Beach & Bio Bay

Friday we had a valuable lesson on being flexible while traveling. Our plan was to spend most of the day at the beach. Our coach was to take us to the city of Fajardo on the eastern side of the island, where we would catch a ferry to the tiny island of Culebra. We left the hotel early in the morning to get a good spot in the ferry ticket line. It so happened that they've been having trouble recently with the ferry boats not being in optimal condition. The operation is run by the Puerto Rican government and according to our guide, the process of securing repairs is often a lengthy one. Word was that on the previous day, one of them had hit a rock or something, causing damage that rendered an additional boat out of service. When our guide went to purchase ferry tickets to Culebra, there were none to be had. As an alternative, we considered taking the ferry to the island of Vieques, but the afternoon ferry schedule would not have allowed us to return in time for an evening activity we had scheduled.

Moving on to plan C, we spent the day at Luquillo Beach, a Blue Flag beach on the main island of Puerto Rico. The 'Blue Flag' is a certification by the FEE (Federation for Environmental Education) that a beach meets its highest standards. Indeed the place was beautiful and clean. I think 10 minutes after we arrived everyone was having so much fun in the water that we forgot that it wasn't our intended plan for the day. For several of our students, this trip is the first time they have visited the ocean. Hours were spent relaxing in the sand or the water, playing ball, shopping and snacking, alternating between the sun and the shade of the palm trees as needed.

In the late-afternoon we reunited with our bus, making stops for some shopping and dinner. as well as a visit to a local supermarket so the kids could compare it to those back home. Some of their grocery observations:

• so many beans!
• expensive produce
• they sell chicken feed?
• a gallon of milk is $6!
• many US brands
• my favorite cereal is half price here!

At dusk we geared up for a kayaking tour of one of Puerto Rico's bioluminescent bays. There are five constant bioluminescent bays known to exist in the world. Three of these are in Puerto Rico. First, our experienced and professional guides assured those who had not kayaked before that they would be alright. They were also eager to entertain us with many jokes. They instructed us on the basics of paddling and maneuvering a kayak and helped us into life jackets. In two-person kayaks, we paddled our way through a mangrove before reaching a lagoon. Here our guides explained how the lagoon, its surrounding ecosystem and the climate of Puerto Rico provide all the elements necessary for the dinoflagellates to thrive. Dinoflagellates are the microorganisms that cause the glowing effect when the water is agitated. Steering our kayaks together in one long line, the guides provided the cover of a large tarp, under which we were able to better view the effect of the sparkling water.

On the return, the paddling was a little harder due to the fact that we were going against a light current. After a snack, the students boarded the bus to head back to San Juan soaked and smiling.