When I decided to stay a couple of days in San Juan after the cruise, I started to look at what to do here. One thing that came high on the list of suggestions was a visit to El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest within the national forest system. So I found a guided tour, and at 8:40, a black unmarked van picked me up outside my hotel.
In the van was Isaac, our guide, and one other man (from Utah, I got to know later on). We picked up a couple from North Carolina and then set off towards the mountains while Isaac told us a bunch of facts about the forest and Puerto Rico. It took us about 40 minutes to drive up the mountain. I couldn’t help but compare the roads to the ones we traveled in Dominica. These were much wider, had fences any place which was rational. At one place, they were fixing the road, and it had only one lane open. In Dominica, you just honked and hoped the guy in the other end stopped. Here you had traffic lights! And that, combined with that there was little traffic (weekday and no cruise ship visiting), made the trip rather smooth.
We started off at Palo Colorado, where we found Baño Grande, and went for a 20-minute walk in the forest along a prepared path. Isaac pointed out a bunch of plants and bugs. A couple of nice views as well, between the trees and bushes. The woman in the couple from NC wasn’t the fastest walker, so they fell behind pretty quickly. Our guide didn’t notice at first, so he kept walking, and when we waited for them to catch up, he continued as soon as they reached us, giving her no time to rest. But when we turned around and walked back again (the circular part of the trail was closed), he took the tail position instead, and I got the lead, keeping a slow pace.
Next stop was the Yokahu Tower. After walking the 96 steps up, we could get a marvelous view over the forest.
Outside the tower, there was a wild cat that apparently got fed by tourists and a shopkeeper close by. I really missed my own cats at that moment 🙁
We moved on to Cascada La Coca, a waterfall. When we had gotten our pictures, our guide told us that we could climb closer, but that it might be slippery since it had rained recently. I felt adventurous, so I took off! It wasn’t that bad on the way up; the way down, though, that was tougher.
and a howling dog if you look from right to left 🙂
Our final stop in the El Yunque was Puente Roto, a stream that had like a pocket at a bridge where you could get in and swim a bit. The water was cool but perfectly fine. The guy from Utah took a bit longer to get in; he was expecting it to be a bit warmer. The way into the water was a bit tricky, though. All stones that were too big and not big enough to be comfortable to walk on. The solution was to get down on your bum and scoot into the water.
On the way back to San Juan, we stopped at Frutera Flores for some lunch. Apparently, our guide worked there as well, because he put on an apron and stepped in behind the counter. I got some rice and salmon and took a seat outside under a sunshade. There were five dogs walking around and waiting for people to drop, intentionally or not, food on the ground. Instinctively, I don’t want to give stray animals (not sure if they were, though) food, but they looked very cute. I kept my food to myself, but others were happy to share.
At the seating outdoors, there was a wall that a woman was painting and seemed almost finished. It was really beautiful! I think the artist’s name was Liza Artes Murales (it was printed on her van).
At half past twelve, we got back into the van and headed back to the city. It felt like our guide was in a hurry; he kept switching lanes and overtaking. The van swayed back and forth, but that might have been because the roads are not in the best condition. That might make it feel worse than it is.
When I got back to the hotel, I dropped my stuff in the room and then got into the pool for some reading. I finished my last book during breakfast, so I have now started with True Faith and Allegiance by Mark Greaney (Tom Clancy franchise). It rained for a brief moment, so I took shelter under a palm. It’s nice with IP68 classified electronics.
After an hour, I got back to the room. The swimming trunks need to dry off before I pack, so I hung them outside my window where the sun was scorching. I packed my stuff to see how the weight was. I’m leaving my flip flops behind, don’t expect I’ll need them anymore. It looks like the owner knows the room can be damp. I found a bag in the closet called “DampRid”. It says to dispose of it when the bottom part is full, and it’s full. I hung it on the closet door so someone might notice it when I leave.
At seven, I went out for dinner. Yesterday I saw a Japanese restaurant that looked promising, so I headed there. Ended up with some noodles, beef, and vegetables. Very nice waitress and great food.
On my way back to the hotel, I heard the same bird noise I’ve heard during the nights I’ve been here. Since it sounded so repetitive, like identical, I asked Google Gemini on the first night if it was common to have some sound system to scare off birds. This was the answer.
It is not common for residential homes in San Juan to have audible sound systems to scare off birds, but they are occasionally used in specific commercial settings (like hotels, marinas, or open-air restaurants).
However, if you are asking this because you are currently hearing a loud, repetitive, mechanical-sounding noise, it is highly likely you are actually hearing a Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger), a bird native to Puerto Rico, rather than a machine.
Tomorrow it’s time to go back to the mainland. I’m flying to Dallas via Miami. Quite the difference in weather. It seems to be between 8 and 18 °C, compared to 25-30 °C in the Caribbean.