Visit El Yunque (El Joon-kay) Rain Forest

Trip Start Oct 17, 2006
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Trip End Oct 23, 2006


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Flag of Puerto Rico  ,
Sunday, October 22, 2006

Grab some breakfast. Rent the car. Pick up Kristin. Stop for snacks (because you know the Globetrotters can never hit the road without some snacks). Then we're on our way to El Yunque (El Joon-kay) Rain Forest about 45 minutes from Rio Piedras. After a brief stop at the visitor's information center to watch a short film and browse around, we head up, up, up the mountain. What a beautiful drive up the narrow, winding road past trees I've never seen before. Our first stop is at La Coca Falls, a waterfall that gracefully drips down a flat rock surface. We gotta climb the rocks for a few pictures. Kristin passes Globetrotter test #5 - Adventurous and willing to climb to the top. 021. Keep coming
021. Keep coming



Then we drive up about four miles and decide to stop for a hike. Kristin dons the backpack and down the trail we go past such beauty-the trees, the rocks, even the manmade pathway blends perfectly with the natural beauty of the forest. The sound of water in the distance calls to us. Suddenly, the trail ends at a natural pool where water falls over the edge of a tall cliff like a sheer curtain over an open window with the wind blowing through it. Michael decides to get in and finds the water very cold. Soon, the waterfall is calling to Kris, and she can't resist. We have to change into our swimsuits. We find the perfect "dressing room" behind a tree and quickly change. Hey, Globetrotters gotta do what they gotta do . . .



Kris is determined to get under that waterfall; but once her body touches the cold of the water she has second thoughts. I know she won't be able to live with herself if she doesn't do it, so I encourage her to suck it up and go for it. Easy for me to say, I'm just knee deep in the icy water. But she does it. Then Michael joins her because he can't resist the temptation to let the water fall on him too. Why didn't I join them? Someone had to take picturesJ



Finally, we start back up the mountain along a different route. Michael insists that we're going to come out of the forest in a completely different spot than where we entered, but Kris and I don't listen. We're just enjoying the scenery. Sure enough, the parking lot we come to is not the one where we left the car. So we walk up the road with cars whizzing past us. Up, up, up about a mile and a half to another parking lot. This isn't where we parked either. It's hot and muggy. The road is steep. I've got pebbles in both my shoes. The Globetrotter candidate is handling things pretty well with that heavy backpack. Looks like she passes Globetrotter test #6 - carry your load without complaining. 089. A little bit further
089. A little bit further



Michael runs up ahead, certain that the car can't be too far. We wait. He soon drives up and tells us that the car was parked in a lot another mile and a half up the road. Thank goodness he went on ahead of us to retrieve the car.



Back down the road we stop at a pincho shop because Michael is now obsessed with 091. A quick stop for pinchos
091. A quick stop for pinchos
 those little kabobs. Then head out of El Yunque and back to the hotel we go to get ready for dinner. We have reservations at 8 and we don't want to be late.



We look fabulous as we go down to Tangerine for dinner. The fo 101. All three, all smiles
101. All three, all smiles
 od is delicious. Michael orders lobster ravioli; Kristin has the duck; and I had the pan-seared tuna. We share two quarts of sorbet (mango and raspberry). After all of that food, we're way too tired to go out dancing - at least the elder Globetrotters are. Something tells me Kristin is just catching her second wind. I hate to disappoint her, but I can barely keep my eyes open. We go upstairs and crash early, while Kris stays up to do some homework. Good for her.
Where I stayed
Globetrotter
(San Juan hotels)

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

001. Flags atop Teodor Moscoso Bridge 001. Flags atop Teodor Moscoso Bridge 002. Road to Rio Piedras 002. Road to Rio Piedras 003. Gotta pay the toll 003. Gotta pay the toll 004. Torre del Norte 004. Torre del Norte
005. Globetrotter trainee 005. Globetrotter trainee 006. Welcome to El Yunque 006. Welcome to El Yunque 007. Pleasant greeting 007. Pleasant greeting 008. Happy to be here 008. Happy to be here
009. Ready for a hike 009. Ready for a hike 010. Perched atop the canopy of the rain forest 010. Perched atop the canopy of the rain forest 011. Top of La Coca Falls 011. Top of La Coca Falls 012. The full view 012. The full view
013. Another view 013. Another view 014. Paradise 014. Paradise 015. Climbing up 015. Climbing up 016. A little higher 016. A little higher
017. I made it to the top! 017. I made it to the top! 018. I can touch it 018. I can touch it 019. Check me out 019. Check me out 020. Two more Globetrotters 020. Two more Globetrotters
022. Hi ya'll 022. Hi ya'll 023. Take a break 023. Take a break 024. Admiring the view 024. Admiring the view 025. Strike a pose 025. Strike a pose
026. We all made it! 026. We all made it! 027. Ha, ha, very funny 027. Ha, ha, very funny 028. The Original Globetrotters 028. The Original Globetrotters 029. Three the hard way 029. Three the hard way
030. Beautiful scenery 030. Beautiful scenery 031. Beautiful foliage 031. Beautiful foliage 032. Admiring the trees 032. Admiring the trees 033. Stream 033. Stream
034. Admiring the stream 034. Admiring the stream 035. Splasing in the stream 035. Splasing in the stream 036. The transformation is taking place 036. The transformation is taking place 037. Incredible beauty 037. Incredible beauty
038. Another stream 038. Another stream 039. Hi ho, hi ho .... 039. Hi ho, hi ho .... 040. Perched atop a rock 040. Perched atop a rock 041. Water flowing 041. Water flowing
042. Can you hear the water? 042. Can you hear the water? 043. Kristin taking a moment to reflect 043. Kristin taking a moment to reflect 044. Smile for the camera 044. Smile for the camera 045. Come on Kristin, let's go 045. Come on Kristin, let's go
046. Oops, looks like she slipped 046. Oops, looks like she slipped 047. I didn't make her fall 047. I didn't make her fall 048. Look over there 048. Look over there 049. Kris takes a moment to reflect 049. Kris takes a moment to reflect
050. Lean back 050. Lean back 051. Check me out 051. Check me out 052. On the rocks 052. On the rocks 053. Don't fall! 053. Don't fall!
054. La Mina Falls 054. La Mina Falls 055. The waterfall 055. The waterfall 056. Looks like we're not alone here 056. Looks like we're not alone here 057. Michael tests the water for himself 057. Michael tests the water for himself
058. Ooooweeee, that water is cold! 058. Ooooweeee, that water is cold! 059. Going a little deeper 059. Going a little deeper 060. I can't take it! 060. I can't take it! 061. This is too cold! 061. This is too cold!
062. I really want to get under the waterfall 062. I really want to get under the waterfall 063. I'm coming to join you, Michael 063. I'm coming to join you, Michael 064. In search of a changing room 064. In search of a changing room 065. I'm done! 065. I'm done!
066. Time for Anita to change 066. Time for Anita to change 067. Get in there Kris 067. Get in there Kris 068. Oh no, it's SO cold! 068. Oh no, it's SO cold! 069. Okay, I'm in 069. Okay, I'm in
070. This is fun 070. This is fun 071. This is sooooo cold, really. 071. This is sooooo cold, really. 072. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh 072. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh 073. Back up and go under the waterfall 073. Back up and go under the waterfall
074. She made it 074. She made it 075. That was wild! 075. That was wild! 076. Okay, now you guys must join me. 076. Okay, now you guys must join me. 077. Oh, sh_t! 077. Oh, sh_t!
078. They're in 078. They're in 079. Michael goes all the way under the falls 079. Michael goes all the way under the falls 080. They're in there! 080. They're in there! 081. Look at those two 081. Look at those two
082. Woooohooo 082. Woooohooo 083. You gotta love it. 083. You gotta love it. 084. Okay guys, time to come out of the water 084. Okay guys, time to come out of the water 085. I'm not ready yet 085. I'm not ready yet
086. Come on, girl, it's time to go 086. Come on, girl, it's time to go 087. They survived the waters of La Mina Falls 087. They survived the waters of La Mina Falls 088. Time to hike back to the car 088. Time to hike back to the car 090. She's got her second wind 090. She's got her second wind
092. They're grubbing 092. They're grubbing 093. The effects of pinchos 093. The effects of pinchos 094. We're getting silly now 094. We're getting silly now 095. Dinner at Tangerine 095. Dinner at Tangerine
096. To us, and those who want to be like us 096. To us, and those who want to be like us 097. Look at those two 097. Look at those two 098. Anita's healthy salad 098. Anita's healthy salad 099. Michael's salad 099. Michael's salad
100. Kristin's soup 100. Kristin's soup 102. Lobster ravioli 102. Lobster ravioli 103. Duck with steamed veggies 103. Duck with steamed veggies 104. Pan-seared tuna with jasmine rice 104. Pan-seared tuna with jasmine rice
105. All smiles after dinner; any dessert? 105. All smiles after dinner; any dessert? 106. All smiles; dessert's here 106. All smiles; dessert's here 107. Is it good, Michael? 107. Is it good, Michael? 108. I want some!!! 108. I want some!!!
109. Too much wine or too much sorbet? 109. Too much wine or too much sorbet? 110. The end is near 110. The end is near 111. Lights out 111. Lights out
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