Hampton Inn Carolina

... made our way to a reef that is located 200 ft from shore - the snorkeling here was way better then the first spot! However, at this point we had enjoyed a little too much rum punch and snorkeling became a little difficult. I somehow managed to choke on water, lose my flipper, and kick my foot into coral all at once. I was done! I swam back to the boat and my helpful crew got out the spray to hit my wound ...

... At dinner they hosted a flamenco dance &amp; Puerto Rican Music show which was fun to watch while you ate! <br><br>We did hit up Jimmy's BBQ at our hotel after dinner real fast to see what the bar had to offer quickly - but we didn't stay long we because we had to head to bed as we had an early start the next morning! Snorkle Cruise here we come!<br><br><br><br><br>

... were already there, so we got the intro to the place. But once again, this was a place best visited on the weekend. In fact, most of the bars and restaurants are only open on the weekend, catering to the Puerto Ricans coming from San Juan. In the tiny village we counted about 15 restaurants- all shut. We had to get some work done on the boat as our 12 volt system burned out on the trip into Salinas (leaving us back in the dark ages of boating as the boat runs on 12 volt - without it meant ...

... It was a remarkably smoothly run process and everyone was able to get off the boat by around 11. The first day we didn't really have any plans so we took a cab to Kmart to stock up on some chips, crystal light and other things we needed for the room. Will and I have become pretty good friends with these three others, Brianna (our next door neighbor), Chula and Dave. Three really good kids and we are planning a bunch of trips together at other ...

... and rainy (not snowy) in Chicago; gives one a sense of escaping to a tropical paradise. Arrived San Juan on time -- but lots of others were delayed for various reasons. (For example, they asked us all to stay seated until a couple rushed off to catch their cruise ship.) Checked into our hotel at the airport, then went downstairs to the bar for miso soup and sushi (in San Juan? really?) -- and potato chips with wasabi (mmm). Then, to bed.

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... I got water. Old San Juan is really cool because it has that island colonial architecture which I find really appealing. We ran into other SASers and had a nice lunch from this little café. I am really impressed so far with the quality of the other people on this trip, everyone is very like minded and open to trying many new things, most are intelligent and can carry some of the best conversations and prejudices are pretty much non-existent from what I have ...

... to go out and make the absolute most of this experience. When I would rather lie in bed and read, I go out and hang out in the Piano Lounge and see what comes of it. In doing so, I can report back to everyone about how we got a huge game of Catch Phrase going, how twelve of us sat in an oval and passed around the little plastic toy, how we yelled and jumped out of our chairs together. I am pushing myself, but everyone back at home is pushing me ...

Puerto Rico was so much fun. It such a beautiful country that I'm surprised alot more people don't vacation here. It has beautiful weather and beaches plus the food not that bad. Everything is fried or sweet so if your watching your weight its not the best place to be. On monday I went to El Yunique rain forest which was really nice. We went as group and you got to take a short hike on a trail and look at all the waterfalls and stuff. Then later ...

... up behind Cayo Pirata and anchored amidst a number of small sailboats...one with a bagpiper aboard. By the time we were settled, a couple of beers and an early dinner seemed just right. In the morning we took a wet ride into the Dinghy Dock Restaurant at the end of the channel in Dewey. Their dinghy dock is great but there was so much chop on the water Al had to put out his anchor to keep us from banging into the dock while we explored. Things were very quiet on this ...