Puerto Rico!

Vacation in tropical paradise! Got to see the Arecibo Observatory, Caves at Rio Camuy, El Yunque rain forest, El Morrow and La Castillo in Old San Juan as well as eat some really tasty local foods! Got to swim in La Mina falls in the rain forest and ride horses on the beach! What more can I ask for? ;)

One thing I found funny was that the high ways had barriers that were painted in specific color patterns of 2 or 3 colors. But I didn't quite figure out why they chose the colors they did. But it was cool regardless.

green, red, and yellow

purple and yellow

peach and blue

purple, turquoise, and green

I thought the local frog - Coqui - is one of the cutest sounding things I've ever heard, and couldn't resist buying a stuffed version that replicates its chirps that resonates throughout the night.

The Arecibo Observatory has the world's largest radio telescope and it actually rotated while I was visiting.

Swimming in La Mina falls is only second to swimming in one of the Maui falls on the road to Hana.

 

And El Morrow and La Castillo in Old San Juan captured the magic of the old world.

Trail riding is brought to a new level when you can ride directly on the beach with the ocean waves crashing at your feet. My horse was Tyson (the smaller one in front), and I actually got him up to a full gallop a few times. =P

My horse Tyson is laughing!

No tropical paradise trip is complete without great food. Tostones, monfongo, empanadas to start. But don't go anywhere without the ketchup-mayo. It's the most amazing dipping sauce ever.

See the full slide show of the entire trip photos. :)

Tiger, Fish, Crab, Oh My!

So I went to Newport Beach in Rhode Island for the first time with some friends. It was a very relaxing time - the weather was just right and the beach was moderately crowded with other sunbathers. The water was a good temp and I had great company.

We drove in a jeep with the top down around the neighborhood and I got a glimpse at some of those famous mansions Newport is known for. At some point I'll make another trip to go tour those places, but probably not any time soon. I feel poor enough already.

One thing about this trip that stood out from just another beach trip, was this one park where there was so much wind kites could totally fly themselves. A kite vendor had set up shop and the sky was filled with wonders.

I was enamored. I could have spent the whole day just watching all those creatures fly around if there was the time. But we had food to eat and places to be, so we only stopped for short while. But I was glad I snagged a shot of the giant flying crab and the puffer fish. I took several shots of the crab in fact, because I just loved the concept of a flying crab. Where else would I have seen such a sight? See more shots of the kites on flickr.