mrs. Smith's friend Charry and her kids. A lot of us bought souvenirs here today!
At 7 we reconvened and went back to Mama T to get ready for the bioluminescent bay. We went back to Isla Magueyes and got into the small boats to head out.
There is one thing you need to know about the bioluminescent bay before I talk about it: nothing I say will ever accurately depict it in its entirety unless you've been there.
We arrived and listened to a talk about the dinoflagellum (Pyrodinium bahamens). They told us that the reason they were concentrated so heavily there was partly because of the mangroves, and without the mangroves the bay would not glow at all. We put on snorkel masks before jumping into the water and it immediately lit up and sparkled with every movement.
I can offer any number of comparisons, but nothing will convey exactly what we experienced. It was like a Harry Potter patronus. It was like the scene in Moana where her grandmother comes back as a spirit. It was like floating in a sky full of stars. It was all of that and more. To swim in the Bioluminescent Bay was ethereal and wonderful in every sense of the word. None of us wanted to leave.
Not only was it amazing, the moon was hidden so we could see the stars and part of the Milky Way. We found Scorpio/Maui's Fishhook and the Big Dipper. It was an incredible experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
It was a little disheartening to go back to town and see all the light pollution blocking the sky, but it really impressed into my mind the necessity of protecting our natural wonders like the Bioluminescent Bay. Overall, it was an amazing day, and I think I would have stayed in the bay all night if I could have.
Sleep-in day! Mrs. Smith made pancakes and eggs, and after breakfast we left at 11.
We arrived on Isla Magueyes around 1230. The boys tried to techdeck on iguanas - Aidan lost 3, Smith and Houser went to retrieve them while Aidan was having withdrawals. The island was covered in iguanas, and Nicole, our lecturer, told us that they were cuban iguanas - remnants of the zoo that used to be on the land that is now UPR Mayaguez's Marine Natural Sciences department.
We took tiny boats out to 2 cays to learn about corals and mangroves respectively. They let us swim around a little at each, and the second one had a shallow "pool" area to swim in, as it was more touristy.
We learned that corals are closely related to jellyfish, and that corals can sting you if you touch them! This is because of special cells on the tentacles they use to feed. The other student with us found some sea creatures and we got to hold a sea urchin, sea cucumber, algae, and 2 corals, and later she found an upsidedown jellyfish. We also learned that there were 4 kinds of mangrove that appeared in this order, closest to furthest from salt water: red mangrove, white mangrove, black mangrove, and buttonwood mangrove.
We took the boats back at 430 to walk into town (La Parguera) and get dinner at a plaza. After eating dinner we walked around and shopped for about 2 hours! We also met Mrs. Smith's friend Charry and her kids. A lot of us bought souvenirs here today!
At 7 we reconvened and went back to Mama T to get ready for the bioluminescent bay. We went back to Isla Magueyes and got into the small boats to head out.
There is one thing you need to know about the bioluminescent bay before I talk about it: nothing I say will ever accurately depict it in its entirety unless you've been there.
We arrived and listened to a talk about the dinoflagellum (Pyrodinium bahamens). They told us that the reason they were concentrated so heavily there was partly because of the mangroves, and without the mangroves the bay would not glow at all. We put on snorkel masks before jumping into the water and it immediately lit up and sparkled with every movement.
I can offer any number of comparisons, but nothing will convey exactly what we experienced. It was like a Harry Potter patronus. It was like the scene in Moana where her grandmother comes back as a spirit. It was like floating in a sky full of stars. It was all of that and more. To swim in the Bioluminescent Bay was ethereal and wonderful in every sense of the word. None of us wanted to leave.
Not only was it amazing, the moon was hidden so we could see the stars and part of the Milky Way. We found Scorpio/Maui's Fishhook and the Big Dipper. It was an incredible experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
It was a little disheartening to go back to town and see all the light pollution blocking the sky, but it really impressed into my mind the necessity of protecting our natural wonders like the Bioluminescent Bay. Overall, it was an amazing day, and I think I would have stayed in the bay all night if I could have.
Day 9-COFFEE PLANTATION, WATERFALL, AND PONCE
Daily update provided by Aiden.
Today we visited a coffee plantation and also went to Ponce for pizza. This morning while driving to the plantation we had to stop because there was a landslide on a cliff next to the road. That along with the sharp curves on the mountain is why we showed up around 30 minutes late to our 8:30 tour. The owner of the company gave us a tour of the property that included information about coffee production. Before we left we had lunch, saw the guest rooms, and Cody and I did a photo shoot with our tech decks. After that we went to a waterfall and swam for an hour or two and then the tour guide took us to a suspension bridge. After that we headed to Ponce for pizza. Once we got to the restaurant we were only allowed to board until drinks came. The pizza was unique and amazing. On the way back to the house we listened to music and sang songs. Shoutout aidenlietz on sc and aidenlietz1 on ig. Blueface baby! Yeah yeah ight. The world is my skate park.
Today we visited a coffee plantation and also went to Ponce for pizza. This morning while driving to the plantation we had to stop because there was a landslide on a cliff next to the road. That along with the sharp curves on the mountain is why we showed up around 30 minutes late to our 8:30 tour. The owner of the company gave us a tour of the property that included information about coffee production. Before we left we had lunch, saw the guest rooms, and Cody and I did a photo shoot with our tech decks. After that we went to a waterfall and swam for an hour or two and then the tour guide took us to a suspension bridge. After that we headed to Ponce for pizza. Once we got to the restaurant we were only allowed to board until drinks came. The pizza was unique and amazing. On the way back to the house we listened to music and sang songs. Shoutout aidenlietz on sc and aidenlietz1 on ig. Blueface baby! Yeah yeah ight. The world is my skate park.
Day 10-visit the blue flag certified island of caja de muertos for snorkeling, hiking, and exploring
Daily update provided by Jenna.
Today we went to Caja de Muertos, also known as Coffin Island. The name of the island may give it a bad vibe but in reality it is a beautiful place with amazing teal blue water, palm trees, cacti, and various wildlife. It is a protected reserve due to the turtle traffic it receives. To get to the island we took a catamaran and on the catamaran we could see the vibrant teal blue water that surrounded us. Immediately after we arrived on the island and the captain got the boat parked we hopped in the water and swam to shore. We took a walk and went to a small museum on the island and got a good look at the lighthouse that is up on the hill. The museum was not in the best shape due to Hurricane Maria damage. The teachers decided to walk up to the lighthouse and they said the view was absolutely beautiful. We went back to the beach and did an assortment of activities such as snorkeling, playing on the inflatables in the water, and the boys played hot potato with a coconut. While snorkeling we saw some really cool fish and Ceci found a few sand dollars and shells. After we were done on the island we took the catamaran back to the mainland. That night we ate and shopped on the boardwalk (La Guancha) by the water. We also got to feed gigantic Tarpon fish and birds off of the boardwalk.
If you are interested in reading about pirates and buried treasures then follow this link that provides some information about the history of the island.
Today we went to Caja de Muertos, also known as Coffin Island. The name of the island may give it a bad vibe but in reality it is a beautiful place with amazing teal blue water, palm trees, cacti, and various wildlife. It is a protected reserve due to the turtle traffic it receives. To get to the island we took a catamaran and on the catamaran we could see the vibrant teal blue water that surrounded us. Immediately after we arrived on the island and the captain got the boat parked we hopped in the water and swam to shore. We took a walk and went to a small museum on the island and got a good look at the lighthouse that is up on the hill. The museum was not in the best shape due to Hurricane Maria damage. The teachers decided to walk up to the lighthouse and they said the view was absolutely beautiful. We went back to the beach and did an assortment of activities such as snorkeling, playing on the inflatables in the water, and the boys played hot potato with a coconut. While snorkeling we saw some really cool fish and Ceci found a few sand dollars and shells. After we were done on the island we took the catamaran back to the mainland. That night we ate and shopped on the boardwalk (La Guancha) by the water. We also got to feed gigantic Tarpon fish and birds off of the boardwalk.
If you are interested in reading about pirates and buried treasures then follow this link that provides some information about the history of the island.
Day 11- fly to culebra
Daily update provided by Jenna.
Today we got to sleep in and it was really nice! We made french toast and it was yummy :) Then we packed up all of our stuff and loaded Mother Teresa. We were on the road all day but we did get to stop and eat some good pinchos (chicken stick things) in the rainforest. While we were in the car we braided William’s hair and it looked pretty neat. Then we got to the mini airport and flew to Culebra. The flight was pretty sketchy but it was really fun and I thought Jillian was going to die she was so scared. When we got to Culebra we went to our new house. The house had some minor issues (the AC was broken in our room and the technician said it needed replaced, but that wasn't going to happen on the weekend on an island). The view was really pretty from the balcony. We got dinner at one of the local restaurants and then had ice cream for dessert. After dinner we got on our golf carts and drove around the island and explored. Then we went home and tried to stay cool because it was really warm.
Today we got to sleep in and it was really nice! We made french toast and it was yummy :) Then we packed up all of our stuff and loaded Mother Teresa. We were on the road all day but we did get to stop and eat some good pinchos (chicken stick things) in the rainforest. While we were in the car we braided William’s hair and it looked pretty neat. Then we got to the mini airport and flew to Culebra. The flight was pretty sketchy but it was really fun and I thought Jillian was going to die she was so scared. When we got to Culebra we went to our new house. The house had some minor issues (the AC was broken in our room and the technician said it needed replaced, but that wasn't going to happen on the weekend on an island). The view was really pretty from the balcony. We got dinner at one of the local restaurants and then had ice cream for dessert. After dinner we got on our golf carts and drove around the island and explored. Then we went home and tried to stay cool because it was really warm.
Day 12-KAYAK TO A WILDLIFE REFUGE, visit FLAMENCO BEACH, and paddleboard at sunset.
Daily update provided by Gianna.
Our first full day in Culebra! We left at 7:30 in the morning to go kayak to a wildlife refuge. We had to drive down a road that was covered in potholes to get to Playa Tamarindo/Tamarind Beach.
We spent about 3 hours kayaking and snorkeling around the Luis Peña nature reserve. We saw a lot of corals and fish, as well as two green sea turtles!
Afterwards we left to go to Flamenco Beach. We ate lunch at the kiosks and swam in the ocean. They were great waves for bodysurfing! We spent a long time there and returned home around 3. We hung out at home until 5:45 when we left to meet our tour guide for paddleboarding.
We were a little early, so we filled up the golf carts with gas and went for a small drive to look at dinner options. We saw people swinging off a small bridge and jumping off the roof of the neighboring house! After that we returned to the meeting spot and sent the first group (Mrs. Smith, Ella, Jenna, Mya, Cody, and Jazzy) off to paddleboard. Our group (consisting of me, Jillian, Ceci, Aidan, Will, and Mrs. Houser) went off to Mamacita's, the Krusty Crab, and William's Pizza in search of food. We ended up grabbing pizza and talking for an hour.
We walked back to the meet up spot to wait for the first group and begin our adventure. Once they got back, our tour guide Norman took us to learn to paddleboard and go out on the water. I should mention that at this point it was pitch black and all the stars were out. Our paddleboards had 1200 lumen lights attached to the bottom so we could see in the water.
On our adventure, we saw a nurse shark, a couple green sea turtles (who can apparently sprint up to 45 mph underwater!), a southern stingray (though Aidan and Mrs. Houser saw more), and some "dangerous sea puff puffs" or inflated pufferfish! We stopped for a bit and hung out in the water, where baby tarpins nibbled at us and we turned our paddleboard lights off just in time to see a shooting star.
We did have quite a few "casualties", however: Will got "pushed" off his board by Aidan, Aidan was knocked into a shallow reef by a breaking wave, and Will pushed Jillian off her board.
Other than the unintentional splashes, we had a fantastic time on our paddleboard tour! It was a stunning ride, and we could hear music from the island for a while.
This day was definitely one of my favorites on the trip. We did so many fun things and saw and learned a lot, especially about the marine animals around Culebra. We ended the day with a cruise home on our golf carts' incredible speed of 25 mph.
Peer Reviews:
Jillian: "Culebra's awesome."
Bonus:
Team Houser(+Jenna)'s glowsticks!
Our first full day in Culebra! We left at 7:30 in the morning to go kayak to a wildlife refuge. We had to drive down a road that was covered in potholes to get to Playa Tamarindo/Tamarind Beach.
We spent about 3 hours kayaking and snorkeling around the Luis Peña nature reserve. We saw a lot of corals and fish, as well as two green sea turtles!
Afterwards we left to go to Flamenco Beach. We ate lunch at the kiosks and swam in the ocean. They were great waves for bodysurfing! We spent a long time there and returned home around 3. We hung out at home until 5:45 when we left to meet our tour guide for paddleboarding.
We were a little early, so we filled up the golf carts with gas and went for a small drive to look at dinner options. We saw people swinging off a small bridge and jumping off the roof of the neighboring house! After that we returned to the meeting spot and sent the first group (Mrs. Smith, Ella, Jenna, Mya, Cody, and Jazzy) off to paddleboard. Our group (consisting of me, Jillian, Ceci, Aidan, Will, and Mrs. Houser) went off to Mamacita's, the Krusty Crab, and William's Pizza in search of food. We ended up grabbing pizza and talking for an hour.
We walked back to the meet up spot to wait for the first group and begin our adventure. Once they got back, our tour guide Norman took us to learn to paddleboard and go out on the water. I should mention that at this point it was pitch black and all the stars were out. Our paddleboards had 1200 lumen lights attached to the bottom so we could see in the water.
On our adventure, we saw a nurse shark, a couple green sea turtles (who can apparently sprint up to 45 mph underwater!), a southern stingray (though Aidan and Mrs. Houser saw more), and some "dangerous sea puff puffs" or inflated pufferfish! We stopped for a bit and hung out in the water, where baby tarpins nibbled at us and we turned our paddleboard lights off just in time to see a shooting star.
We did have quite a few "casualties", however: Will got "pushed" off his board by Aidan, Aidan was knocked into a shallow reef by a breaking wave, and Will pushed Jillian off her board.
Other than the unintentional splashes, we had a fantastic time on our paddleboard tour! It was a stunning ride, and we could hear music from the island for a while.
This day was definitely one of my favorites on the trip. We did so many fun things and saw and learned a lot, especially about the marine animals around Culebra. We ended the day with a cruise home on our golf carts' incredible speed of 25 mph.
Peer Reviews:
Jillian: "Culebra's awesome."
Bonus:
Team Houser(+Jenna)'s glowsticks!
Day 13-visit to culebrita for snorkeling, hiking, and exploring
Daily update provided by Jillian.
Today we took an adventure to Culebrita, which is a small island about a 15 minute boat ride from Culebra. First, we had to go meet Captain Dave, he was a pretty cool dude. We got to the island and it was absolutely beautiful. The water was bright blue and clear as could be! To start off our fun we walked up to an old light house that was built in 1886 but sadly it was pretty broken when we got up there. Though the buildings ruins we beautiful and the view of the ocean and the surrounding islands was beautiful. We also saw tons of huge hermit crabs! Then, we walked back down to the other side of the island and met back up with Captain Dave to get out snorkeling stuff. We saw so many amazing things snorkeling here are a few things we saw; an octopus, a sting ray, some squid, some beautiful coral, some amazing bright colored fishies, and some really big fishies! Then we headed back to the boat and Captain Dave made us some delicious burgers and hot dogs for lunch, before we started our next hike to “the baths”. Which were small tide pools made by the ocean in the rocks. After that it was time to hop back on the boat and head home for dinner. When we got back we ate at a place called the Dingy Dock. They had some really good food with a beautiful ocean view to go with it! To end our night, all of us went up to the roof for some bonding time, looking out at the beautiful island, and listen to some great music!
Today we took an adventure to Culebrita, which is a small island about a 15 minute boat ride from Culebra. First, we had to go meet Captain Dave, he was a pretty cool dude. We got to the island and it was absolutely beautiful. The water was bright blue and clear as could be! To start off our fun we walked up to an old light house that was built in 1886 but sadly it was pretty broken when we got up there. Though the buildings ruins we beautiful and the view of the ocean and the surrounding islands was beautiful. We also saw tons of huge hermit crabs! Then, we walked back down to the other side of the island and met back up with Captain Dave to get out snorkeling stuff. We saw so many amazing things snorkeling here are a few things we saw; an octopus, a sting ray, some squid, some beautiful coral, some amazing bright colored fishies, and some really big fishies! Then we headed back to the boat and Captain Dave made us some delicious burgers and hot dogs for lunch, before we started our next hike to “the baths”. Which were small tide pools made by the ocean in the rocks. After that it was time to hop back on the boat and head home for dinner. When we got back we ate at a place called the Dingy Dock. They had some really good food with a beautiful ocean view to go with it! To end our night, all of us went up to the roof for some bonding time, looking out at the beautiful island, and listen to some great music!
DAY 14-OLD SAN JUAN
Daily update provided by Jasmyne.
To finish our 3 day journey in Culebra, all 12 of us had to wake up at 5:45 IN THE MORNING!! For those who know me very well know that I am NOT a morning person. Everything was ready to go within an hour. We took one last joyride in our golf carts, named Blue Thunder and Alejandro. Blue Thunder decided to have one last laugh, so he gave Mrs. Smith and I an unexpected shower from the rain water on top of him from the night before. Thankfully, my clothes didn’t get wet, but Mrs. Smith was a little less fortunate. We arrive at the airport and say our final goodbyes to the golf carts. Our planes take off at 8 o’clock. As we leave the tiny, beautiful island of Culebra, home of about 2,000 people and only 46 different last names, we look out the window to see the amazing ocean with it’s bright blues, greens, and strips of orange in the water. We find our mothership named Mother Teresa in Ceiba smelling kind of gross until she spray her with a crap ton of citrus Febreze. We are then off to Old San Juan, a town full of history and fascinating architecture. We arrive in Old San Juan at approximately 10:15 am. The old city walls tower over all of us as we walk along the gigantic barrier blocking our way into the city. We find the original entrance into the city and see a red gate with ancient wooden doors. We walk through the town on the cobblestone streets to our first stop: the San Juan Bautista Cathedral, one of the oldest in the Caribbean. The cathedral was a stunning sight with all the statues of holy figures and paintings along the walls and the ceiling. My favorite aspect about the cathedral was the beautiful stain glass window on a wall on the right side of the building. The cathedral will be 500 years old in the year 2021. We then continued on the cobblestone from England (waste from iron smelting) to Ponce de Leon’s house called Casa Blanca. Ponce de Leon was the conqueror of Puerto Rico and his remains still remain on the island in the San Juan Bautista Cathedral. Just a little farther was the fort El Morro. The fort was a mix between a town and a military fortress. I learned that the fort was used during the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s which led to the Spaniards’ defeat and the U.S. gaining Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Cuba also gained its independence through this war. From one of the “cliffs” of the fortress, you can see a beautiful, typical cemetery called. As we traveled down the long, cement road from the fort, Mother Nature decided to rain on us until we got to the restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was called Ostra Cosa. For food, I tried the cheese crisp with sautéed shrimp in it with tequeños, which are basically mozzarella sticks. It continued to rain on and off throughout lunch. The teachers decided to let us kids have an hour for shopping. There was a street full of shops for souvenirs. Some of the shops were a little too expensive, but we managed to fine some nice things to buy. The street we shopped on had an opening where we could see the Governor’s Mansion. The street that led to it was blocked off by police officers. I am assuming that the reason it is blocked off is because they don’t want other protesters to cause damage to the building just because they don’t like the governor. The entire country at this point does not like their governor and his own party was planning on impeaching him for money embezzlement if he did not resign. We were staying in Peñuelas when the governor resigned at 11:45pm. Also while we were shopping, there was an old building with a lot of pigeons in front. Apparently, people were selling bird seed to feed the birds. The pigeons would get extra excited for the food that they would land on people to get it. A few of us kids had tons of pigeons on us, some even landed on our heads. After the hour was up, all 12 of us piled into Mother Teresa and we drove to the hotel to check in for our final night in Puerto Rico. When we were all checked in, the kids dispersed to their rooms and relaxed until around dinner time. Mya, Gianna, and I walked down to the infamous waffle place to have waffles and fruit for dinner. After dinner, we walked down the street and stopped in souvenir shops to buy some last minute items. When we were back in the hotel, Gianna got out her speaker and we played music while we packed up all our stuff into our suitcases. It was a great way to have some last minute fun in Puerto Rico with my friends.
To finish our 3 day journey in Culebra, all 12 of us had to wake up at 5:45 IN THE MORNING!! For those who know me very well know that I am NOT a morning person. Everything was ready to go within an hour. We took one last joyride in our golf carts, named Blue Thunder and Alejandro. Blue Thunder decided to have one last laugh, so he gave Mrs. Smith and I an unexpected shower from the rain water on top of him from the night before. Thankfully, my clothes didn’t get wet, but Mrs. Smith was a little less fortunate. We arrive at the airport and say our final goodbyes to the golf carts. Our planes take off at 8 o’clock. As we leave the tiny, beautiful island of Culebra, home of about 2,000 people and only 46 different last names, we look out the window to see the amazing ocean with it’s bright blues, greens, and strips of orange in the water. We find our mothership named Mother Teresa in Ceiba smelling kind of gross until she spray her with a crap ton of citrus Febreze. We are then off to Old San Juan, a town full of history and fascinating architecture. We arrive in Old San Juan at approximately 10:15 am. The old city walls tower over all of us as we walk along the gigantic barrier blocking our way into the city. We find the original entrance into the city and see a red gate with ancient wooden doors. We walk through the town on the cobblestone streets to our first stop: the San Juan Bautista Cathedral, one of the oldest in the Caribbean. The cathedral was a stunning sight with all the statues of holy figures and paintings along the walls and the ceiling. My favorite aspect about the cathedral was the beautiful stain glass window on a wall on the right side of the building. The cathedral will be 500 years old in the year 2021. We then continued on the cobblestone from England (waste from iron smelting) to Ponce de Leon’s house called Casa Blanca. Ponce de Leon was the conqueror of Puerto Rico and his remains still remain on the island in the San Juan Bautista Cathedral. Just a little farther was the fort El Morro. The fort was a mix between a town and a military fortress. I learned that the fort was used during the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s which led to the Spaniards’ defeat and the U.S. gaining Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Cuba also gained its independence through this war. From one of the “cliffs” of the fortress, you can see a beautiful, typical cemetery called. As we traveled down the long, cement road from the fort, Mother Nature decided to rain on us until we got to the restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was called Ostra Cosa. For food, I tried the cheese crisp with sautéed shrimp in it with tequeños, which are basically mozzarella sticks. It continued to rain on and off throughout lunch. The teachers decided to let us kids have an hour for shopping. There was a street full of shops for souvenirs. Some of the shops were a little too expensive, but we managed to fine some nice things to buy. The street we shopped on had an opening where we could see the Governor’s Mansion. The street that led to it was blocked off by police officers. I am assuming that the reason it is blocked off is because they don’t want other protesters to cause damage to the building just because they don’t like the governor. The entire country at this point does not like their governor and his own party was planning on impeaching him for money embezzlement if he did not resign. We were staying in Peñuelas when the governor resigned at 11:45pm. Also while we were shopping, there was an old building with a lot of pigeons in front. Apparently, people were selling bird seed to feed the birds. The pigeons would get extra excited for the food that they would land on people to get it. A few of us kids had tons of pigeons on us, some even landed on our heads. After the hour was up, all 12 of us piled into Mother Teresa and we drove to the hotel to check in for our final night in Puerto Rico. When we were all checked in, the kids dispersed to their rooms and relaxed until around dinner time. Mya, Gianna, and I walked down to the infamous waffle place to have waffles and fruit for dinner. After dinner, we walked down the street and stopped in souvenir shops to buy some last minute items. When we were back in the hotel, Gianna got out her speaker and we played music while we packed up all our stuff into our suitcases. It was a great way to have some last minute fun in Puerto Rico with my friends.
Below is an interactive map that provides information about the places we will see on our walking tour of Old San Juan.
Day 15-Loiza Chocolate factory tour and fly home
Daily update provided by Mrs. Smith.
We loaded up and made it to Loiza Chocolate Factory for a tour and talk on how chocolate is made. The place smelled heavenly and the information Juan Carlos shared with us was really interesting. It was amazing to see how much "love" is put into the making of his chocolate including hand wrapping each and every bar of chocolate. The kids were given a choice of fast food or local food for their last meal and they chose local food, so we headed to Bebo's BBQ, which was recommended by Juan and the food was delicious! After that we headed to the airport, and it seemed to take forever to get through security. Some of us had our bags looked at a little more closely because we forgot to empty water bottles, had sunscreen and bug spray, or even had sand in a bottle. The plane landed 45 minutes early and we were loaded n the bus 2 minutes before we were even supposed to land!!
All in all the day went well, the kids were great, and we learned some things!
Here are some final thoughts from the kids....
My favorite activity or adventure was...
-zip lining with Toroverde. The views were so magnificent and it is always a blast to zip from place to place so high up.
-the Tanama River eco-adventure.
-paddle boarding. I liked it because it was something completely new to me and I saw tons of cool things.
-the Bio Bay.
-hiking in el Yunque and jumping off the cliffs.
-swimming in the Bio Bay.
-hiking.
My favorite place was....
-the bioluminescent bay. It seemed so futuristic when you would jump into the seemingly dark water and the area around you would glow like you were swimming in glow stick liquid.
-Old San Juan.
-the mountains. I liked the views being up there provided. It was epic.
-the Bio Bay.
-Mocha Coffee Hacienda up in the mountains because the view was amazing.
My favorite food is...
-the rice and beans. With such simple ingredients it gives so much flavor and fills you up with only a few bites.
-Red Snapper.
-a beef empanada. They never disappointed me because they were always so good and yummy.
-a empanada.
-rice and beans...duh!
-Flan de Queso.
I will miss.... the most.
-the views.... From sitting in the white sand beaches and seeing nothing but ocean for miles to waking up to a perfectly clear view of the mountains or a bay full of sailboats. It was the perfect way to start each morning.
-the food
-seeing cool things everywhere and every day
-meeting the amazing people of Puerto Rico and all of the really good food
-the culture
I will miss....the least.
-the smell of the salt build up near some of the water...This smell was very strong and reeked of old eggs.
-salty hair
-putting on sunscreen every day...because that stuff is nasty.
-the fire ants
-the smell on the island…. When we were driving in Mother Teresa and in the golf carts we got to smell some real nasty things.
-bumpy car rides and crazy drivers
-Mama T (the van)
I learned that...
-the population of Culebra is only about 2,000 which is the size of Belleville and almost everyone is part of only 47ish different families.
-Hurricane María killed many of the endangered Puerto Rican parrots on the island.
-most common type of shark in Culebra and the surrounding areas is the nurse shark. They can grow to be up to 9 ft long and right now is their mating season.
-Puerto Rico has a lot of Coqui frogs.
-there are only 2 types of coffee. Special coffee and commercial (especial y commercial) coffee and there is nothing in between.
-microorganisms in the water than can make it glow at night.
-the bacteria that make the Bioluminescent Bay are called Pyrodinium Bahamens, and that the concentration actually increases after heavy storms and hurricanes because the salt flats near the coast of the bay wash in and make the bay's salinity increase, providing a better environment for the dinoflagellum's reproduction.
We loaded up and made it to Loiza Chocolate Factory for a tour and talk on how chocolate is made. The place smelled heavenly and the information Juan Carlos shared with us was really interesting. It was amazing to see how much "love" is put into the making of his chocolate including hand wrapping each and every bar of chocolate. The kids were given a choice of fast food or local food for their last meal and they chose local food, so we headed to Bebo's BBQ, which was recommended by Juan and the food was delicious! After that we headed to the airport, and it seemed to take forever to get through security. Some of us had our bags looked at a little more closely because we forgot to empty water bottles, had sunscreen and bug spray, or even had sand in a bottle. The plane landed 45 minutes early and we were loaded n the bus 2 minutes before we were even supposed to land!!
All in all the day went well, the kids were great, and we learned some things!
Here are some final thoughts from the kids....
My favorite activity or adventure was...
-zip lining with Toroverde. The views were so magnificent and it is always a blast to zip from place to place so high up.
-the Tanama River eco-adventure.
-paddle boarding. I liked it because it was something completely new to me and I saw tons of cool things.
-the Bio Bay.
-hiking in el Yunque and jumping off the cliffs.
-swimming in the Bio Bay.
-hiking.
My favorite place was....
-the bioluminescent bay. It seemed so futuristic when you would jump into the seemingly dark water and the area around you would glow like you were swimming in glow stick liquid.
-Old San Juan.
-the mountains. I liked the views being up there provided. It was epic.
-the Bio Bay.
-Mocha Coffee Hacienda up in the mountains because the view was amazing.
My favorite food is...
-the rice and beans. With such simple ingredients it gives so much flavor and fills you up with only a few bites.
-Red Snapper.
-a beef empanada. They never disappointed me because they were always so good and yummy.
-a empanada.
-rice and beans...duh!
-Flan de Queso.
I will miss.... the most.
-the views.... From sitting in the white sand beaches and seeing nothing but ocean for miles to waking up to a perfectly clear view of the mountains or a bay full of sailboats. It was the perfect way to start each morning.
-the food
-seeing cool things everywhere and every day
-meeting the amazing people of Puerto Rico and all of the really good food
-the culture
I will miss....the least.
-the smell of the salt build up near some of the water...This smell was very strong and reeked of old eggs.
-salty hair
-putting on sunscreen every day...because that stuff is nasty.
-the fire ants
-the smell on the island…. When we were driving in Mother Teresa and in the golf carts we got to smell some real nasty things.
-bumpy car rides and crazy drivers
-Mama T (the van)
I learned that...
-the population of Culebra is only about 2,000 which is the size of Belleville and almost everyone is part of only 47ish different families.
-Hurricane María killed many of the endangered Puerto Rican parrots on the island.
-most common type of shark in Culebra and the surrounding areas is the nurse shark. They can grow to be up to 9 ft long and right now is their mating season.
-Puerto Rico has a lot of Coqui frogs.
-there are only 2 types of coffee. Special coffee and commercial (especial y commercial) coffee and there is nothing in between.
-microorganisms in the water than can make it glow at night.
-the bacteria that make the Bioluminescent Bay are called Pyrodinium Bahamens, and that the concentration actually increases after heavy storms and hurricanes because the salt flats near the coast of the bay wash in and make the bay's salinity increase, providing a better environment for the dinoflagellum's reproduction.
What the?
If you travel to Puerto Rico you will see and experience some crazy things. This will house our collection of crazy things.