Most of our days whilst in Puerto Rico started with the best of intentions and a map (or two or three)-in-hand that turned out to be good for lots of things...as a placemat, a decorative item, fold it up and make a paper airplane. Lots of purposes except that which it was intended - to guide us. A huge apology right here and now to my Mom who, not working with much in the way of map accuracy, had to put up with my less-than-calm lost driver personality. That persona is right up there with my "I'm hungry" feed-the-animal personality. Yes, it rhymes with witch.
We saw some roads during our driving meanderings that were nowhere to be found on any of our maps. Others that started out promising and then just vanished only to reappear miles later where one would never expect them to be. Then there's Route 181 through the mountains; a no-guard rail, narrow winding road which should, under no circumstances, be a two-way road. But oh, yes, it is! Who's going to volunteer to back up when the drop down is a 1,000 ft. free-fall?! The other special treat about Route 181 are the vistas around each bend of the road that extend from the mountain tops to the ocean. Absolutely breathtaking...but when the asphalt pavement of route 181 is literally crumbling and cascading down the mountainside, leaving very little "road" to actually drive upon...well, that takes one's breath away in a whole other manner. I concentrated on the road; Mom prayed. :)
The drive does take us past beautiful flamboyan trees and pristine Lake Patillas and a lovely place called Charco Azul where a fresh water pool, nestled amongst jungle paths, can be found. I'll let my Mom chime in, in her own words now, about some of our other adventures. Here's Mommmmmm.....
"We really need not have left the house (in Patillas) for entertainment. One day we heard Raymond call to us from the yard. When we looked out we saw a huge iguana between 4 to 5 feet long. He stayed there a while then skittered under the gate to the house across the street where it was sunnier. Got great photos!"
"Another time I was the one to go out and discover a graceful egret strutting around. Below it was a lizard trying to hide and up in the hibiscus bush was a delightful little hummingbird slurping up pollen".
To be sure, there was no shortage of nature and its wonders....sometimes whether we liked it or not.
The island of Puerto Rico is one of the few places on the planet which is host to a phenomena known as bioluminescence. Without getting too sciency (is that a word? Maybe scientific would be better), it's when dinoflagelates in the water get stirred up and disturbed (swirl a stick in the water where these creatures can be found preferably on a dark, moonless night and the water will shimmer as if filled with sparkling diamonds- we did this. Very cool.). We took a night tour at the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve where we were the tour. Mom, Raymond, I and our tour guide, Alberto....and the bats! Oh, no, no one told me we were signing up for the Bat Tour. Walk with us, dear reader. It's pitch black, save for the light from our flashlights which is like having no light at all because it is so very dark (I'm a city girl. I never experience dark like this. It seems unnatural...where's a neon sign when you need it reading "Bats! Here!"). We're walking through mangrove swamps (I am thankful for the wooden boardwalk that has us walking over that which I rather not think about), bats are flitting about (This is where Mom would want me to remind everyone that bats are very beneficial to the environment since they pollinate fruit trees, eat mosquitoes, etc.). Suddenly, our guide is shining a night-vision light into the darkness. Foolish me asks, "Alberto, what are you looking for?"
His answer: "Boas".
Not boas as in feathered boas for accessorizing but boas as in boa constrictors. Excuse me, I paid $20.00 for this?! Someone take me back to the Bacardi Rum Factory in Catano where the only bats to be found are safely located on a rum bottle label (that's the Bacardi family insignia) and the tour and the libations are complimentary and there are no boas or tarantulas or flying bats to be found...and the watermelon flavored rum is yummy. The views, far from snakes and bats, include Old San Juan and the El Morro fort in the distance. Now that's "back to nature" that I can relate to and can handle :) Okay, despite the creatures of the night, it was a wonderful time where we learned and laughed a lot. And the night did sparkle.
Our days were filled with so many pretty sights and delicious treats. From sailboats languishing in bays to Restaurant Los Bohios with a lighthouse (Punta Tuna) to our left and a beautiful shoreline to our right, from spectacular sunsets framed by mountains to pelicans playing tag with their next fish meal.
Our days ended back in Patillas where the horns, sirens and usual sounds of New York City at night were replaced with the sound of coquis (Puerto Rico's tree frogs), cicadas, beetles and moos. Yes, moos. We never did see the mystery cow but the cow came around each night, usually between 10:30p.m. and 2 a.m.. We were convinced that cow was our "Goodnight Cow". By week's end, we couldn't in good conscience, go to sleep until our Goodnight Cow came by to moo good night.
From roads lost then found, to hillside empanada stands where the views of the sea rivaled the tasty lobster empanadas, to beautiful beaches, bioluminescent bays and gorgeous lakes, it was all great fun filled with discovery, giggles and joy but above all else...
I miss our Goodnight Moo Cow.
We saw some roads during our driving meanderings that were nowhere to be found on any of our maps. Others that started out promising and then just vanished only to reappear miles later where one would never expect them to be. Then there's Route 181 through the mountains; a no-guard rail, narrow winding road which should, under no circumstances, be a two-way road. But oh, yes, it is! Who's going to volunteer to back up when the drop down is a 1,000 ft. free-fall?! The other special treat about Route 181 are the vistas around each bend of the road that extend from the mountain tops to the ocean. Absolutely breathtaking...but when the asphalt pavement of route 181 is literally crumbling and cascading down the mountainside, leaving very little "road" to actually drive upon...well, that takes one's breath away in a whole other manner. I concentrated on the road; Mom prayed. :)
The drive does take us past beautiful flamboyan trees and pristine Lake Patillas and a lovely place called Charco Azul where a fresh water pool, nestled amongst jungle paths, can be found. I'll let my Mom chime in, in her own words now, about some of our other adventures. Here's Mommmmmm.....
"We really need not have left the house (in Patillas) for entertainment. One day we heard Raymond call to us from the yard. When we looked out we saw a huge iguana between 4 to 5 feet long. He stayed there a while then skittered under the gate to the house across the street where it was sunnier. Got great photos!"
"Another time I was the one to go out and discover a graceful egret strutting around. Below it was a lizard trying to hide and up in the hibiscus bush was a delightful little hummingbird slurping up pollen".
To be sure, there was no shortage of nature and its wonders....sometimes whether we liked it or not.
The island of Puerto Rico is one of the few places on the planet which is host to a phenomena known as bioluminescence. Without getting too sciency (is that a word? Maybe scientific would be better), it's when dinoflagelates in the water get stirred up and disturbed (swirl a stick in the water where these creatures can be found preferably on a dark, moonless night and the water will shimmer as if filled with sparkling diamonds- we did this. Very cool.). We took a night tour at the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve where we were the tour. Mom, Raymond, I and our tour guide, Alberto....and the bats! Oh, no, no one told me we were signing up for the Bat Tour. Walk with us, dear reader. It's pitch black, save for the light from our flashlights which is like having no light at all because it is so very dark (I'm a city girl. I never experience dark like this. It seems unnatural...where's a neon sign when you need it reading "Bats! Here!"). We're walking through mangrove swamps (I am thankful for the wooden boardwalk that has us walking over that which I rather not think about), bats are flitting about (This is where Mom would want me to remind everyone that bats are very beneficial to the environment since they pollinate fruit trees, eat mosquitoes, etc.). Suddenly, our guide is shining a night-vision light into the darkness. Foolish me asks, "Alberto, what are you looking for?"
His answer: "Boas".
Not boas as in feathered boas for accessorizing but boas as in boa constrictors. Excuse me, I paid $20.00 for this?! Someone take me back to the Bacardi Rum Factory in Catano where the only bats to be found are safely located on a rum bottle label (that's the Bacardi family insignia) and the tour and the libations are complimentary and there are no boas or tarantulas or flying bats to be found...and the watermelon flavored rum is yummy. The views, far from snakes and bats, include Old San Juan and the El Morro fort in the distance. Now that's "back to nature" that I can relate to and can handle :) Okay, despite the creatures of the night, it was a wonderful time where we learned and laughed a lot. And the night did sparkle.
Our days were filled with so many pretty sights and delicious treats. From sailboats languishing in bays to Restaurant Los Bohios with a lighthouse (Punta Tuna) to our left and a beautiful shoreline to our right, from spectacular sunsets framed by mountains to pelicans playing tag with their next fish meal.
Our days ended back in Patillas where the horns, sirens and usual sounds of New York City at night were replaced with the sound of coquis (Puerto Rico's tree frogs), cicadas, beetles and moos. Yes, moos. We never did see the mystery cow but the cow came around each night, usually between 10:30p.m. and 2 a.m.. We were convinced that cow was our "Goodnight Cow". By week's end, we couldn't in good conscience, go to sleep until our Goodnight Cow came by to moo good night.
From roads lost then found, to hillside empanada stands where the views of the sea rivaled the tasty lobster empanadas, to beautiful beaches, bioluminescent bays and gorgeous lakes, it was all great fun filled with discovery, giggles and joy but above all else...
I miss our Goodnight Moo Cow.
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