Our visit to Puerto Rico (December 14-21 2013)

It was to be a Puerto Rico vacation this winter break, it was agreed. Inspite of Ramesh's misgivings:
1. It is too far from the mainland
2. They only speak Spanish
3. We all need passports to travel there (not true)
4. It is not a U.S. state and only a U.S. territory
we found ourselves headed there throwing caution to the winds.

After a two hour flight to Atlanta and then a three hour flight to San Juan, during which the kids enjoyed the thrill of being on an air plane we landed late at night, close to eleven.
Then after completing the formalities of the rental car, we set out to negotiate the road to out Wyndham Rio Mar Resort in Rio Grande. Inspite of receiving rudimentary instructions to our hotel, we succeeded in getting hopelessly lost, driving at night and Spanish road signs only adding to our (Ramesh and mine) confusion. Our Google map also refused to cooperate, in case you were wondering whether we are Luddites.
But I am happy to say that we did eventually reach our hotel, after Ramesh stopped at yet another gas station to ask for directions and happily the person who he turned to happened to be a taxi headed in the same direction and wonder of wonders to the same hotel!
The resort lay ensconced deep within a thinly populated area, we would never have made it on our own!

The view from our hotel room balcony of the children's playground
and the rainforest beyond

We wasted no time in retiring for the night after checking in at the hotel. The kids took a little time taking in their new surroundings but were too tired and crashed.

The resort pool

sharanya has gotten her first suntan!

Sharanya excited to be at the beach!

It was only the next morning that we got a good look around and it was gorgeous! It never fails to surprise me how lush and verdant green the tropical vegetation can be. Then as soon as a two and a half year old (Sharanya) and a nine year old (Ananya) can be persuaded to make themselves presentable we sauntered out to take stock of our surroundings and head to THE BEACH! Coming in from near zero temperatures in Naperville, suffice it to say that we found the 80 plus temperatures heavenly. We wasted no time in dipping our feet in the waters of the Atlantic. Ananya who is a water person, through and through wasted no time in getting drenched head to foot, Ramesh joining in after a while. Sharanya and I enjoyed the feel of sand between our toes and running away from the eager waves every time they lapped against the shore. We spent the first two days in this lazy fashion, first exploring the beach and then lazing around the resort hot tub and pool. After we decided that we had soaked the bled in the sun enough, we planned to explore the nearby El Yunque rain forest, only a few minutes from the hotel! We drove from the resort into the Welcome Center. The lush rain forest vegetation with gigantic trees blocking out the intense sunlight was a sight to be seen. The drive to the top of the mountain range was very pleasant with a canopy of gigantic bamboo appearing on either side of the road amidst other trees and plants. We stopped at the La Coca Falls and enjoyed the view of cascading waters dropping from a height of several feet over a near vertical rock face.  Sharanya had a great time climbing over the steps cut into the rock and over the trails leading into the rainforest. Ananya was always a few steps ahead doing her own bit of exploring until the rest of us caught up with her.Although the temptation to explore more was great we decided that it had been enough for the day. The next day we planned a trip to Old San Juan. Although the temptation to stay in the resort was quite great. And I am glad we did take the trip, Old San Juan, about 45 minutes away was quite a different experience. With narrow cobbled streets lined with tall buildings with interesting colors and facades, quaint shops and outdoor cafes crammed into narrow alleys, we were glad that we had chosen to walk through the town on foot. An open trolley (free) took us around the capital and dropped us off at San Crsitobal. We spent a couple of hours exploring the fort with a lot of tunnels and stairs. We enjoyed the magnificent views of the imposing fort with the Atlantic Ocean far down below. The rest of the vacation was spent at our wonderful resort.
And although we are back home now, in the middle of winter in Naperville, warm memories of Puerto Rico are most pleasant.

Fall!

Sharanya with her favorite pumpkin! It is Fall, hurray!

On looking more closely, it meets with my approval! Yeah, that is one cute pumpkin!!

Now let us try a different display! How about like this?

Or like this?



                     

And there is my Fall pumpkin display! 












Nice!