Good Bye Puerto Rico

During the last half of our stay in Puerto Rico, we visited the beach and the rainforest.  Our time at the beach was perfect.  It was not too crowded and we found a breezy, shaded spot under some trees.  The kids spent all of the time in the water or playing in the sand.  Maeve didn't reapply sunscreen soon enough and found out how quickly the sun can burn your skin. She was fine, but it was just another reminder for us to be careful. We only went in the water for a short time and still saw the effects of the sun on us the next day.  We ate sandwiches and snacks and just relaxed.  Great day!

Liam and Charlie cooling off- the girls in the background

Zoe and Maeve cooling off

We also finally made it to El Yunque, the rainforest.  We had tried earlier in our visit, but it was so crowded and there was no parking.  That was so unfortunate because it was over an hour drive to get there.  We stopped halfway up the mountain and ate at a food stand that serves empanadas before the return trip.  The Garcias were kind enough to take us back another day.  We left earlier this time and went during the week.  We were able to park on the side of the road. There is a paved trail that leads you to a waterfall.  You spend a lot of time making sure you don't slip and making room for others walking by on their return trip. I made sure I paused to take in the views of the massive trees and foliage.    

It's about a half hour hike to the waterfalls. It was a little crowded, but not too crazy.  The kids immediately found their way over the rocks and into the water. Zoe was a great tour guide and helped Maeve and Liam find their way safely to the main waterfall.  After I felt I had enough footage of their experience, I patiently waited for one of them to exit the water so they could watch my gear and I could jump in.  I wasn't going to be an observer on this one.  The water was cold, but refreshing! Definitely worth the trip! 

Zoe pointed out the other smaller water fall and parts to explore.  This involved far more rock climbing than I was anticipating.  Michael said he was going with the kids to make sure they were safe and Maeve balked and refused to go.  She regretted that decision 3 minutes later and I found myself climbing with her to join them.  At least we got our exercise in for the day.  Liam found a large rock and carried it with this goofy grin on his face that said to me, "I'm taking this with me."  I told him the rock wasn't going anywhere.  The words were barely out of my mouth when he slipped and the rock fell and landed on his pinky finger.  He was fine, but his finger was a bit swollen and bruised. Suddenly Mom was the wise person that he should have listened to and he clinged to me the entire hike back.  Another lesson learned: a first aid kit is of no use if you don't bring it with you....sigh. 

The beginning of our hike in El Yunque

Zoe and Liam made it to the waterfall

The other side of the waterfall where we had to navigate our way over the rocks for more swimming

Proof I made it to the waterfall

Maeve taking a break to pose

So we say good bye to Puerto Rico and the Garcia Family.  You were the most gracious and generous hosts. Muchas Gracias!

We now have to continue on our journey alone.  Costa Rica, here we come.

All our gear for the adventure

Old San Juan and Rio Camuy Caves

We packed quite a bit into our week in Puerto Rico.  Our first night here, we went to a local restaurant called Alavara. (I attached a clip of that on our home page vimeo video. I'll learn how to embed it soon.) It was the perfect introduction to Puerto Rico.  We sat outside at a picnic table, ate a variety of empenadas and listened to a local musician.  Good friends, traditional food - it was a beautiful evening.  

The next day we visited Old San Juan.  It was incredibly hot so we stopped for some piraguas or snow cones with local flavors like tamarindo and parcha (passion fruit). It was the perfect treat as we walked along the streets lined with walls that were originally built to protect the city.  

After a large lunch of tapas and sangria (yum), we visited El Morro.  This is a fort built in the 1500's which was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay.

Inside El Morro

Michael and Liam watching all of the kites flying outside of El Morro

Our next visit was to the Rio Camuy caves. This was an expedition into the third largest subterranean river system in the world.  The tour takes you through Cueva Clara which is a small part of the ten miles that was carved out by the Camuy River about a million years ago. From what I understood from the introductory movie prior to the tour, the limestone caves were only discovered in the '50s (even though the Taino Indians used them for shelter long ago) and turned into a public park with guided tours in the '80s.  We took a tram down a winding trail about 200 ft. to the caverns and then we were able to walk inside. It was a very slippery path, but it was amazing.  While my son didn't consider it a 'cave' due to more than one opening out, he was impressed that part of a Batman movie was filmed here.

From the tram on the way down

From the bottom on our way back up on the tram

One opening in the cave

Another opening....

Looks ike a cave to me....

A Week of Transition

Four days under our belt at our friend's house in Puerto Rico.  I'm very glad we planned this as our first stop.  The kids have play mates and we all have some time to adjust to this massive life change.

 The Garcias, our friends, have been AMAZING hosts and tour guides!  They've opened up their house to us and we couldn't be more appreciative. It is so nice to have someone with us who knows the island and the language. They have driven us everywhere and have been incredibly accommodating. Our children have been playing well together....let's hope that continues.  They still have a few days together so I'm hoping it all ends well and we don't encounter complete meltdowns.  

This transition has also taught us some valuable traveling lessons.  We have found that everyone needs to label their personal technology chargers and headphones.  The constant, "Have you seen my..... [fill in the blank with ipad charger, ipod, phone, headphones]?" questions have become quite frustrating. We have labeled all of the items not only to keep track of them, but to avoid future arguments about another family member falsely claiming them.  

We also have learned to be mindful of the impact of weather.  The heat can quickly zap energy and alter moods (and we thought we just had to deal with changing hormones).  Reapplying sunscreen and swim-shirts are necessities in tropical climates.  

This has also been a time for my children to truly understand what is happening.  This is not a 'vacation', although it certainly feels like it now. There will be many educational excursions and the balking has already started.  I have to say I was pretty shocked.  I thought we had prepped the kids well.  We had so many family discussions about every aspect of this trip. How could they be questioning and resisting outings? Only four days in and I'm getting all riled up channeling the dude from Captain Phillips saying "I'm your captain now!" I mean they don't whine and talk back when your teacher begins a new topic or subject.....hmmm, perhaps they do.

But upon further analysis, it makes sense. This is a huge adjustment for them. I can't expect them to make this transition flawlessly.  This isn't the first time our patience will be tested and it by no means will be the last.  We all still have a lot to learn. On the bright side, I'm sure it will give me plenty of blog topics. 

Maeve and Zoe selfie

Maeve and Liam outside El Morro (the old fort guarding entrance to San Juan)