“Creo qué voy a estar enfermo” – unas vacaciones en Puerto Rico, día ocho

Our eighth day continued on with enjoying more of the ocean, except this time with a snorkeling adventure, something I have long wanted to do. We had decided to book tickets with Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling, an outfit located in La Parguera on the southwestern coast, a small town in the Lajas municipality.

We opted for their local reef snorkeling trip, and they have excursions at 9am and 1pm. Naturally, we signed up for the 1pm slot on account of the two hour drive to get there. I’ve commented on this before, but we severely underestimated how much time we were going to spend driving. And while the landscape continued to dazzle, the amount of time in the car was starting to wear a bit thin. That said, I’m so absolutely grateful we got to see as much of the island as we did while staying in such a remote area, and I would be sad if both things were taken away from me. So I’ll stop complaining about all the driving.

When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by friendly staff who helped us get our gear. I had also called ahead of time to see if they had prescription goggles since I’m severely near-sighted, and I was delighted to hear that they did have some pairs to try out. I put on their strongest pair and it was a pretty good match. It also helped that objects look bigger underwater because of the refraction.

Soon we were off under the captaincy of handsome Angel, traveling by boat out to the reef, a group of ten in total. On our way out, we got to view colorful rental houses for tourists right on the waterfront, followed by amazing views of the cerulean hues of the Atlantic ocean. The waters were so immediately inviting, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

We also go to catch a glimpse of Cayo los Blanco (the White Key), a shallow part of the ocean with a nearby islet where boats anchor and visitors are able to party while enjoying their drinks in shallow water, wading through the sea boat to boat if they so desire. Our tour guide, Jonathan, remarked that we were seeing it on a slow day, and that on weekends hundreds of boats may be clustered together for una fiesta grande.

It wasn’t before too long that we eventually reached our destination. Jonathan provided us with ground rules for how we’d communicate and a preview of the things we’ll see. He stressed that we will look at lots of things that appear to be plants but that are in fact not plants and that we are only to touch things that he handed to us. They also had floatation devices upon request, and if you have even the smallest inkling of worry that you may tire in the waters, I highly recommend you take one. I opted not to and was fine, but if you’re not a strong swimmer, do take one, as one lady in our party had to retire back to the boat earlier than the rest of us.

Not only did the waters look inviting they also immediately felt inviting and were comfortably warm but not too warm. We swam out at a comfortable pace but quickly found ourselves amongst the reef. I was struck by how physically close we were to the delicate formations, so much so that I felt I needed to position myself as flat as possible on the very top of the water so as to not accidentally strike and damage some coral. We eventually got to deeper parts (30 feet, I believe Jonathan told us) where this wasn’t as much of a concern.

While I was really enjoying the experience paddling along in the water, I did find myself thinking that the coral seemed especially pale in color, a mixture of grey greens and dusty blues, nothing like the images I fondly recall while watching Nova on public television. Amy would later remark that my observation was valid, as she previously enjoyed more colorful reefs in Utila.

That said, I still really did enjoy myself as I watched colorful fish fluttering by in tiny schools as bright sunbeams brightened the crystal waters. Jonathan also found some critters for us to hold: a small, spiky sea urchin; a spider-like sea star; and a few other creatures that I’m forgetting the names of. Swimming in the ocean also continued to reaffirm that I’ll never again swim in any Minnesota lake with drab and dreary and slimy waters with fish more like prehistoric monsters rather than the cute and colorful cartoonish sea life of the ocean.

As our tour continued on, however, the wind really started to pick up and I became keenly aware of how much the water was moving up and down and up and down to the point that I started to experience some mildly severe sea-sickness. I really didn’t want to miss out on the adventure, however, so I was able to power through. But it eventually got to a point where there was no stopping the churning unrest in my stomach. Fortunately our excursion was at an end and the boat was nearby, so I quietly vomited in the ocean while we were still swimming in the water. This seemed the better option, rather than subjecting my fellow snorkelers with a messy fountain of vomit portside. I don’t think anyone noticed, but anyone reading this will, of course, now know. So, if you are at all prone to sea-sickness, you may want to take a non-drowsy Dramamine or something to prevent any interference in your enjoyment of a snorkeling excursion.

We soon were back on land (I grabbed a complimentary beer on the boat in hopes of relaxing my smooth muscles), and I told Amy and Aaron that I needed to take a moment to get my stomach and head back on straight. I soon was right as rain, and we were all quite famished, so we went to a nearby burger joint called Isla Cueva (Cave Island). I enjoyed a caracoles burger (caracoles seems to translate to snail or snail shell or spiral), which was a beef burger with a bacon and sweet plantain topping, caramelized onions, and pepper jack cheese. My blood must’ve really been craving some fresh injections of iron, as the burger was so, so tasty. We also enjoyed some piña coladas and a variation of the drink called a Miami Vice. Live chickens were also amongst us enjoying a meal as they scoped out the outdoor tables for scraps of food as if they were pigeons in London.

And before we knew it, our day was already coming to a close, so we headed back to our little hideaway in the mountains of Jayuya. Our next day’s adventures would continue on for a third day of enjoying the ocean, except this time in a kayak to view a bioluminescent bay…

Spanish lesson for the day:

1. Toilets in Puerto Rico have pretty commonly been marked as caballeros (gentleman) and damas (ladies). Sometimes you might see them marked hombres (men) and mujeres (women). I don’t think I ever saw them marked señores and señoras but I could be mistaken.
2. At grocery stores, you’ll need to pay for any bags you use, so the cashier will ask, “¿Cuántas balsas?” or “How many bags?”
3. The verb for to swim is nadar. “Nado,” means, “I swim,” or “I’m swimming,” while “Nadamos,” is “We swim,” or “We’re swimming.” Can you figure out what, “Nadamos en el mar,” means?

Travel tips, day eight:

1. Drivers in Puerto Rico tend to use the car horn for the reason it was originally intended: to make your presence known rather than to yell at each other. It isn’t uncommon to approach a hairpin turn in the mountain only to hear a large truck honking its horn to give you proper warning of oncoming traffic in the middle of the road.
2. Be on the lookout for snake plants growing not in pots as you might see inside any house or office building in Minnesota but just right on the road or in people’s yards as if they were hostas or ferns.
3. Also look out for a common tree in Puerto Rico, the flamboyan tree, that grows quite tall and decorates itself with flaming orange flowers, which were just starting to bloom as spring approached in Puerto Rico.

*All photos in this post by me.