think tank: Morning sun and orchids#links#links#links

Some orchids to please the eye. Thanks for sharing Cheryl. Check out the rest of her blog and phat! images.

think tank: Morning sun and orchids#links#links#links

EL YUNQUE : HIKING AND THE SECOND WATERFALL

We had no idea when this road was going to end before we had to turn around so we decided to hike in the rainforest. There happened to be an entrance to this hiking trail not too far from our last pit stop. I couldn't recall how long the trail was but it was enough for us to realize that we weren't gonna be able to start and finish hiking the trail in the remainder time we had left before heading back towards Loiza for the parade at 4pm.

While in the rainforest, we hiked through a narrow stoned walkway that was 3 feet wide. The road was barely wide enough for us to walk side by side. We didn't notice many hikers around us on the way in. It was hard to get lost since the path was the only possible way we couldn't have gone. It was either a huge drop on the left side or hills and slopes on the other. Once again we were surrounded by sounds of the Coguis (tree frogs). We didn't run into many animals nor any exotic birds during our hike. Although it rained the entire hike but we stayed dried thanks to the thickness of the forest that provided us cover.

After about 10minutes which seemed like forever since we were anxious to get to the waterfall, we started to wonder if we will even see the waterfall before we had to turn around. It was then, some hikers on the way back informed us of the waterfall being 15 minutes more ahead of us. It was a rather relief and exciting.

Suddenly we started hearing noises like monkies calling and I told Jessica that those noises must be people ahead of us because we knew we would've seen monkies by now if there were any. As we got closer to the noises, we heard gushing water falling and there it was. I personally preferred the second waterfall. There was a bridge that parted the path of the fall mainly due to the dangerous rocks and 59 foot drop on the other side of the bridge. The other side of bridge was accessible, we could swim in the fall. Some were just wetting their feet and some were swimming near the fall. As for me, I decided to just test the water out with my hands. It was rather chilly.

We exited the rainforest after visiting the waterfall. By the time we hiked back out of the rainforest, we were hungry. On the way down the mountain, we stopped by a food stand. Next to the food stand of course stood a souvenior store that kept me interested. It was like bait for most tourists. Well it worked! Anyway the food was great even though they were all deep fried. Below you see me with a bbq chicken on stick along with stuffed mash potatoes with beef in the center (its the round looking thing on the plate.) Well, the image you see with a platter and a drink had a cheese stick looking thing (it was actually corn and cheese), the stuffed fried potatoe ball I was telling you about and lastly the fried fish with batter. I was thinking about a side salad by the time I was done with that meal. Oh not to forget the passion fruit refreshment. It was Jessica's fav. drink during the trip because she had another during our next meal. It was good though. I don't blame her.

After the meal our trip back to Loiza begun. But first we decided we had to take a nap. So we found a parking lot near a bakery and a chinese restaurant not to far off the highway. That nap was needed after all that driving and hiking. I think it was the greasy food that was settling. HA!

NEXT: BACK TO LOIZA FOR THE PARADE.

YOU ARE NOW IN THE CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST

Through these windy, narrow roads up the mountain crowded with ferns, bamboo and many other unknown plant life, our journey to the first waterfall consisted of various vantage points. We pulled over the third time because we were able to look down at the rainforest from our route up the mountain. On the way up, we visited an obervation tower also known as the Yokahu tower.

Yokahu tower's peak was around 1575 feet high. I walked through flights of curving stairs whose path followed the contour of the tower. It started to drizzle by the time I made it to the top. The sight was remarkable all around. Mountains were dissappearing into the clouds above. There were small amount of mist hovering the forest. Birds were circling high above, probably honing in on their prey.
The rest of the view was the incredible rainforest all around us. At this point, we decided to have a little break.

After the break, we continued our quest to find this infamous waterfall. Apparently a favorite location for photographers and even movie directors. When we got there, we were happy to find that the fall was conveniently in the path of our journey. We found another waterfall later in the journey but it was quite a hike getting there. Will tell you more later. But first, La Coca Falls was magnificent. It had quite a hand full of visitors. There were kids and their parents playing in the water.

We did find someone who was kind enough to take a photo of us. These pictures sure looked like ones on postcards. You really have to try hard taking a bad photo. Well, you get my point.

I was worried for this kid for standing in the middle of the street taking the photo. I tried telling him that I wanted a vertical photo but in the end, I decided not to be picky. Anyway, whoever that was , I extend my deepest gratitude for risking your life being in the path of dangerous and distracted tourists' vehicles just to take picture for us. Thanks again. You da MAN!!!!

NEXT: STILL AT EL YUNQUE; HIKING AND A GLIMPSE OF THE SECOND WATERFALL.

PASSING THROUGH LOIZA

Loiza was around 16 miles from Pinones or about 30 minutes drive. Loiza's inhabitants were predominantly black. They all spoke spanish. Back in the 16th century, African slaves were sent to mine in a nearby gold deposit. When the gold digging ended, most of the Africans became cane-cutters and they resided at Loiza till today. The African heritage was apparent when we drove passed a house that had a little green shed with colorful carnival masks hanging on the front walls of the shed and other African ornaments and statues. Jessica demanded me to stop to check it out.

The masks we saw were made out of coconut shells painted with colorful glossy paint. There were sharp curving horns that stuck out along the tops of the masks giving them a menacing but colorful look. A dark skinned man with a kind face and a deep voice greeted us and welcomed us. He told us that he was a member of a folklore African band called Hermanos Ayala who has a CD titled "Bomba De Loiza." He informed us that there was a parade taking place later that day and that his band will be playing as well right where we were standing. We promised we would stop by after visiting the Rain Forest. Little did we know that we were in for a memorable experience. Read on.....We left for the Rain Forest shortly after.

On the way to El Yunque, we passed through residential areas where streets were lively, filled with the locals that spend much time outside their homes. We ran into free roaming roasters and hens. There were many stray dogs as well. Some would bark and chased after us in the car. When we stopped to take a picture of some strays taking a nap, the dogs awaken, sniffing the air and starred at us for a second before lowering their heads and carried on with their nap knowing that there weren't any danger. There were kids walking and playing in the streets with their friends with smiles on their faces. Some were on their bikes and some were playing soccer in the middle of the street.

There were also many adult natives that just looked at us with a welcoming yet puzzled look in their faces wondering if we were lost. Some were just standing telling and receiving jokes and some were repairing their cars outside their homes.

So far that day we haven't seen a westerner in sight and we wonder if we were that adventurous. I would like to think so. Anyway, we continued to pull off the road into any streets that we thought was cool. Purely instinctual decisions. Those are the best. We would pass through churches, schools, basketball courts that had a big semicircle metal shed over the court and yet it was outdoors. It was empty but I could just imagine a game going on with a crowd under the shed cheering on the game at night. I wish I live here so I could see what a day at school was like for students here in Loiza.

Jessica had the camera ready and took many shots of the neighborhoods and nearby businesses. There was a picture of a cage filled with live crabs that reminded me of Fear Factor and how sometimes contestants are challenged with being in a cage filled with snakes or insects for a long period of time. I can't imagine being trapped in that cage with those crabs. I have a feeling that wouldn't be too safe nor pleasant. Okay... seriously now, the first thing that ran through my head was seafood and crab meat.

The other wild thing we saw was a monster truck version of a bright yellow older model camaro that stood eight feet off the ground sitting on the side of the street outside a mechanic shop.


We were finally sitting at a light getting ready to drive through the gateway to the mountain of El Yunque. Up ahead, we were in for some windy and hilly roads. I hope our little suzuki will make it.......Here we go!

NEXT: RAINFOREST AND ITS WATERFALLS.

JOURNEY TO CARRIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST ( EL YUNQUE)

Thursday morning began with some showers but by the time we left the motel to pick up our rental, it had stopped.

We began our short drive to El Yunque from Isla Verde. It was only an hour away. We decided to take Route 187 so we could experience this scenic Atlantic Puerto Rican coastline passing through Pinones.

We drove through the windy and often times shady roads with the coastline to my left and residential houses on my right. Along the coast, stood coconut trees after coconut trees. As you stand on the beach, you can see nothing but rows of them that grew high above sea level and for miles and miles either direction. The color of the sand was so rich that it made the greenary sorrounding the beach even greener. As you can see in the images, it was rather misty along the coast further away from us even though it wasn't a misty morning at all. We ended up spending roughly 40 minutes alone just passing through Pinones. Well whats the hurry anyway?

As we left the misty coastlines of Pinones, we were driving through a long tunnel of trees with branches of leaves hovering over our slim two way lane country side road providing us extra shade that stretched for miles. As the roads winded itself away from the coast, we found ourselves in the middle of green pastures and hills where domestic cattles hung around grazing the fields as if time didn't exist.

In the car, Jessica and I were discussing how incredibly long it took us to pick up our rental car back in town. Our rental car manager was interrupted by phone call after phone call. We had a feeling that it was normal. Probably a destination with the most relaxed pace you can find in the States. At first we were abit restless and grew impatient but a voice in my head told me to just "BE." Besides we were getting some good recommendations regarding our trip from the manager whom we couldn't thank enough. It was there where the manager shared some Puerto Rican facts.

The first fact was that in Puerto Rico, there are almost one hundred public holidays in a year. WHAT!!!! Anyway, we were also told that there were many festivals that will be taking place during the week we were there and that we might witness one in Loiza, a small town on the way to the rainforest. So all we could do was just hope and that we will be lucky enough to run into one when we get there. Lastly we were told that Puerto Ricans are into politics like Americans are into football. I hate politics so it was hard for me to comprehend. Apparently there was a public holiday yesterday for one of the political parties and on Friday(the next day,) they will be celebrating the other party.

When we were out of the shade, we drove by this bridge and I just had to stop to take a picture. I couldn't tell if it was a lake or a river. But I am guessing that it must have been a river since it was so close to the ocean. It provided us quite the scenary.


NEXT: JOURNEY CONTINUES BUT LOIZA IS NEXT......

ISLA VERDE - On the other side of the bridge

Our adventures to the depths of Isla Verde, San Juan began Wednesday July 26th at 2pm. We were told that there were many fast food restaurants like Burger King, Taco Bell....etc across the bridge that sat right outside of the hotel. Well, we were thinking....Nah! Are you kidding me? We are here for the authentic stuff. As much as we loved different cultures we just have to have some good old Puerto Rican food. So after we got some directions to a restaurant or two that were more pleasing to us, we headed to the bridge.

The air was refreshing. The feeling of pure happiness and excitement of getting away from Kansas City and being in a foreign environment started to overwhelm me. Isla Verde was definitely a touristy area where tons of hotels and resorts stacked side by side along the beach. As we were walking along this busy road in Isla Verde, we were seeing many local businesses such as a cyber cafe, car rentals, souvenior shops, Walgreens, Burger King, clothing stores, condom world which seemed so random, a scooter rental place and many more........ I was excited and determined to rent a scooter but it was going to cost us 65/day. That was ridiculously over priced. Probably due to liability issues !

Anyway, after about 20 minutes of strolling around, not only were we growing hungry but I began to have a feeling that Isla Verde wasn't a place for a camera considering I was so excited to take my first shot with my digital c. Surprisingly there weren't many inspiring photographic opportunities. Although it felt like walking through a little spanish town in a big city in the states similar to going to a Chinatown in Chicago or NY....well minus the sounds of the ocean, little Coqui frogs (tree frogs), road infested with compact suzuki automobiles, scooters and Raggaeton music playing out of businesses and car stereos, it was Puerto Rico after all and I was certained that my patience would pay off.

"Whats for lunch we wondered." Destiny landed us our first meal of the best wrap I have ever had washed down with some tropical fruit refreshment at El Taquito Restaurant. It was a small modest joint with opened windows and outdoor patio seating area. We were enjoying the meal to a great view watching cars go by, puerto rican fashion and a man who was making ornaments made out of a wire as the base with a tiny young coconut, flower (bunga kertas) and some leaves to sell for 5 dollars. My friend took one home for 2 dollars.

By the time we finished the meal it was time to check in officially and really see what our motel room looked like. We found out, not only the motel also owned the entire block, we were next to a Sushi restaurant. We have private access to the restaurant from within the motel plus we had a menu taped to one of the walls. Wow! how convenient. I began to wonder if they also owned the restaurant. However, we didn't dine there at all. We boycotted Western and Asian food for the rest of the trip. I was proud of us :) We neglected the beaches for the day and returned to the motel for a little nap before deciding what to do for the evening. I figured it was a great time to really study the maps and try to plan for the rest of the trip now that we have a tiny bit of what it is like getting around in Isla Verde. We thought perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to see how much a rental car cost so we can make our trip to the
National Rain Forest in El Yunque the next day. I heard a little about their infamous waterfalls in the forest. (Stay tuned for more details)

Oh by the way the redhead here in front of the mirror in the motel room is my friend Jessica. She is the best traveling companion one could ever dream of. Thats because Karma follows her wherever she goes. A great salsera as well. The funniest thing about our motel was our shower. Water came out in one stream. I guess it was an idea of a cheap massaging shower head. Not!!!!!

During that evening, we decided to walk to El San Juan and Casino hotel where the Salsa Congress was held and to see where we will be enjoying some social dancing during that weekend. On the way there, we heard nothing but little chirps of Ko-Kee!!! in every corner of the streets. My puerto rican friends boasts of these tree frogs (Coqui) who only manages to survive in the island. People tried relocating them but they eventually die. This rumor intrigued me for months and it was great to finally hear them. Although I never ran into a single frog the entire trip but I had fake little wooden souveniors to remind me what they looked like.

On the way home from the hotel, it started to pour outside. We didn't even think twice about waiting for the rain to stop. Plus the walk was only 1 mile. We were actually walking in the warm rain of Puerto Rico and enjoying the city to the fullest, how cool was that!!! I personally enjoy walking in the rain but never would've thought that it would be in a Caribbean island. At the end of the walk, we couldn't have thought of a better way to end our first day in PR. It rained off and on throughout the trip but not enough to ruin the trip.

NEXT: TRIP TO EL YUNQUE (NATIONAL RAIN FOREST)

ISLA VERDE - San Juan, Puerto Rico

After arriving at the international airport of PR, we proceeded to our motel called Coqui Inn. According to my friend, the place was a rather modest and reasonably priced but as long as she appproves, i approve.

We got into this 8 passenger taxi/van that accommodated 3 luggages, us and the driver. The cab driver was this sweet lady with glasses, wearing a dress looked like a sari with colorful patterns whose driving was quite eventful, terrible in my opinion. She spoke only spanish. So the first thing came out of my mouth was Como Ta! She smiled and spoke to us in Spanish. I was quickly slapped on my arm with dissapproval from my friend for speaking Spanish. " Now she thinks we speak spanish," she says. Shoot I was just excited to try the little spanish that I know. I was sure she said good but she was feeling a little sick. Not long after, she was requesting something from us, so we gave her the receipt that had the name of the motel we were going to. Minutes later she was on the phone requesting directions while weaving through busy traffic on the highway. I was thinking that we must be lost. Yes, I was right but we tried to help. But wait, in the corner of my left eye, I saw a bright pink building amongst a dozen buildings across the highway that read Coqui Inn. In my mind, I was thinking that can't be the motel. It looked like an old running down restaurant with paint chipping off the exterior walls from the highway but yet it was bright pink. We told the driver and she realized she missed the exit.

We finally drove to the door step of the motel and I was relieved to see how charming this motel was. The motel lived up to its modesty and comfort looking thus far. Nothing fancy at all but I was glad that it didn't feel like another Hilton nor a Marriott.

The weather was quite clear, about 85 degrees but there were strong cool breezes. Probably from the ocean closeby. So we tried checking in but had to return in 3o minutes.... so we decided to store our luggages at the motel and get some lunch accross the street. We were excited!!!!!!!!

NEXT: FIRST TASTE OF ISLA VERDE, SAN JUAN

TRIP TO THE LAND OF COQUI - Puerto Rico

So I decided two months ago that my next adventure would be a Carribean Island also known as the Capitol City of Salsa that began Wednesday July 26th, 2006. My favorite and only companion and friend joined me.

My main motivation for this trip was to be inspired as a painter and a dancer. I knew that in the midst of all the craziest in life, work and lack of inspiration, this vacation will give me enough mental energy to complete my paintings for my upcoming exhibition on September 9th.

My other motivations were to visit the island and the 10th annual Salsa Conference held there. Since it was our first trip, we knew we were in for lots of surprises. We were determined to also experience the most Puerto Rican things possible. To give you an idea how organized we were for this trip, we finally made reservations at a hotel/motel days before the trip. The delay wasn't intentional but due to the nature of surprises and challenges in life, our original hotel plans fell through. But nothing was going to stop us from having a stress free trip. So before further delay, let the visual presentation/show and tell begin. Isla Verde in San Juan was our first destination in the island. Here we go!!!!!!


P.S I have never been on a vacation in an exotic place such as Puerto Rico knowing that I will also be able to dance Salsa everynight during the trip. That was a fantasy. Not anymore.