For those that don't know, I quit my job in the Emergency Department. I had this trip planned for months (after my boyfriend and I broke up) and it turns out the timing was perfect. While technically unemployed, I start my new job as a night shift King County Jail nurse a few days upon my return. So this trip is perfect to relax, reflect, and come back to a fresh start.
My flight left on 9/11 and went through Paris before landing in Rabat. I remember why I like Delta for international flights. Three meals and snacks for the Paris flight and another meal on Air France from Paris to Rabat. Met a guy on the flight who lives part time in Orlando and also has a house in Rabat. He gave me lots of tips and gave me his number, in case I run in to any trouble. Arrived at the Rabat airport, which is pretty small. Customs was quick and grabbed cash at the ATM. Was going to catch a bus in to the city, but couldn't figure out where to catch it. The taxi dripped me at the train station. I tried to find my riad, but got lost and walked the wrong way and kept getting incorrect info (but people were trying to help). Texted my riad and the owner came to fetch me. My riad, Rue El Bir, is absolutely fabulous. It is in the old medina, but down a small street a bit away from the hustle and bustle. I ended getting an upgraded room on the top floor that is huge and fabulously decorated with old tiles and high wood ceilings and my own little patio sitting area. And there are two large house cats to play with. Mattress is a bit hard for me, but easily solved as I always carry my thermarest. I spend a few hours walking the old medina and have a fruit smoothie for dinner, as I am pretty full. Can't read the menu, so end up with a cherimoya and what tastes like dates? Strange, but not bad. Head back to the riad for early sleep in hopes of getting up early.
Didn't wake up as early as I thought I would. Woke up around 8:30 and headed out to grab a coffee at a cafe. Busy spot of mostly men sitting and socializing, but a great spot to people watch and just get used to my new surroundings. Moroccan coffee is strong and delicious and the people are very friendly. There are bakery stalls everywhere and several across the street from the cafe. One man offers to share his treats. Several pass by and ask if I am Chinese or Japanese. When answering American and Vietnamese, it confuses people that I don't speak French.
After over an hour of chatting and people watching, I head to the Royal Palace. The guards let me walk around the grounds after showing my passport, but there is lots going on and soldiers everywhere and you can't enter the palace. Next, I head to the Phoenician and later Roman ruins of Chellah. The grounds were beautiful to wander around, alongside many cats and storks with gardens, tombs, minaret and old broken columns. 
I wandered back to my riad in the heat of the day, as most things shut down around 1pm for Friday worship. There is a mosque in the old medina, and the prayer mats were lining the walkway and full of people as I walked beside them to get back to the riad. I went to my room, but was surprised by a knock at the door as the staff brought me fresh squeezed orange juice, a pot of coffee and biscuits (as I didn't take breakfast since you have to tell them the night before a time you would like to eat and I never know when I will get up). I rest for a bit and then head back out.
Walked through an expansive cemetery overlooking the sea. Watch some surfers for a bit and head to Kasbah of the Oudayas. There is a small residential area, with colorful blue and white walls and of course, more cats. Wander about getting lost and avoiding big tour groups in the narrow streets. 
Head over to enjoy the Andulusian Gardens and a mint tea at the cafe overlooking the Bou Regreg River. Wander through the touristy shopping Mellah area and wander the streets back toward the old medina. I am now running in to people I met at morning coffee and am greeted by "Bonjour Vietnam!" by a few passerbys. The medina is hopping on Friday night. Stop at a busy food stall and join a few groups of women on little plastic stools for some kind of bread stuffed with grilled meat, egg, tomato sauce with spices and cheese. I think it was 80 cents and well worth it. A cute little old woman smiles at my happiness of yummy food and squeezes my arm warmly as she passes. I wash my dinner down with two fresh lemon ginger juices from another stall for a dollar and head back to the riad, falling asleep to the soothing chants from the nearby mosque as kids play soccer (or kick an empty plastic bottle) in the street and cats fight and wail. Luckily, sleeping through noise is something I am used to.
To my surprise, breakfast is ready when I come downstairs. Fresh squeezed orange juice, yogurt, cheese, lots of breads/crepe like thing, jams, and a carafe of strong coffee. After, I catch the tram to the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Beautiful architecture surround the tombs of the king and his two sons. There are fountains and amazing detailed tile work everywhere. 
A guard stands at the door to the Mausoleum. Inside is a beautiful dome roof and multiple levels. A man sits at the bottom and softly reads the Koran aloud, occasionally taking time to cough. It is very peaceful. After my visit, I wander around the Mellah area, the old Jewish quarter. In the heat of the day, I headed back to the riad and just relaxed with the cats and read a book. In the afternoon, it cools off with a nice sea breeze. I head back outside in to the old medina, busy on a Saturday.My plan was to get a bit used to these busy and hectic markets in the smaller ones before hitting up the chaos of Fes and Marrakesh. The old medina in Rabat is somewhat easy to navigate with areas laid out for tailors filled with fabric and walls of colored thread. The air smells of spices and there are sellers with carts full of fresh herbs like mint. There is an area with live turtles and parakeets. Streets full of clothes and shoes, new and used. Battery operated plastic toys, probably all from China.
And tons of food vendors like bakeries of sweet treats (some Syrian treats look like tiny bird nests with pistachios), , fresh squeezed juice, sugar cane, or pomegranate drinks, fresh donut looking things fried in front of you in vats of hot oil. bowls of steaming snails, shwarma and grilled meat. I end up grabbing a delicious sandwich stuffed with fried fish, salsa, roasted pepper, hot sauce, eggplant, and whatever else he put in. Sat with some women on little plastic chairs outside a mosque and the vendor seemed pleased that I liked it. He ran to a nearby vendor to get me a hot, sweet mint tea to wash it down. Filling dinner for 20 dirham ($2) and was a bit sad I couldn't eat any more, as there was so much I wanted to try. Wish I had been able to take more photos, but feels weird to take out my camera as it feels like tourists are far and few between. And the little old woman don't like my phone in my hand, as two have implored me with eyes and pointing to put it in my locked purse. They seem pleased when I do, nodding and patting my arm with a smile.The next morning after breakfast and packing, I say goodbye to the beautiful riad and my favorite of the cats. Walk to the train terminal and catch a train to Casablanca. I was expecting more hassle, but it was super easy to buy the $4 train ticket, find the right platform and board the correct train. About an hour by train lands me in Casablanca. A taxi driver wants me to take a taxi, but of course I decline and walk. Heading along the port, I pop in to the Old Medina and get happily lost. Eventually I see the tram and know my hotel is close to a station so jump on. A one way ticket is 60 cents (plus 20 cents for the rechargeable ticket). I pop off at my stop and of course get lost again. Some people try to help me, but only know Arabic and French. I continue to wander, but someone runs after me. I guess the people I asked directions from went and found someone who spoke English, and he directs me to the right spot. Hotel Point du Jour is not cute like my Rabat Riad, but it is in a great location and is small but clean with very nice and helpful staff. Mostly business people stay here but several tourist families as well.
There is also the organizers for a music festival going on staying in the hotel. Check in and off to wander again. It is Sunday, so many storefronts are shuttered. As I don't have a map, it is hard to tell if I am in a bad area, as there are mainly only men out. There is old, run down art deco and art nouveau crumbling neighborhoods next to new, modern buildings next to poorer looking neighborhoods. I passed an old, beat looking movie theater and almost stop for a movie if one had been playing (although I wouldn't have understood it). I stop in a cafe for sweet mint tea and watch the city. End up in the old medina again and wander and eat snacks (easier without my big backpack, now safely checked in to the hotel). People everywhere are so friendly, waving and saying welcome. There are little places with old pinball machines and billiard tables. 
Kids run around, playing in the streets. I find my way to the mosque and watch the kids jump off the wall in to the sea as others fish from the rocks. Wandering back towards the hotel, I stop at a restaurant for a mixed kabob grill dinner. The server is so nice and we get to talking. She is studying English literature at the university. I head back to my hotel and sit outside, chatting with the nice man who works at my hotel who has great English. He is from El Jadida, where I plan to take a day trip from on my last day in Casablanca.
Wake up early the next morning to head to the mosque for a tour. The hotel gives me great walking directions, and yet, I manage to get lost. Partly due to my horrible sense of direction and also, street names and numbers are hard to come by here. Traffic is also intense as there are not always lights at pedestrian crossings so you go halfway and make yourself as thin as possible between traffic to cross all the way when there is a break. Luckily, I have wandered past the hospital and urgent care clinic, in case I need it :) So make it to the mosque a little later than planned, but well worth it. 
The mosque has tours and is one of the only mosques that allows women inside. It is partially built over the ocean and has a retractable roof. Most building material is from Morocco, except some marble and chandeliers. After the tour, I wander around more along the water and through neighborhoods, occasionally stopping in a sidewalk cafe for coffee or mint tea when I need a break. During the afternoon heat, I go to read my book, The Caliph's House, set in Casablanca. In it, they talk about many of the places I have wandered through, even the Rialto Theater I walked past and took photos of the day before. In the evening, I head to a small spot recommended to me by the hotel for my first tangine. I chose beef and vegetables and it is delicious! There may have been a small cockroach or two running around, but that seems par for the course in Morocco and I hear that makes the restaurant even better :) The restaurant staff are surprised by my appetite, as I eat every last bite. The sweet woman that cooked it comes out and seems pleased that I enjoyed it so much. 
Back to my hotel, I spend the evening in the chair they put outside for me, chatting with the staff and people of the neighborhood as faces look familiar and people greet me after the second day. I am treated to a beautiful sunset sky over the church at the end of the street and then later the call to prayer over the city, which I love the peaceful sound of it every night.My last full day in Casablanca, I actually head to the tram to the train station for a day trip outside of the city of Casablanca. I couldn't choose between Azzmour or El Jadida, but choose El Jadida first and figure I will see if I have time to do both.
We pass through the factories on the outskirts of Casablanca and head past small farms with goats, donkeys, cows, chickens, horses, and even a turkey. Crossing over the Oum Er-Rbia River, where Azzmour lies, we shortly arrive in El Jadida about an hour and a half after departure (37 diarhams each way). I share a taxi with a guy and we grab a coffee at a beachside cafe before parting ways. I walk around the port and then head in to the old walled Portuguese City. 
Wander the neighborhood, enjoying all the colorful doorways. I check out the old vaulted cistern built underground in the early 16th century with nice reflections from the incoming light and standing water on the ground. I walk the old wall, with views of the sea and occasional cannons lining the wall. For a third time in two days, I am stopped and think someone wants me to take their photo for them. 
But then they all line up and want a photo with me. I remember this happening in Egypt and I still don't get it. Sometimes teenage boys, or families, and today a sweet old mom and her daughter. After walking the wall, I head back to the neighborhood and have some fish for lunch. Then I find the old community oven. Neighbors and their kids bring dough to the oven and salted fish, which are baked by the community oven baker and returned when ready. 
The place actually has a terrible history as the place slaves were brought to send to the New World, but now it is a place of happiness. I buy a loaf of bread for one dirham and wander some more. I run into another community oven and a man outside awaiting his bread to be baked invites me to his house for tea. A bit pensive at first, I do my test of walking the town with him and everyone seems to like him and greet him. We go get his mom from a neighbor's house and his little sister and they make me tea and we sit and talk. The mom excitedly takes me up to the roof for views of the sea because she saw I liked animals and she wanted to show me her hamsters, one of which just had babies. I spent the rest of the afternoon there, and was sad to decline their invitation to stay the night at their house. The sister gives me a white rose when it is time to leave and they help me get a taxi back to the train station (most taxi drivers only speak Arabic and/or French, making it difficult to communicate with them). I catch the train back to Casablanca and had my last dinner at the restaurant I had eaten at the first night, seeing the server again who is so sweet and we say our goodbyes and good wishes for each other.Today, I got to sleep in. Packed up the backpack, enjoyed a few more coffees at a cafe, said my goodbyes to the wonderful hotel staff, and head on the tram to the CTM long distance bus station. Now I am off on the 6 hour bus ride to Chefchouen, enjoying the views out the window.
Love,
Betsy
It is currently government run and the schedules were known to be lax, with boats often breaking down. In fact, the most up to date information on ferries seems to be on a Facebook page where citizens post up to date info for the day (on a page that uses a photo from the movie Bird Box with Sandra Bullock blindfolded in a boat as their cover page...showing how much the residents trust the system). They had also recently moved most ferries from Fajardo to Ceiba and the new facility infrastructure was not suppose to be that great. So I was ready for it to be a big hassle, but in fact, it surprisingly went rather smoothly! We drove to Ceiba and left the car, as no tourists can get cars on to the island. We managed to purchase our ticket for what I thought was the tourist schooner, but they loaded us up on an earlier departing cargo boat. 
They let us go sit on the cargo platform, and it was nice to lay in the sunshine with the waves (even when one splashed up over the side and soaked me, much to everyone's amusement). We arrived earlier than check-in at our apartment, but I had arranged to leave our bags. The apartment was in a perfect location next to a canal and near the ferry terminal and several restaurants. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Flamenco Beach for the rest of the day. 
There are big group shuttle buses that run from the ferry terminal to Flamenco Beach. It used to be used as testing grounds of the US military, but now ranks in the top of several rankings most beautiful beach in the world awards. It really was picture perfect, even with the crowds. There are also two rusted old tanks to explore on the beach, which people decorate and graffiti from time to time. 
We just played in the water a bunch and happened to run in to the couple who suggested we eat at the roadside stand when at El Yunque, so chatted with them a bit. We headed back to town in time for me to talked to Culebra Divers dive company that also rented snorkel gear near the ferry terminal. I found the woman at the desk to be unknowledgeable (she told me there were nudibrachs didn't exist in Puerto Rico... only in places like Fiji) and a bit rude, so ruled out diving with them or giving them any business whatsoever (which she did not seem interested in, any way). 
We walked over to our apartment, the Blue Flamingo at 
We found an amazing grocery store, Colmada Milka, right next to our apartment that was small but somehow stuffed with goodies, even stuff that I don't see in Seattle like Enstrom toffee. We each grab groceries and I grabbed meat, cheese, and olives and enjoy a tapas dinner on the balcony. Wade and I played cribbage on the balcony surrounded by twinkling red and green lights until bed.
The next day, Naomi and Wade both succumbed to their bad sunburns and decided to stay out of the sun. I checked out a different dive company named Aquatic Adventures near the apartment in the morning. Well, technically I went to the shop because there were a bunch of cats there and I wanted to pet them all. But then one of the owners showed up and she seemed so much more likeable then my experience the day before. And she must be good people because she fed the cats (and one chicken) that were outside and they all seemed to know when she got to work. 
I decided I would go snorkeling and see what I could for the day and then decide what to do the next day. I went off to snorkel at Playa Tamarindo, which was easy to catch a ride to on the shared shuttle to Playa Flamenco. It quickly became an overcast day, so it was a perfect day to spend snorkeling. 
The water was nice and calm, so even though I only brought my mask and snorkel and no fins, I could still swim way out. I saw several rays, four turtles, and a barracuda. It was mainly sand and seagrass, and a small coral rebuilding area that some University of Puerto Rico students were working on. 
It started to pour rain, and there were very few people out at this beach. I was going to walk back to the main road to try to catch a taxi, but managed to hitch a ride on the back of an older couple's golf cart (the way lots of people get around). Turns out they were from Kingston! We decide to go to dinner at one of the popular restaurants, Dinghy Dock, across the street from our apartment. First we stopped in to a little art gallery next door (between Dinghy Dock and the nice dive shop, Aquatic Adventures). Naomi found a beautiful necklace that she bought. We ended up getting a table next to the water and watch the huge tarpons swimming around looking for table scraps that people throw them. We all agreed that dinner was good, but not worth the money. I decided to skip diving the next day and try to get to a small island called Culebrita that had been recommended to me by my friend, Dan. I will have to try to get some diving in if we make it to Greece in the Fall. Wade and I play more cribbage on the deck and then off to bed.
On the way, we passed this HUGE futuristic, James Bond-looking megayacht which turned out to be 
Then I went off snorkeling and chasing turtles around. Our boat driver had snorkel gear for everyone, so Wade tried his hand at snorkeling. The beach has a big hole that must have had a nesting turtle in it recently, with evidence of little broken shells. We walked to go visit tide pools and climbed up to see the views. On the way back, we saw wild goats (sadly, I didn't have my zoom lens with me for some reason). 
I also found some really different looking lizards. It was pretty hot, so we didn't walk to go check out the old lighthouse because I wasn't sure if you were allowed in it (the info I saw on it said "do NOT go in, it is very unsafe but the views from the top are beautiful"... ummm, mixed messages anyone?!?). When we got back, we played with the hermit crabs that seemed to sense when a bag of chips was opened from wherever they were hiding (not unlike my co-workers). 
Sadly, the day had to come to an end and we all packed up and helped each other back on the boat. I said goodbye to my beach crab who had barely moved all day and the little turtle who was still swimming around near the boat. It was a perfect day with a perfect group of people. When we got back to Culebra, one of the ladies in the group of older folks invited us to dinner at their condo in Condado in San Juan. Sadly, we the timing wasn't going to work out, but she texted Wade later and said the next time we come back, we are to message her. Wade later said that a conversation they had while I was snorkeling made it sound like the older gentleman may or may not have been the former president of Bacardi. We had decided to rent a jeep on our last day on the island as it would allow us to see more of the island and have a place to store our luggage after an 11am checkout from the apartment (there is really only two choices... a golf cart or a jeep for rental transportation on the island). 
Since the jeep rental is for 24 hours with free pickup and dropoff and we were catching a late afternoon ferry, we had the jeep rental place come pick us up at the boat dock and went and grabbed a jeep. We went back and grabbed Naomi, heading out to watch sunset back on the beach I went snorkeling the day before. We go back and shower before heading to dinner. 
Sadly, dinner was kind of a bust as the restaurant I had heard good things about was closed. Construction was being done on the main road in town, so lots of businesses were closed. We ended up driving around and stopped for loaded baked potatoes and churros at a stand called Sweet and Salty on the side of the road.
Our last day, and my birthday! We wake up and pack. I sit on the balcony with my breakfast coffee (man, the coffee is so good here) and watch a little old lady fishing across the canal at Mamacita's, cat at her feet. We loaded our luggage in the jeep and set off to explore the island after the 11am checkout. We visit the little history museum and drive around the island, checking out some of the farther beaches like Zoni Beach and watch pelicans on the way to Playa Punta Soldado where I take my last ocean swim. 
We drop off the jeep and they drive us to the ferry dock where we catch the fast tourist schooner ferry back to Ceiba. Luckily, our rental car is just fine after sitting for a few days and we drive to Fajardo to check in for our bioluminescent bay kayaking tour. I have a yummy birthday dinner of garlic butter fish and rice and beans. The bioluminescent bay tour with 
The channel opens up to a bay with the dinoflagellates. While the water doesn't glow all blue like they make the photoshopped photos, it still does shimmer and make it look like you are pouring white glitter out of your hands when you move the water around and pour it out of your hand. Pretty magical! Wade and I did a good job working together to not bump in to too much or tip over. We still have a few hours before returnoing the rental car and checking in for our 5am flight. So we find a place to shower at the public beach behind the men's room. We try to dry our wet clothes on rusty wrought iron chains and dance in the street to people playing music and hanging out. We then drive back to San Juan and pop in to a late night dining spot called Waiter's Gastro Bar in Condado area for second dinner :) I had the best rice with homemade sausage dish that was enough to feed three people. Sadly, all good trips have to end, and we head off to return the car and check in for our flights home. Puerto Rico was a blast, and we just may have to return!
We showered up and headed to La Plaza del Mercado Santurce, which is a Farmer's Market by day and a dining/entertainment spot at night. Lots of people and music, we grabbed some empanadas and other fried treats at a smaller stand called Frituras. We put our name in at a restaurant with a small outdoor seating are in the Plaza called Boronia and went to enjoy a drink while waiting for a table. They called us when a table was open and I split a fried cheese with guava sauce appetizer and enjoyed a delicious conch mofongo for dinner. We walked around a little after dinner and then headed back to the apartment, as I wanted to get an early start to beat the crowds in old San Juan the next morning.
Day two, I make some delicious Puerto Rican coffee I bought at the grocery store and get everyone up around 7am to walk around Old San Juan. We make the quick drive over and find all day parking for $3, a steal compared to Seattle parking prices! We wander in and out of little cobblestone streets, taking photos of and enjoying all the brightly colored buildings. It is a beautiful old city, especially when there are few people out yet. We walk past Castillo San Cristobal, but it isn't open for several hours. We enjoy the ocean views from the old, massive, crumbling city walls, as Old San Juan is a small island connected with bridges. 
We wander above and past La Perla, the colorful, old shantytown directly outside the city wall. Wade and I wander through a cemetery on the hill right along the ocean. You probably know by now that I love wandering cemeteries, and this one is set in one of the most amazing settings. We stop and watch people surfing and see large cargo ships pass. 
In addition to my usual trying to find my headstones or grave markers and trying to find the oldest or youngest person, there are also dog, cats, chickens, and iguanas roaming around to play with. One green iguana rustled out of a broken grave and scared Wade half to death! Finally, we head back and find Naomi who was napping in the grass. We stop at Mil Letras Art and Coffeehouse a sandwich, pastry, and you guessed it... coffee. 
By now, Old San Juan is waking up and getting more crowded. We head off to Fortaleza Street, as I want to see the colorful street of umbrellas I had heard about. We happened upon a building that looked non-descript from the outside, but a man invited us in. 
Turned out it was the Seminario Conciliar de San Ildefonso and there was a sweet older gentleman that seemed to take great pride in the building. He kept encouraging us to explore all of the rooms and areas inside. It was really gorgeous inside, and a nice reprieve from the crowds and heat of the day with peaceful gardens, detailed architecture and vibrant colors. 
Afterwards, we headed to the fort with the lighthouse, Castillo San Felipe del Morro or "El Morro". The plan was to renew my recently expired annual National Parks pass, as I need one and it would cover each person's $7 entry fee, but they had run out at that fort. The ranger was pretty sure the had annual passes left at the other fort, which was back near where we parked. So we headed back to Castillo San Cristobal. 
It is the largest fortress of the Americas and was full of artillery ramps, cannons, tunnels, and great views of the city. The weather is starting to look a bit stormy and Old San Juan is packed by now. Naomi stayed in Old San Juan, but Wade and I head back to the car and go for a late lunch. We ate at La Casita Blanca, a spot suggested by Dan, a friend from my freshman year of college that grew up in Puerto Rico and returned after college. The restaurant is cute, built in a little neighborhood house. They have a small daily menu on a chalkboard that they bring to the table, along with complimentary fritters and plantain soup to start. I enjoyed my lunch of chicharrones pollo (like fried chicken) with rice and beans, with several shakes of the homemade hot sauce on the table. They also bring complimentary shot of chichaito (anise liquor) with 3 coffee beans. Afterward, we decide to drive to beaches out of San Juan in an area to the northeast called Loiza, recommended to me by another friend. It was a nice drive, as once you are out of the city, it feels like a totally different place. Driving on a more "jungley" road with some sad, squished iguanas on the road who had come to sun themselves and didn't get out of the way of traffic, we reached the small beach town with food shacks along the road and small secluded beaches all along the road. Sadly, the weather just didn't make for a nice beach afternoon, but it was still a fun little adventure.
The next day, I had a plan to walk back to the La Plaza del Mercado Santurce to check out the farmer's market during the morning and take photos of some of the fun graffiti mural art we had passed. Bonus for Wade is that he could sleep in! Naomi joined me and we had a nice little walk. The market wasn't really all that great, but it was totally different looking in the daylight. We split a fruit shake and I had some fried empandas for breakfast. Naomi grabbed some fruit and I grabbed some meat and cheese from the butcher for hiking snacks. Wade came and picked us up and we headed on a trip to the infamous "Pork Road" in Guavate that I heard so much about. I planned a few stops along the way, as we didn't want to get to lunch too early. First, we stopped at a botanical garden in Caguas, but looked more like a golf course at the entrance and the admission fee seemed a bit high so we headed to town. Caguas seemed like a cute town. They had family fun stuff set up in the town plaza. And a few small museums which are all within an easy walking distance. 
We visited the history museum and tobacco museum before heading for lunch. Made it to Guavate, where there are roast pig stalls all along the road. We headed to the coordinates of one that my friend Dan said was best. Ordered our portions of roasted pig with extra skin that was crispy and delicious before heading to the cafeteria style area to pick out some sides. It was soooo yummy! After lunch, we decided to take a different, longer way back to the city. We continued on through mountains. The winding roads had beautiful views and around almost every corner was a small roadside bar. Sadly, Naomi apparently gets motion sickness, so she did not enjoy the ride as much as Wade and I did. 
We stop at Canyon de San Cristobal and take in the fresh mountain air. There are these cool trees that have brown bark, but peels underneath with different shades of orange, red, and green. It reminded me of when we used to use colored crayons on paper and then cover the colors with black crayon so that when you scratch the black off, the colors show underneath. We walked over to the lookout point to the canyon and river below. 
Next, we hopped back in the car and headed to an old hydroelectric dam lookout in Comerio on the Río La Plata. We pass through a few smaller towns with no traffic lights, as there is no power still. People just blare their horn and go through the four way stop. The dam was built around 1910, but is no longer in use. We headed back to San Juan. Naomi prepped herself to go salsa dancing in Old San Juan while Wade and I met with my friend Dan, who I hadn't seen since freshman year of college, and his family for dinner. We ate at a place called Mi Defensa Los Pescao. It was really a treat to get to see an old friend and meet his wife and kids and the food was fabulous. It was both interesting and heartbreaking to hear their stories about Hurricane Maria. There was also a stray cat at the restaurant that I really wanted to bring home with me. It was so friendly and would bop up like a bunny to reach your hand so you would pet it. Wade may or may not have caught me the next morning researching how to bring a cat from Puerto Rico back to Seattle. There are soooo many stray animals all over Puerto Rico, abandoned or lost after the hurricane. As some had not been spayed or neutered, they are now having stray kittens and puppies running around.
We ended up on the first tour and were lucky to only have ourselves and another couple on the tour (the next tour had a huge, loud girl scout troop). The cave was fun and we got to see bats, a few cave spiders, and a Puerto Rican yellow tree boa. The cave opens up to the top of a limestone cliff, giving a window to the beautiful valley below. 
Next, we headed to the second world's largest single dish radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory. We wandered and played at the exhibits at a fun little museum before heading to the lookout. Completed in 1963 in a large sinkhole, the dish is an impressive 1,000 feet wide and 167 feet deep. It is known for being the first to directly image an asteroid, and discovered the first planets outside our solar system, as well as studies of extraterrestrial intelligence. After the observatory, we headed to lunch at Restaurante Hacienda Lealtad in Lares, a coffee hacienda/cafe on a mountaintop. The hostess spoke was the only one who spoke English, but she managed to get us a table on the beautiful outdoor porch, overlooking the canyon. 
We both had excellent hamburgers with fried plantains on it and for dessert, I enjoyed one of the best mochas I have ever had. On the way out of the mountains, we drove through San Sebastian to see waterfall Collazo before heading to the coast to check out the beach town of Aguadilla. Aguadilla seemed pretty hard hit by the hurricane and the beach boardwalk was still needing to be rebuilt. 
We were going to stop at a nearby beach, but I needed to put on my swimsuit and the bathrooms were all shuttered. We headed toward Rincon, which also had beaches. I had picked out a beach to relax at but somehow we missed it and ended up in the next little town. Someone gave us directions back and we turned around, hit up a fast food restaurant to change (they don't seem to have public restrooms at gas stations, but no one at fast food restaurants seem to mind if you use their bathrooms). When we got to the beach, it was not the relaxing bob in the ocean I was looking for. Being Sunday afternoon, it was party central with music blaring from all directions. We headed back to the small beach in the next town over and had a quick swim. The town also had noticeable hurricane damage, but some of the residents had prettied up the town with little potted plants using recycled tires and things as planters by the side of the road. Sadly, we were too late to make it much further before the sun set, so I missed out on the abandoned Aguirre Central Sugar Mill. We headed back towards San Juan. It was a terrible drive back. The driving is bad in Puerto Rico during the day, but at night it is an absolute nightmare. Construction zones for miles led to cars driving 60 miles an hour past you in the shoulder. There are cars with fake sirens that they turn on and off to get people to move over. Those stray animals I mentioned earlier are also running around on the side of the highways, and we see a dead cat. Cars zip in and out of lanes and no one uses a turn signal. Everyone is tailgating the car in front of them since if there is any space at all between cars, they seem to think several cars should switch lanes and squeeze in there. And of course the only signs in English are to pay at the toll areas. Thankfully, Wade is a good driver and we make it alive. And I did get to occasionally hear the sound of coquí (the small Puerto Rican frogs), but never did see one on trip.
We ordered several things from the counter (all fried goodies, like much of Puerto Rican food)and it was indeed delicious. The best was the mashed potato beef relleno... I have to figure out how to make that at home. We did the Mt Britton Tower hike, avoiding most of the crowds by taking a service road up. 
We reached the crowds at the top as one group of guys were playing music on a speaker and had their hiking necessity, beer. At least they were nice and shared a beer with Wade. The views from the tower were great and then we walked back through the rainforest path, where you could see regrowth efforts being made in what looked like hay rolls. 
We stopped by La Coca Falls and Bano Grande on the way back out of El Yunque. Oh, and of course we stopped for another mashed potato beef relleno. We drove back the longer way through Loiza for a little afternoon beach and swim time. We found the perfect secluded beach. the weather was perfect and the water was clear water. We got in lots of swimming, although there were some territorial fish that kept nipping at us or chasing us around. 
I walked the whole beach and then came back for another dip in the ocean as Wade went out to check out some afternoon fisherman that showed up and headed out to the rock jetty. Naomi soon joined me in the water, but only because she was chased in by a pack of wild looking dogs. As the sun was setting, we headed to nearby Pinones for dinner. Most of the little food stands Wade and I had seen open on Friday were now closed, so we stopped for a meal at a yummy (and way cheaper than the city) seafood restaurant called La Mamacita. Nice last day in San Juan, as tomorrow we check out of our San Juan AirBnB and head for the island of Culebra!