Our evening was happily dedicated to attending Cristin and Javier's rehearsal dinner.
We were picked up and taken to Oceano's. It is a lovely venue with beautiful views of the ocean. Rob and I met so many wonderful friends and family members of the bride and groom. The evening was filled with conversation, stories about Cristin and Javier, and wonderful food and drink. Our great day had been followed by an awesome evening and we so enjoyed being a part of their celebration.
ROB, JAVIER, CRISTIN AND DONNA
We had already planned to get up Friday morning, get a rental car and do some exploring. Part of our plan was to go to El Yunque.
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Luquillo National Forest and the Caribbean National Forest, is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System.
The rainforest is beautiful. We found our way to the visitor center, studied a bit of the history of the region and then headed out to hike.
We decided to go to the very last hiking trail and try the longest one first. This particular trail would take us to Britton Tower and we could catch another trail from there that would take us to the very top of the highest peak in the rain forest. The trail was well marked and the rainforest lived up to its name. It would rain, then sun, then rain and then more sun. We had good shade and that made the temps and humidity bearable.
A BEAUTIFUL CANOPY VIEW
FROM THE TOP OF BRITTON TOWER
YOU CAN JUST SEE A PORTION OF BRITTON TOWER
BEAUTIFUL VIEWS FROM THE TOWER AND THE TRAIL
CONTINUING UP PAST THE TOWER
After our tower hike, we made our way down and went in search of the trail to La Mina Falls. This trail was not nearly as long but it did include lots of steps. The trail ran along the river that fed the falls so it was very damp and footing was quite slippery in places. We'd heard that there was a pool that could be enjoyed once hikers reached the bottom.
WORTH THE HIKE
After several hours of exploring the rain forest, we made our way to Luquillo Beach. Javier had told me about a strip of kiosks that offered local fare. We had been out for quite a bit and we were both hungry. The kiosks are easy to find and window shopping for food is part of the experience. We looked a bit, picked what we thought looked good and had an exploration of the food kind. The food, mixed with two very cold Coors Lite beers was incredibly refreshing.
We decided at the last minute to go just a bit further down the coast and take a Bio Bay tour. There is a town called Fajardo and from the bay at Fajardo, one can take a tour of one of the few bioluminescent lagoons in the world.
Our initial plan was to take a kayaking tour but we soon found out that there were no spots left with any of the kayak companies. I was walking around befriending the local park dogs and started a conversation with the owners of a motorized boat. I found that they offered tours in their boat. Rob and I quickly decided that a motorboat tour would work just fine.
One of the keys to a good bioluminescence experience is darkness. The kayakers and motorboat headed out and we went into a mangrove tunnel waterway. It was very dark with the exception of small marker lights on the kayaks and occasional running lights on the boat. Our guide would occasionally stop and shine a spotlight on things of interest.
A VERY LARGE IGUANA SLEEPING ON A BRANCH
We spotted several Iguana and one large Puerto Rican Boa.
We quickly recognized the benefit of being in the motor boat. The kayakers were paddling against the current all the way up the waterway. We had the much appreciated luxury of just riding and observing.
Another key to a bio experience is putting something in the water and gently moving it back and forth. When this happens, the micro organisms that are bioluminescent become agitated and glow. So....we stopped, all the lights were turned off and our guide told us to stick our hands in the water and move them back and forth. All of my spidey senses told me "do not stick your hand in the water." It was really dark, there were so many night sounds and it was water. Luckily, my curiosity overrode my senses and I had a go. It was fascinating! As I moved my hand back and forth, the water around just lit up. There were sparks of bioluminescence everywhere. Once I made it happen, I hung over the side of the boat and kept at it until we started moving again.
We eventually left the mangrove tunnel and came to a large lagoon. Once were in a bigger area, our guide gave us large wooden sticks and we could stir the water with them. Once again, the phenomenon that is bioluminescence showed itself. Our guide said that it is often better and brighter but I was thrilled to experience it at any level. It is a rare occurrence and I had gotten to try it. That was enough for me.
We left the lagoon, made our way through the tunnel and back to shore. Our last minute idea had been a good one.
It was well past dark and we made our way back to the hotel. We returned our rental car, took our stuff back to the room and went down to the bar for a drink and a snack. We rarely eat so late but our day had been really busy and our kiosk food was long gone.
The place was Friday night hopping and we sat and enjoyed a drink and a very light meal.
Our very busy day was beginning to catch up with us so we headed back to the room. We were tired but it was a very satisfied tired.
Another great day in this thing we call life.
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