Puerto Rico

I've been extremely busy with work and Christmas shopping. My poor blog has been neglected. Well in between my crazy work schedule, I escaped to Puerto Rico for four days.

I went with my Mom, Dad, and little sister. My other sister stayed home to run our family business. This was just an excuse for her to spend more time with her boyfriend.


I planned a 4 day trip to Carolina, Puerto Rico.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites San Juan.
They have a cook to order breakfast every morning and a free happy hour in the evening.
The pool was beautiful and there were plenty
of American restaurants nearby for those afraid
to try new foods.

Day 1

The weather was perfect. It was in the 80's and not too humid. Isla Verde beach was not what I was expecting. It looked beautiful, but there was seaweed! Apparently, Puerto Rico has certain times of the year where there is seaweed washed in from the Atlantic Ocean. There are also certain times there are waves. We were there during both. I was disappointed by the beach, but still felt like I was in paradise.


Day 2
We all went on a rainforest adventure. My parents opted for the more popular El Yunque Rainforest, while my sister and I explored the El Toro Negro Rainforest in central Puerto Rico. My rainforest adventure was headed by Acampa Nature Adventure Tours. Our guides were Raymond, Rogi, and a wild dog named Poncho. They were fantabulous! They were very knowledgable and always made us feel safe.


We started by gathering up all the other adventurers from around San Juan. There were 11 of us that day. Three of them were Canadian and I had no idea they really said "AY" after everything. I wanted to chuckle everytime. It took us almost 2 hours to get to the rainforest. We went up some very windy, narrow roads. I swear the two way street was only maybe 6 feet wide.



The first part of our day involved moving upstream, through a series of waterfall climbs and pools where we enjoyed time to wading and relaxing in the cool, tropical water. We had to scramble over boulders, swim against currents, and don a harness and rope to climb up some waterfualls. This adventure is not for those afraid of heights or scared of getting dirty. After our time in the waterfalls we headed back to our base for some lunch prepared by a local family.



(Jessica leaping into a water hole... I was too chicken to do it!)

After lunch we grabbed our zip-lining gear and headed back out. This time we were hiking uphill. It was pretty exhausting. Along the way we learned about the local vegetation. We tasted oranges, grapefruits, star fruit, and banana s just to name a few. We also saw tons of cacao beans and learned how pineapples grow. After hiking uphill for about 20 minutes we began to zip-line down. We went on a total of 5 zip-lines. Some of the views were incredible. A long the way I also managed to fall about 4 times. Don't worry I'm just clumsy. No one else had a problem.

This adventure was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done in my lifetime. The money spent on my sister and I was well worth it. It is so amazing to escape into such an unreal place.

Day 3

Today we went out to explore Old San Juan. There were old forts, shops, and lots of culture. The Bodies Exhibit was being held in Old San Juan, so we decided to take a look. I'm not sure if it was exactly what I was expecting. The bodies looked so fake. I wish they were more life like. My favorite part of the exhibit were the comparisons of normal organs and diseased organs. Everyone out there smoking... You need to Quit! You're making your poor lungs so ugly.

Day 4

Today we took a ferry from Fajardo to Culebra. We wanted to spend some time at Playa Flamenco, which is known to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I would highly suggest taking a bonine before hopping on the ferry. It is not a smooth ride. My stubborn dad and sister insisted on not taking medicine. Guess who got sea sick? I was absolutely fine.
That's a miracle for someone who got motion sickness watching Transformers!


Once we arrived to Culebra, we took a short cab ride to Playa Flamenco. It was $5 roundtrip per person. All I can say is WOW! It was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. The sand was soft and the water was clear. The beach was surrounded by lush greenery. We spent the entire day on the beach. We relaxed, drank pina coladas, and ate chicken skewers. If you're looking for other things to do besides the beach, this is not the place for you.

After our day at the beach, we took the ferry back to Fajardo. Our long day was not quiet over yet. We had a bio bay kayaking excursion planned. We arrived in Fajardo exhausted. We got some fast food and headed over to the kayaking sight. By this point I felt disgusting. I had sand all over my body and my hair turned into dreads. Even as tired as I was, I did not want to miss out on the bio bay.

We went on a perfect night. The sky was pitch dark. I rode in a kayak with my little sister. This was not a very good idea. We struggled to keep up with everyone else. Guess who was at the front of the pack? Yep, my parents. I'm still mad at them for leaving me with her. The ride into the bay was pretty scary. You could not see anything except for the little lights on our canoes. We were kayaking between Mangrove trees. Every once and awhile another group of kayakers would come along the other side. I can't tell you how many kayaks I hit that night.

The bio bay was glowing brightly that night. It was just too cool to explain. You would stick your hand in the water and it would be bright green. Even when you pulled your hand out, you could still see the glowing organisms still lighting up your hands.

On our way back... my sister and I did not make it. We were so slow, we were actually behind the tour guide who was supposed to be behind us. Everyone else was so far ahead, we couldn't see their blinking lights. At this point, my little sister had given up. She had her paddle out of the water and was dozing off. Antonio came to our rescue. He hooked our kayak to his and gave us the VIP tour. We just had to sit back and relax while he did all the work. Everyone laughed at us when they realized we were attached, but I could care less. Antonio actually enjoyed my company. He said he gets lonely being the caboose all the time.

FINALE
Puerto Rico was better than I had imagined it would be. I'm already plotting and scheming another trip back.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about my trip! I would love to offer some more tips and advice.

Finally going home!

I escaped the wild fires of LA and ended up in the 65 degree cooler weather of Chicago. From Chicago I made it to the warmer but boring city of Houston. Now I am finally heading home! I know I skipped some cities somewhere in between.

I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and family and vacationing in Puerto Rico. I'm also looking forward to seeing my doggy, Lilo. I miss when she was a little puppy. She was the most adorable thing!



Here are some important lessons I've learned on this particular tour

1. Do not be nice and sit in the middle seat of 2 large people who cannot put their armrests down.
I felt like I was in a body cast.
2. When it comes to managing, treat others the way you would want to be managed.
3. Confrontation sometimes is necessary in order to improve work relations.
4. Garmin's are retarded and always say, "Lost Satellite" or "Recalculating."
5. Vitamins can make you gassy... be careful when you take them.
6. Don't try to bargain too much in Chinatown. You end up leaving with nothing.
7. It's okay to jump on hotel beds!

Breakfast Klub, Lost Cousin, Boredom

I am sitting here at the Hilton Houston America hotel. I've always thought about starting a blog, but could never figure out what to write about. I'm also usually pretty busy with work or my family. However, tonight I am so bored I decided to start a blog about my life.

What is there to do in downtown Houston?
My cousin from Austin made her way over to help with my boredom. We ventured out to the Breakfast Klub! All I can say is, "They have the best WINGS AND WAFFLES!" People make fun of me for eating wings and waffles, but they are so yummy. I've never tried Roscoe's, but my cousin insisted the wings and waffles at the Breakfast Klub were better. After brunch, we headed over to the lone Forever 21 on Main St. I bought a couple of cute things and managed to lose my cousin. After sitting on the stairs for 30 minutes, I started worrying. I had already purchased some clothes, shopped again, and purchased more clothes. I decided to check the fitting room. I yelled her name and got no response. I looked upstairs and downstairs again. I went back to the fitting room and this time stuck my head under the stalls looking for her Michael Kors flats and purple toenails. Thank goodness I pay attention to details. She was still nowhere to be found.

Now crazy thoughts start going through my head.

1. Maybe she's crazy and just left me there
2. Maybe she was kidnapped
3. Maybe she got locked into some hidden room

I decided to head over to security.

Me: Excuse me. This is strange, but I think I've lost my cousin.
Security Guard: Let's go check it out.
Me: Oh nevermind! There she is!

So where was my cousin hiding the hour I was looking for her? In a CLOSED fitting room.

At least I found her and she was safe.

We returned back to the hotel and my cousin headed back home to Austin. I decided to take a nap, since I couldn't watch my Redskins beat the Seahawks. I woke up and my co-worker asked if I wanted some sandwiches for dinner. We all work up an appetite and call to order.

It's downtown. Nothing is opening on the weekend! Sigh.

Our manager picked us up and we headed to Fuddruckers. (Doesn't Fuddruckers sound dirty to you?) I had the kids hamburger meal, which I can never finish.

Now, I am back at the hotel bored again. Blogging is relieving me of some of my boredom. I hope you aren't too bored reading about my boredom! Hopefully, I'll have more exciting stories to come.