July 30 - Zip Lining and Kayak Adventure

Our last full day in Puerto Rico was jam packed with adventure. Our first activity (Jillian's favorite of the trip) was zip lining in the jungle. Not only did we zip line, but we had the opportunity to eat termites (Victoria and Julia being the brave ones in this case). We also repelled down a small section (maybe 15-20 ft). Such a cool experience! Our guides were fantastic and the experience was so fun. 

Our second adventure of the day was a kayak experience though a mangrove forest to a bioluminescence bay (Luke's favorite of the trip). There are only five bioluminescence bays worldwide and Laguna Grande (where we kayaked to) is one of them.

We paired up (I was paired with a woman from Kansas City) and got into our boats. The tour happens at night and it's pretty dark and just a small red light on the front and back of each boat. We kayaked in a straight line through the mangrove forest to the bay, where the guide talked about the bay and we looked at some constellations. It's was also 4th of July and we saw some fireworks as we were kayaking in, so beautiful. The bioluminescence was not super bright but each boat had a tarp and when we put it over our heads (blocking out the moonlight etc) it was simply incredible!! We kayaked back through the mangrove forest to end the tour. Now...when I say we kayaked in a straight line..that is not exactly what happened. JD and Jillian were behind the lead boat on the way to the bay and they stayed in a straight line. I think the majority other boats had some directional challenges (to put it lightly) and on the way back, one boat actually got stuck in the mangroves.

Luke and Andrew were trying to "race" Julia and Victoria and seemed to think they were in a Mario Kart game (I could hear the boys shouting and laughing several boats away). Overall, it was a super cool experience and a great workout (well, I think it was a great workout. Luke, Andrew, etc said "Light work!"). Luke talked non-stop the entire way back to the condo about how much fun he had on this adventure! Jillian did great, she paddled the entire way to the bay but fell asleep on the trip back. 

Kayaking Adventure

July 25 - Snorkel Cruise

A Caribbean vacation isn't complete without a catamaran snorkel cruise! I apologize for the picture dump in this post but this was such a fantastic day all around. The weather? Perfection. The views? Incredible. The water? Gorgeous! The people? So nice and friendly (both boat crew and other guests). 

We started off the cruise driving to a small island, complete with white sand beaches and turquoise water. Jillian was searching for shells while the big kids tried to talk their way onto a private boat that had a slide (they weren't successful but I give them credit for trying). They hit a volleyball around in the water with other teens and enjoyed the water hammock.

After lunch on the boat, we drove out to a snorkel spot. All of us were out there with masks seeing the beautiful fish. The absolutely highlight of the trip (for me anyway) was watching the kids jump, flip and twist off the boat with the crew handing out 'scores'! Even I got in on the action and did a few backflips and dives. So fun!

After being out on the water all day, we worked up an appetite. We went to a local restaurant with delicious food and amazing drinks but slooooow service. Once again, they forgot to make Julia's cheeseburger but they eventually got her food to her. The restaurant also had a few pet cats walking around and Jillian was absolutely smitten. On our way back to the car, we passed a house with a dog that looked like a smaller version of Bella and I was smitten. So sweet. 

Fabulous day!

Living Our Best Life

Can you guess what he's eating? 

(if you guessed an 'onion ring the size of a donut' you are correct!)

Mini Bella

Jill captured the sunrise and sunset - breathtaking 

July 23 - Old San Juan

Our next day was probably our hottest day all week. We drove to Old San Juan to check out Castillo San Felipe del Morro (San Juan National Historic Site), shop downtown, have lunch at a local place and shop. Another great day! 

After parking, we started our walk to Castillo San Felipe del Morro. We saw some fun pocket parks in the city, a unique tree, really cool water fountain and passed a cat rescue (meaning there were at lot of cats lounging around). The kids were hot and there was a little griping about the heat when they saw the long path to the fort but to everyone's surprise, it was incredibly windy walking to the fort and it felt fantastic.

iguana!

The fort itself was pretty cool. We checked out multiple levels and learned all about the history of the fort. The views were the top level were incredible and once again, we all loved the strong breeze. 

After the fort, we went to a local restaurant for lunch, La Garita. The cold drinks hit the spot, the food was good and the view-absolutely incredible. We sat on a covered outdoor patio of sorts and the view reminded me of being on a cruise ship. Simply beautiful. 

After lunch, it was shopping time! Another fabulous day in PR!

Exploring the city en route to the fort

Castillo San Felipe del Morro 

Restaurant with a view

Old San Juan - beautiful

July 20 - El Yunque National Forest

Our next Puerto Rican adventure was a hike in El Yunque National Forest. El Yunque is a 28k acre rainforest in the northeast part of the island. We had a harrowing drive up curving, steep, narrow roads but the views as we were climbing were incredible. We did a shorter trail (0.8 miles each way) to the Mt. Britton tower and there are no words to describe the beautify of the rainforest. All of the kids did great, especially Jillian, who walked the whole way without complaints. Next, we went to Bano Grande, a historical landmark famous for its remnants of a once thriving pool. Such a cool location! After our rainforest adventure, we headed to "41 Bakehouse" for lunch and wow-even though the service was slow (they forgot to make Julia's food oops) I had the best hot chocolate of my life. No, I'm not exaggerating, it was that good. Everyone else got food and said it was delicious. 

After a quick break at the condo to recharge, we were back to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. JD and I walked to the Wyndham resort for an afternoon cocktail while the kids, Greg and Jill hung out on the beach. We got dressed up for dinner at Rickie's Restaurant for dinner (absolutely breathtaking views and delicious food). What a fabulous day!

El Yunque Rainforest - Hike to Mt Britton

Mt Britton

Bano Grande

Beach time

Dinner with a view