San Juan, PR (snow day #13!)

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Yes, you read that correctly…today is snow day number THIRTEEN! I can NOT believe we have missed so many days of school and I can NOT wait for spring. But enough of winter…I want to talk about San Juan, Puerto Rico. To me, there were two places of interest on the island of PR – the rain forest and the fort. We experienced the rain forest at a marvelous little hotel, called El Hotelito, about 45 minutes from San Juan.

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It’s right in the middle of the rain forest, built by a stockbroker years ago and run by his family. We arrived at night and the road up the hill was muddy, so Rafael graciously picked us up. These views are all from the next morning.

Breakfast is included…

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There’s even wifi and a library for guests to use!

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I loved it and wished we’d had more time!

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Kayaking/snorkeling in Vieques!

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On our last day in Vieques, we rented a kayak (strapped to the top of the jeep) plus snorkeling gear and headed to the farthest beach on the Caribbean side of the island, La Plata, or Silver Beach. Our two sons set out on the open water for an unknown destination in the middle of the sea, out of sight, but NOT out of mind. (We were a bit worried.)

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It was hard to rest and relax in the hammock and enjoy this view.

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To occupy myself, I swam over to La Platita beach, where they have rocks stacked as a decoration.

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The boys finally made it back, excited about the fantastic snorkeling location they’d found. After being reassured by my eldest that I wouldn’t have any problems in the open sea, I went kayaking/snorkeling! Of course, HE is the one that did all the hard work paddling! And we did make it back safely.
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This is the last post on Vieques, but coming up soon – San Juan, Puerto Rico!

Mosquito Bay…sunsets at Vieques!

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We went to Mosquito Bay two evenings to watch the beautiful sunsets! And I received LOTS of souvenirs all over my legs and they surely did itch. But the spectacular sunsets were worth it!

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You can see the differences in the colors and the sky those two nights! And by the way, none of my pictures are filtered and/or edited in any way…what you see is what is was!

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All About Vieques…

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The New York Times called Vieques an “undiscovered jewel,” and I most definitely agree. The population of this 21 mile long island is 9,000 friendly people and wild horses, of course! The horses roam freely all over the island and on the road also, but they are used to vehicles!

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Vieques is undeveloped because of the US Navy presence for sixty years, but they’ve been gone for the last ten years. Some areas of the island are restricted, and in some places, there are bunkers (leftover from Navy days). We loved exploring unexpected places!

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There are only two main towns: Isabel Segunda, the economic center of the island, and Esperanza, a town along the beach with a great boardwalk. This is one evening along the Malecon, or boardwalk!

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There aren’t lots of places I want to travel to twice, but I would love to go to quaint and charming Vieques again!

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