EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST WITH LONG HIKE, PUERTO RICO

EL YUNQUE RAINFOREST WITH LONG HIKE, PUERTO RICO

After an early breakfast in our room and after learning about the terrorist attacks in Belgium, and clearing immigration, we made our way to the pier for our hour bus ride to El Yunque, the southernmost National Park in the USA. We climbed 1875 feet to the start of our hike. I think that everyone in Puerto Rico had the same idea. Not only is today a Holy Week Holiday, it is also a celebration of the end of slavery here. The concrete path through the forest was about two feet wide and there were long lines of people both ahead and behind us as well as coming toward us. We thought our guide would stop and give us explanations of the plants and maybe birds that we were hearing, but no. He just soldiered on. He stopped at a pool fed by a waterfall where we could go for a dip if we wanted to but there was no way we were about to enter a standing-room-only pond. After that, Norma and I and one other person on the hike decided that we were tired of looking at nothing but our feet on the concrete path and slowed down and took our time and a few pictures. We were about ten minutes behind the rest of the group. It was a difficult hike with lots of stairs and ups and downs but spoiled because of the crowds. Not what we expected at all. On returning to the ship, we took a short gander into San Juan to look at the old city with its blue cobblestones and brightly painted buildings. While we were gone a ship with 5000 passengers was disembarking. My idea of hell. Certainly not the luxury we have become accustomed to. After a quick bite and an hour nap we once again tried our hand at trivia to no avail. Only one more chance to collect points. Tonight, dinner in our room and tomorrow another wonderful sea day.