Teacher Aboard Logs
Part 2 of November 12, 2000 Log

The Country

Puerto Rico is only 110 miles long and 36 miles wide, yet it offers an incredibly diverse selection of things to see. In the northwest on Arecibo mountain lies the Arecibo Observatory, the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. Operated by Cornell University, it runs 24 hours a day detecting weak radio pulses from the very corners of the universe. Some visitors are more impressed by the fact that it was seen in the James Bond movie, "Goldeneye," and more recently, "Contact," starring Jodie Foster.

Another fascinating site found in the karst country, the region of archetypal limestone erosion, is Rio Camuy Cave Park. This is one of the most dramatic cave systems ever discovered. One cave alone is large enough to hold the entire El Morro fort!

I had so many places to select from and so little time, that I had a tough time choosing. Ultimately, I decided to visit El Yunque, the National Rain Forest. I met Augustine Ramos, Jr., our tour guide from Augustine Tours, and I knew we were in for a great day's adventure! He gathered the entire group together and we set off for the highlands of Puerto Rico.

Not long after we entered the National Park, we came across the first of many waterfalls in the park. After some quick photos, we continued up the mountain, as the temperature became cooler and the air sweeter.

We started our trek up one of the easier trails and marveled at the diversity of plant life. Notice the blooms in this picture growing from the joints of the tree.

There were wild Impatiens and Hibiscus growing everywhere. The colors of the flowers were so vivid

We came upon a small stone bridge over a pond that provided great photo opportunities.

We had such a fun group of people that I had to take a group photo with Augustine in the center!

Along the way we met some of the residents of the forest, but they were very few and far between. Other than large snails, the jungle is only host to a few insects, some rare Puerto Rican Parrots, and the famous Coqui Frog.

The rangers use stands like this one, to study the frogs and parrots.

All good things have to end, so we left the mountains stopping briefly to take pictures of the view from the edge of the road. We stopped at the beach below for half an hour or so, allowing the group to sample some of the local coconut beverages. I have to say coconut never tasted so good!

Augustine was a great guide and even stopped at a roadside stand to help me buy some fruit for the boat! I bought a 50 lb. bag of full-sized oranges and about 10 lbs. of mandarin oranges, and off we went. We returned to the drop-off point and I said goodbye to my new friends. One of the things I've enjoyed the most about this journey is that I've made so many new friends. Unfortunately, saying goodbye is one of my least favorite things.

Goodbye to Old San Juan

I had a few hours remaining, so I drifted in and out of the small roads of Old San Juan, tasting the different street foods and drinks offered around every corner. I walked to the field just inside the farthest point of El Morro to watch the kites that are usually flown there. I was surprised to see very few kites, until I heard a marching band around the corner and went to see what was happening.

I'd forgotten that it was Veteran's Day, and the residents were celebrating with a parade of music and elaborate costumes. These were the most beautiful of all the costumes. I followed the parade for a while as it led through the streets and stopped in the squares for people to admire. Everywhere I passed, people were offering me free food and drink. These were some of the nicest people I've ever met. We wound up near Fort San Cristobal, so I wandered over to the fort to look out at the ocean and watch the last of the surfers trying to catch their final waves as the sun slowly sank away.

As the moon began to rise over the shoulder of the fort, all sorts of people showed up with cameras as though called by some Pied Piper to this point to take pictures! It was a beautiful sight and a lovely way to say goodnight and goodbye to Old San Juan.

The Way Home

Sunday morning began by hearing my name called and awakening to find the skipper looking at me trying to wake me up! Apparently, there was a problem with the ship's computer and he wanted to see if I might be able to help. We were supposed to leave at 0900, but that was not to be. After several phone calls to the U.S., the help of the local agent, and the assistance of the Pride's computer guru, Chris, back in Baltimore, we managed to put the computer back into some semblance of working order that would at least allow us to communicate with the home base. By 1300 we were set to go. After getting clearance to leave, the skipper headed her into the channel and out to sea.

The schedule allows us 12 days to get home, but as we've discovered, you can't count on anything. We might arrive two days early, or two days late; it all depends on the weather. So, off we go on our final leg home. I'll try to report back to you midway through the journey. Until then, I'll say Adios!

Your Teacher Aboard,
Lee Vogtman

YOUR THOUGHTS

1. What other countries was Christpher Columbus the first European to visit?
2. What were the Spaniards searching for in Florida?
3. What group of Islands does Puerto Rico belong to geographically?
4. What is the Puerto Rico Trench? Describe it!