When said together, the two scariest words in the English language are "family" and "vacation". Family vacation. The phrase conjures visions of exotic locations marred by feuding siblings. It harbors thoughts of misery and suffering equal to those produced by summer vacation's winter counterpart - the holiday dinner. Last summer I went to the Bahamas with my mom and my brother Bart. It was a delightful vacation. This year our threesome expanded to include my brother Rick and his 11 year old son, Roger. This family vacation was supposed to be a fun and memorable way to celebrate our mom's upcoming 70th birthday. It was supposed to be a gift to her. I wondered if we were nuts for even attempting such a feat.
From Sunday, June 30 - Saturday, July 6, the five of us lodged in two rooms at the Wyndham Rio Mar in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Rick and Roger flew to San Juan from their home in San Diego, while mom, Bart and I traveled together from Washington, D.C. Puerto Rico is called the Isle of Enchantment, and we had planned to explore as much of the northeast corner of the island as we could in a week. There is an impressive list of natural attractions in that area, and the historic forts and the city of Old San Juan could easily be reached for a day-trip. Puerto Rico also enjoys a reputation for serving delicious food, so it truly was difficult to limit our excursions to a manageable number. After all, this was supposed to be a vacation.
The Wyndham Rio Mar offered the reliable accessibility of a nice resort on the mainland of the United States, but falling asleep at night and waking in the morning to the sound of Coqui frogs certainly made me feel like I was in another world. Bart said it reminded him of the camping trips we took when we were kids. From our room we could see the mountains of the El Yunque rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system, and the hotel's iguanas freely roamed through a small nature preserve that we could also see from our balcony. We watched turtles swim in the clear water of a small pond, and it would have been easy to spend the whole week on the resort's property - two swimming pools and the beach were the main attractions for us - but there were so many things we wanted to see and do. And eat.
Our first adventure was a drive through El Yunque on Monday morning. While mom, Rick, Bart and Roger got out of our rental car at various places to explore the trails and falls, I waited in the passenger's seat and absorbed as much as I could from the inside of the vehicle. Showers - sometimes heavy - came out of nowhere, and although our thoughtful and well-prepared mother had outfitted each of us with a two dollar poncho from Knoebel's Grove (thanks Mom!), our gear was no match for Mother Nature. I hoped that our journey through the rainforest would at least provide an opportunity to see one of the 13 species of Coqui frogs living in El Yunque, or maybe we would get lucky and catch a fleeting glimpse of an endangered Puerto Rican parrot, but sadly, our only wildlife encounter was a snail that Roger found in the parking lot at Yokahu Tower. Not enchanting.
The rainforest should probably be experienced on foot in order to fully appreciate its many splendors, however, I did get to enjoy the sounds of the coquis and the beauty of several falls and overlooks just by being along for the ride. The visitor's center at El Portal has a nice gift shop and numerous informational displays, but since the accessible bathroom was not wheelchair-friendly, our stop there was disappointingly cut short. Note to the U.S. Forest Service: it doesn't matter how big the restroom stall is or how many grab bars you put in it, if the toilet seat is only 12" off the floor, I won't be able to get off the toilet and back into my wheelchair. There is a reason why the Americans with Disabilities Act requires toilet seats to be 17" - 19" off the floor.
One of Puerto Rico's most popular attractions is its bioluminescent bays. There are five such bays in the world, and three of them happen to be in Puerto Rico. These "bio bays" are populated by numerous single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates. When agitated at night (by a kayak paddle, a hand or a foot in the water), the organisms emit a bright light on the surface of the water. On Monday evening we drove to the small fishing village of Las Croabas, near Fajardo, where we joined a group that would paddle kayaks through a mangrove and into Laguna Grande to see this rare phenomenon. As we paddled the double kayaks through the mangrove, our guides pointed to iguanas resting in trees and termite nests that had been built on the trunks of the trees. With the evening light fading to darkness, we pulled our kayaks together and sat as a group to receive a short explanation about the importance of the mangroves and the spectacle we would soon witness.
When the sky turned dark and a tiny sliver of moon provided the night's only light, the water - when disturbed - lit up like it was coated in diamonds. I had talked with friends about kayaking on the bio bay and researched numerous web sites prior to our trip, so I went into this venture with an idea of what would happen. Seeing it, though, was such a unique and unusual experience that I was content to sit in the kayak and stare at my hand as I moved it in the water. I was mesmerized by the water's instant transformation from dark and black to bright and star-like, and regardless of how many articles I'd read, videos I'd watched, or stories I'd heard about it, experiencing the bioluminescence in person is the only way to truly grasp its magic.
The sound of heavy rain served as our wake-up call on Tuesday morning, but the shower quickly passed and left us looking at a rainbow arching high over the Luquillo mountains as we piled into the car and headed east for the Puerto Del Ray marina. Our first of two days of scuba diving with Sea Ventures had arrived, and although I didn't have great expectations for the diving in Puerto Rico, I was very pleasantly surprised when we descended the line on our first dive and after a few minutes were face-to-face with a green sea turtle eating in the sand. Large sea fans and gorgonians were abundant, and it wasn't long until a spotted eagle ray swam past us. Very enchanting!
Most of the fish we saw were the usual Caribbean variety - yellow tail snapper, parrotfish, French angel fish, a lion fish, barracuda and trumpetfish, but the number of turtles and the spotted eagle ray were definitely impressive sights. Even though the visibility was not always good under the water and the large swells made it difficult to get out of the water and into the boat, swimming with sea fans and tall soft corals that danced and swayed with the movement of the water convinced me that I'd sold Puerto Rico short for its quality of diving . The sites we dove were close to a tiny island called Palomonito (watch Pirates of the Caribbean 4 or The Rum Diary and you'll see Palomonito), and our instructors and divemasters were friendly, informative, helpful and fun. Fond memories of these easy, carefree days with Tito, Jose, Raneil and Luis will carry me through another winter of plotting the next dive destination.
Perhaps the greatest highlight of the trip was our sailing and snorkeling excursion on July 4. Like Sea Ventures, East Island Excursions operates out of the Puerto Del Ray marina, so our daily commute in the eastbound lanes of route 3 continued on Thursday morning. Along with 75 other people, we boarded a 62' catamaran at 9:30 in the morning. We sailed to the small island of Icacos, dropped the anchor, and had about 2 hours to explore the deserted beach or snorkel in the shallow water. After lunch was served (deli sandwiches and pasta salad and fruit) on the boat, we moved to a reef in deeper water on the opposite side of the island where we again snorkeled for an hour. The reef lacked great color and it was certainly not teeming with sea life, but we did see some small fish and had plenty of time to relax and play in the water. Music was constantly playing on the boat, tropical drinks were flowing, the breeze was blowing, the sun was shining, and a sliding board on the back of the boat dropped its happy customers - be they 3 years old or 70 years young - straight into the blue Caribbean. The tranquility of sailing to and from Icacos was by itself worth the price of admission.
Our final outing (on Friday) was a visit to old San Juan. We left the hotel in the morning intending to visit El Morro, the historic fort built in the early 1500s, but when we missed a turn and were unable to get back on course, we found a place to park the car and wandered through the city's narrow streets, stopping in various shops and purchasing souvenirs. The architecture and balconies of old San Juan were as beautiful as I'd expected - building colors ranged from cotton-candy pastels to the dark, rich and bold, and the narrow cobblestone streets added a sense of charm and authenticity. Hungry and eager for a brief respite from the heat, we stumbled upon Fefo's Deli and Tapas, where we ate trifongo for lunch and once again understood why people rave about Puerto Rican food.
Although this trip was not without a few unpleasant moments and notable mishaps (the birthday girl fell off a stool at the tiki hut long before her BAC went north of 0.00 on Sunday evening; confusion over the rental car had us stuffed into a Nissan Versa for a week instead of enjoying the spaciousness of a minivan; somebody who shall remain nameless because he is under the age of 18 left his luggage at the rental car lot on Sunday morning, which meant his dad and his uncle had to make an unplanned drive from the hotel to the airport to retrieve said item on Sunday evening), it was without a doubt one of the most fun vacations I have ever taken - with or without my family. Remarkably, I believe each one of us can say that. Perhaps the three best words in the English language - when said together - are "Happy birthday, Mom"!
From Sunday, June 30 - Saturday, July 6, the five of us lodged in two rooms at the Wyndham Rio Mar in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Rick and Roger flew to San Juan from their home in San Diego, while mom, Bart and I traveled together from Washington, D.C. Puerto Rico is called the Isle of Enchantment, and we had planned to explore as much of the northeast corner of the island as we could in a week. There is an impressive list of natural attractions in that area, and the historic forts and the city of Old San Juan could easily be reached for a day-trip. Puerto Rico also enjoys a reputation for serving delicious food, so it truly was difficult to limit our excursions to a manageable number. After all, this was supposed to be a vacation.
The Wyndham Rio Mar offered the reliable accessibility of a nice resort on the mainland of the United States, but falling asleep at night and waking in the morning to the sound of Coqui frogs certainly made me feel like I was in another world. Bart said it reminded him of the camping trips we took when we were kids. From our room we could see the mountains of the El Yunque rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system, and the hotel's iguanas freely roamed through a small nature preserve that we could also see from our balcony. We watched turtles swim in the clear water of a small pond, and it would have been easy to spend the whole week on the resort's property - two swimming pools and the beach were the main attractions for us - but there were so many things we wanted to see and do. And eat.
Our first adventure was a drive through El Yunque on Monday morning. While mom, Rick, Bart and Roger got out of our rental car at various places to explore the trails and falls, I waited in the passenger's seat and absorbed as much as I could from the inside of the vehicle. Showers - sometimes heavy - came out of nowhere, and although our thoughtful and well-prepared mother had outfitted each of us with a two dollar poncho from Knoebel's Grove (thanks Mom!), our gear was no match for Mother Nature. I hoped that our journey through the rainforest would at least provide an opportunity to see one of the 13 species of Coqui frogs living in El Yunque, or maybe we would get lucky and catch a fleeting glimpse of an endangered Puerto Rican parrot, but sadly, our only wildlife encounter was a snail that Roger found in the parking lot at Yokahu Tower. Not enchanting.
The rainforest should probably be experienced on foot in order to fully appreciate its many splendors, however, I did get to enjoy the sounds of the coquis and the beauty of several falls and overlooks just by being along for the ride. The visitor's center at El Portal has a nice gift shop and numerous informational displays, but since the accessible bathroom was not wheelchair-friendly, our stop there was disappointingly cut short. Note to the U.S. Forest Service: it doesn't matter how big the restroom stall is or how many grab bars you put in it, if the toilet seat is only 12" off the floor, I won't be able to get off the toilet and back into my wheelchair. There is a reason why the Americans with Disabilities Act requires toilet seats to be 17" - 19" off the floor.
One of Puerto Rico's most popular attractions is its bioluminescent bays. There are five such bays in the world, and three of them happen to be in Puerto Rico. These "bio bays" are populated by numerous single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates. When agitated at night (by a kayak paddle, a hand or a foot in the water), the organisms emit a bright light on the surface of the water. On Monday evening we drove to the small fishing village of Las Croabas, near Fajardo, where we joined a group that would paddle kayaks through a mangrove and into Laguna Grande to see this rare phenomenon. As we paddled the double kayaks through the mangrove, our guides pointed to iguanas resting in trees and termite nests that had been built on the trunks of the trees. With the evening light fading to darkness, we pulled our kayaks together and sat as a group to receive a short explanation about the importance of the mangroves and the spectacle we would soon witness.
When the sky turned dark and a tiny sliver of moon provided the night's only light, the water - when disturbed - lit up like it was coated in diamonds. I had talked with friends about kayaking on the bio bay and researched numerous web sites prior to our trip, so I went into this venture with an idea of what would happen. Seeing it, though, was such a unique and unusual experience that I was content to sit in the kayak and stare at my hand as I moved it in the water. I was mesmerized by the water's instant transformation from dark and black to bright and star-like, and regardless of how many articles I'd read, videos I'd watched, or stories I'd heard about it, experiencing the bioluminescence in person is the only way to truly grasp its magic.
The sound of heavy rain served as our wake-up call on Tuesday morning, but the shower quickly passed and left us looking at a rainbow arching high over the Luquillo mountains as we piled into the car and headed east for the Puerto Del Ray marina. Our first of two days of scuba diving with Sea Ventures had arrived, and although I didn't have great expectations for the diving in Puerto Rico, I was very pleasantly surprised when we descended the line on our first dive and after a few minutes were face-to-face with a green sea turtle eating in the sand. Large sea fans and gorgonians were abundant, and it wasn't long until a spotted eagle ray swam past us. Very enchanting!
Most of the fish we saw were the usual Caribbean variety - yellow tail snapper, parrotfish, French angel fish, a lion fish, barracuda and trumpetfish, but the number of turtles and the spotted eagle ray were definitely impressive sights. Even though the visibility was not always good under the water and the large swells made it difficult to get out of the water and into the boat, swimming with sea fans and tall soft corals that danced and swayed with the movement of the water convinced me that I'd sold Puerto Rico short for its quality of diving . The sites we dove were close to a tiny island called Palomonito (watch Pirates of the Caribbean 4 or The Rum Diary and you'll see Palomonito), and our instructors and divemasters were friendly, informative, helpful and fun. Fond memories of these easy, carefree days with Tito, Jose, Raneil and Luis will carry me through another winter of plotting the next dive destination.
Perhaps the greatest highlight of the trip was our sailing and snorkeling excursion on July 4. Like Sea Ventures, East Island Excursions operates out of the Puerto Del Ray marina, so our daily commute in the eastbound lanes of route 3 continued on Thursday morning. Along with 75 other people, we boarded a 62' catamaran at 9:30 in the morning. We sailed to the small island of Icacos, dropped the anchor, and had about 2 hours to explore the deserted beach or snorkel in the shallow water. After lunch was served (deli sandwiches and pasta salad and fruit) on the boat, we moved to a reef in deeper water on the opposite side of the island where we again snorkeled for an hour. The reef lacked great color and it was certainly not teeming with sea life, but we did see some small fish and had plenty of time to relax and play in the water. Music was constantly playing on the boat, tropical drinks were flowing, the breeze was blowing, the sun was shining, and a sliding board on the back of the boat dropped its happy customers - be they 3 years old or 70 years young - straight into the blue Caribbean. The tranquility of sailing to and from Icacos was by itself worth the price of admission.
Our final outing (on Friday) was a visit to old San Juan. We left the hotel in the morning intending to visit El Morro, the historic fort built in the early 1500s, but when we missed a turn and were unable to get back on course, we found a place to park the car and wandered through the city's narrow streets, stopping in various shops and purchasing souvenirs. The architecture and balconies of old San Juan were as beautiful as I'd expected - building colors ranged from cotton-candy pastels to the dark, rich and bold, and the narrow cobblestone streets added a sense of charm and authenticity. Hungry and eager for a brief respite from the heat, we stumbled upon Fefo's Deli and Tapas, where we ate trifongo for lunch and once again understood why people rave about Puerto Rican food.
Although this trip was not without a few unpleasant moments and notable mishaps (the birthday girl fell off a stool at the tiki hut long before her BAC went north of 0.00 on Sunday evening; confusion over the rental car had us stuffed into a Nissan Versa for a week instead of enjoying the spaciousness of a minivan; somebody who shall remain nameless because he is under the age of 18 left his luggage at the rental car lot on Sunday morning, which meant his dad and his uncle had to make an unplanned drive from the hotel to the airport to retrieve said item on Sunday evening), it was without a doubt one of the most fun vacations I have ever taken - with or without my family. Remarkably, I believe each one of us can say that. Perhaps the three best words in the English language - when said together - are "Happy birthday, Mom"!
