La Mina Falls

Arecibo

Camuy Cavern

Day 4

Today we went to Camuy Caverns, a mysterious cave. It was carved millions of years ago by the Camuy river. The cave was big enough to easily fit 17 buildings. The cave was filled with many formations resembling faces. The faces gave the cave an eerie and mysterious sense. The cave had ramps which were made slippery because of the  water dripping from the ceiling. The lack of railings at times forced us to go slower. This was difficult, but also nice because we got a chance to observe the cave more. Before we went in, the tour guide told us how if we felt a cold drop from above it was the "kiss of the cave." If we felt a warm drop than it was bat guano, which is considered "lucky" in Puerto Rican culture. To get to the cave we had to take trolleys that looked like the airport baggage carriers. We saw rainbow trees, a Sierra Palm trees and many other distinct trees from other Puerto Rican places such as El Yunque. The cave entrance was mystical and green, making everyone look tiny and unimportant in comparison. Next we went to Arecibo. At Arecibo Observatory we were brought into an interactive museum. Inside the museum there were little exhibits, many explaining how the telescope worked. Other exhibits were about nanotechnology, the galaxy and many other things. Then we saw a short movie about the observatory and the telescope. After that, it was time to see the real thing. A 1000 foot in diameter radio telescope capable of producing far better images of other galaxies than any other telescope in the world. It was giant. People act like the radio dish is the biggest and best part of the telescope, but in reality the eye-ball like dome on top was the best. It might have been our angle from up above but the dish just didn't seem as impressive as some people have made it out to be. In the evening we went to Metropol restaurant for some delicious food.  Post by Marguerite and Erik 

Day 3. The Rainforest, Luquillo and Biobay

Rainforests, beaches, and bioluminescence, oh my! Yesterday, we had the pleasure of checking out some of the most unique and interesting corners of the Enchanted Isle.

Our day started in the El Yunque rainforest. Though the country's smallest National Forest (at "only" 28000 acres), it has more species of flora and fauna than all other national forests - combined. We hiked throughout, stopping only for a break in a swimming hole beneath La Mina Waterfall. 

We then spent a few hours at Luquillo Beach, where we learned about ocean waves and their characteristics, wind deposition, water currents, and how hard it is to to play ultimate frisbee in the ocean.

After the beach we stopped at Lolita Restaurant for a Mexican meal. 

We wrapped up our day at one of Puerto Rico's famous bioluminescent bays, where every paddle left a swirling mass of yellow light. We had the fun challenge of kayaking through the bay in the dark, as we learned about dinoflagellates, how bioluminescence works, and how not to crash into a tree, and we wrapped up an awesome day. 

By Conor Chung 

El Morro Fort