The weather was supposed to be unpredictable on Sunday, so we rescheduled our planned snorkeling trip via email to Monday and headed down to the Humacao Nature Preserve instead. Supposedly, this place doesn’t get a lot of visitors and I can testify that it was almost completely empty on a Sunday afternoon. In fact, about an hour went by when we didn’t see see anyone else and with views like the ones below, we couldn’t have asked for a more lovely afternoon hike.

We even witnessed an iguana digging out his nest and one sunning himself on a pier.

Since we were so far south already, Eric suggested we drive into the lower part of El Yunque to see if there were any good waterfalls we could get to.

the view from a very twisty road

Rio Cubuy waterfall

Eric had to cross below the waterfall to get the above shot, but there were locals swimming below the falls and jumping into the water, so clearly it wasn’t too dangerous.

We ended the day with a trip to the Loquillo Kiosks where I got to try some lovely fish ceviche at the Ceviche Hut (#38). The owner is originally from Peru and he came over to us at the end of the meal to see if we’d ever tried ceviche before. We told him about our great experience at La Mar in Miraflores and shared some other highlights from our trip to Peru last fall. Tasty food and friendly owners, highly recommended by us!

fish ceviche!

One of the main reasons we decided to stay on the northeast side of the island was to be close to the El Yunque and all the waterfalls. So, on our first full day, we packed up the camera and headed south into the rainforest. It was lush, green, absolutely beautiful…

waterfall on Juan Diego River

…and pouring!

Eric and I both agreed that we had never been more wet on a hike, ever. Eric was also lamenting his decision not to bring a tripod. Amazingly, many of the shots came out anyway, but he’s had lots of practice!

La Mina Falls – some folks just weren’t wet enough on the trail

Coco Falls - a brief moment when no one is standing in front of it!

Thankfully, this meant that we didn’t have a lot of company as many tour buses didn’t bother coming out.

One thing to note: entrance into the actual park is free BUT they charge you $4 per person to enter the visitor’s center which is the only place you can get a printed map of the park. Inside, there are some large panels with park history and information and also tables set up to sell you stuff. I am guessing one of those items is a poncho since every other person on the trail was wearing a branded clear plastic bag. Most of the trails are clearly marked, so my advice would be to do a little research before you leave about what you want to see and skip the “Interpretive Center”.

Quick recap: We got absolutely soaked photographing waterfalls, saw a few iguanas, had a beach all to ourselves, snorkeled in protected waters and ate some delicious food. Photos coming soon!

Riesling has taken to “killing” various toys which she then presents to me for both breakfast and dinner. I can only imagine that this is her idea of a trade. :) These antics are ramped up significantly when, say, beef stew is added to her ordinary kibble. We decided to capture it on video for your enjoyment… how can this not make you smile?

Like much of the Eastern US, we’ve been getting more than our fair share of snow this winter and although it’s fun to play in (and get snow days), we have decided enough is enough and we booked a trip to Puerto Rico next week. From snow and cold to sand and sunshine!

Most of this has melted by now, but it’s supposed to snow again tomorrow.