My first visit to Puerto Rico was exciting in itself but Dave had another surprise planned. The day we were supposed to go hike El Yunque I wanted a lazy beach day so we enjoyed our breakfast and took the left overs to a spot Dave remembered going to with his Dad: a dock near the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Old San Juan where fish swim up from the reef for food. I was throwing in our left overs and watching the fish but when I turned around to get the camera from Dave he was down on one knee. YES!
We stayed in Old San Juan at a hostel called Da House with a wonderful rooftop view and night club next door. We met some awesome people and had some delicious food, like mallorcas, ceviche, and some unbelievable coffee!
Our outdoor adventures included hiking up to the top of El Yunque National Forest which was strenuous and surprisingly cold, but beautiful.
La Mina Falls was an extra hike in and out just to see but worth every minute.
The coqui (ko-kee) frogs are native to Puerto Rico. These tiny frogs make the most unique call from dusk to dawn. As we were hiking down from the top of El Yunque they started...
We also spent some time at El Conquistador before our second adventure: kayaking to the bioluminescent bay, " La Laguna Grande," in Fajardo. We traveled through the mangrove channels before reaching the bay where micro-organisms called dinoflagellates glow blue
when disturbed. They are very rare and many efforts are being made to protect their fragile environment. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity but hopefully won't be the last.
The gate into Old San Juan was once the only entrance through the walls surrounding the city.
And one last beautiful day on the crescent shaped, coconut palm-lined beach in Luquillo.
