Let me start off by saying this was the best vacation I've ever had. I've never seen things so beautiful or experienced a way of life so relaxing. On the third day I was already asking Efrain if we could move down there. He didn't quite go for it.
We flew all night Friday (with both of us feeling a little under the weather) and arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday morning. We took a red-eye to try and save money on a hotel, but we both agreed that it wasn't worth it. I slept maybe an hour and it was soooo uncomfortable. Anyways...we dropped out bags off at our hotel in Old San Juan and started walking around the city. It was so hot and humid, but really cloudy. As you can see in the picture below it looked like it was going to rain so it never occurred to me to put sunscreen on...I got fried. The sun is evil down there. You'll see in every other picture that I'm wearing a shirt in the water trying to prevent more burning and blistering.
We walked all over Old San Juan on Saturday. All the streets were really old and skinny.
There is a wall surrounding the city dating back to the 1500's. It was so cool.
The wall led to the old military fort. About 3 battles were held on the huge lawn out front. Thousands of people died. Now they do reenactments and people just kind of hang out there.
By mid afternoon I begged to go take a nap. We ate dinner at a traditional Puerto Rican restaurant. It was delicious.
We saw this really old catholic church. It was gorgeous.
On Sunday we ate breakfast at a little diner (basically I ate butter with a side of roll) and then headed over to the cruise terminal. Efrain was having a really bad runny nose and cough but I had started feeling a bit better. I basically refused to acknowledge any sickness, which may have been to my detriment.
The ship we were on, Adventure of the Seas, was exactly like our ship from last year. Since we were so busy with family and wedding last time, we were able to do some activities that we hadn't previously been able to. (Ice skating, laying by the pool, breakfast in bed...) We only had one day at sea, so we took advantage. Here's my man at a party on the first night...
Our first stop was in Bridgetown, Barbados. We took a catamaran and went kayaking. We saw sea turtles and found out that the water in the Caribbean is extremely salty. We could float really easily! We stopped at an AMAZING beach and hung out for a bit. I was starting to feel a bit sickly...
(A walking advertisement for Univar and Cal Poly...I can NEVER escape work!)
(You'll notice my dorky visor. I figured if I'm going to be a tourist, I might as well look like one.)
Our 2nd stop was in Castries, St Lucia. It was so beautiful. It reminded me of Seattle in the sense that it was very green and lush. It rained in the morning, but was hot and sticky the rest of the day. Anytime we walked off the ship and tried to take a picture the camera would fog up. So we would have to wait 5 minutes or so.
We were scheduled to go kayaking that morning. I had been up with an awful fever and cough all night, so I told Efrain to grab his paddle while I laid back and took in the scenery. It was really pretty.
(You can see how great I was feeling in this picture. UGH!)
(But Efrain had a great time!)
On our way back to the ship I told Efrain that I couldn't handle it and would have to go to the Dr onboard. I don't think I've been that sick in at least 5 years. So, I went in and found out that I had a nasty Upper Respiratory Infection and bronchitis. They shot me full of antibiotics and started me on breathing treatments. In the picture below I went in for my 3rd treatment and Efrain accompanied me with the camera...
The next day I was feeling much better, thank you drugs, and I'm so glad because this ended up being my favorite day. We were in St Johns, Antigua. (This is where I started begging for us to move)
We took a bus across the island and then a small boat about 1 mile off shore. It was so strange to be driving along and then all of a sudden you come upon this incredibly blue, and I mean BLUE water. All that was there was a makeshift dock in the middle of the ocean. You get off the boat and the water is about 4 feet deep. It's so crazy because you look around and you're in the middle of the ocean and it's dead quiet, but you're standing up. Anyways...the guides start throwing squid in the water and all of a sudden I feel something brush my leg....a sting ray!! They were all over...about 20 or so. They swam all around us...let us touch them and hold them. It was insane!This experience was definitely in the top three most incredible things I've done in my life. It was so peaceful and serene. Incredible!
A few shots from the boat...
The next day we were in Phillipsburg, St Maarten. I think this is the place I most want to return to. It was just a small town centered around the beach. The water was the color of light blue Gatorade. It was insane. We took a water taxi into town and walked around for a bit.
Then we took a boat around the island and started Snuba diving. Snuba is exactly like Scuba but instead of having the tank on your back, it sits on top of the water in a raft and you're hooked to it with a breathing line. It was cool. I only got about 1/2 way down before my sick lungs said NO WAY and I had to go back up. Efrain was in HEAVEN! He loved it! He was down there for about 30 minutes while I snorkeled above him. It was the weirdest feeling to be 30 feet above him watching him swim. There was a shipwreck and a lot of cool fish.
Our last day we were in St Croix, US Virgin Islands. From what we saw of the island itself, it was ok. We took a bus to the other side of the island and took a boat about 40 minutes out to a small island. You can see in the pictures that the water was dark and deep and the minute we got near the island it became crystal clear. There's a coral reef that divides the two and that's where we snorkeled. It's such an amazing place that President Clinton actually deemed it a National Park during his presidency. I can remember swimming around and looking at all the amazing colored fish and coral and thinking "I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe that this is so incredible". And it really was. Our cheap underwater cameras don't do it justice, but it was out of this world. We even saw a shark! That was a little nerve racking, but he barely even glanced at us.
Sadly, the cruise ended...but we ended up staying one more day in Puerto Rico. We stayed at a resort near the airport and boy was it the best idea ever. We laid by the pool and went to the beach...it was great! Efrain hung out at the in-pool bar and watched the Lakers. It was the perfect ending to an outstanding trip.
We walked all over Old San Juan on Saturday. All the streets were really old and skinny.
There is a wall surrounding the city dating back to the 1500's. It was so cool.
The wall led to the old military fort. About 3 battles were held on the huge lawn out front. Thousands of people died. Now they do reenactments and people just kind of hang out there.
By mid afternoon I begged to go take a nap. We ate dinner at a traditional Puerto Rican restaurant. It was delicious.
We saw this really old catholic church. It was gorgeous.
On Sunday we ate breakfast at a little diner (basically I ate butter with a side of roll) and then headed over to the cruise terminal. Efrain was having a really bad runny nose and cough but I had started feeling a bit better. I basically refused to acknowledge any sickness, which may have been to my detriment.
Our first stop was in Bridgetown, Barbados. We took a catamaran and went kayaking. We saw sea turtles and found out that the water in the Caribbean is extremely salty. We could float really easily! We stopped at an AMAZING beach and hung out for a bit. I was starting to feel a bit sickly...
(A walking advertisement for Univar and Cal Poly...I can NEVER escape work!)
(You'll notice my dorky visor. I figured if I'm going to be a tourist, I might as well look like one.)
Our 2nd stop was in Castries, St Lucia. It was so beautiful. It reminded me of Seattle in the sense that it was very green and lush. It rained in the morning, but was hot and sticky the rest of the day. Anytime we walked off the ship and tried to take a picture the camera would fog up. So we would have to wait 5 minutes or so.
We were scheduled to go kayaking that morning. I had been up with an awful fever and cough all night, so I told Efrain to grab his paddle while I laid back and took in the scenery. It was really pretty.
(You can see how great I was feeling in this picture. UGH!)
(But Efrain had a great time!)
On our way back to the ship I told Efrain that I couldn't handle it and would have to go to the Dr onboard. I don't think I've been that sick in at least 5 years. So, I went in and found out that I had a nasty Upper Respiratory Infection and bronchitis. They shot me full of antibiotics and started me on breathing treatments. In the picture below I went in for my 3rd treatment and Efrain accompanied me with the camera...
The next day I was feeling much better, thank you drugs, and I'm so glad because this ended up being my favorite day. We were in St Johns, Antigua. (This is where I started begging for us to move)
We took a bus across the island and then a small boat about 1 mile off shore. It was so strange to be driving along and then all of a sudden you come upon this incredibly blue, and I mean BLUE water. All that was there was a makeshift dock in the middle of the ocean. You get off the boat and the water is about 4 feet deep. It's so crazy because you look around and you're in the middle of the ocean and it's dead quiet, but you're standing up. Anyways...the guides start throwing squid in the water and all of a sudden I feel something brush my leg....a sting ray!! They were all over...about 20 or so. They swam all around us...let us touch them and hold them. It was insane!This experience was definitely in the top three most incredible things I've done in my life. It was so peaceful and serene. Incredible!
A few shots from the boat...
The next day we were in Phillipsburg, St Maarten. I think this is the place I most want to return to. It was just a small town centered around the beach. The water was the color of light blue Gatorade. It was insane. We took a water taxi into town and walked around for a bit.
Then we took a boat around the island and started Snuba diving. Snuba is exactly like Scuba but instead of having the tank on your back, it sits on top of the water in a raft and you're hooked to it with a breathing line. It was cool. I only got about 1/2 way down before my sick lungs said NO WAY and I had to go back up. Efrain was in HEAVEN! He loved it! He was down there for about 30 minutes while I snorkeled above him. It was the weirdest feeling to be 30 feet above him watching him swim. There was a shipwreck and a lot of cool fish.
Our last day we were in St Croix, US Virgin Islands. From what we saw of the island itself, it was ok. We took a bus to the other side of the island and took a boat about 40 minutes out to a small island. You can see in the pictures that the water was dark and deep and the minute we got near the island it became crystal clear. There's a coral reef that divides the two and that's where we snorkeled. It's such an amazing place that President Clinton actually deemed it a National Park during his presidency. I can remember swimming around and looking at all the amazing colored fish and coral and thinking "I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe that this is so incredible". And it really was. Our cheap underwater cameras don't do it justice, but it was out of this world. We even saw a shark! That was a little nerve racking, but he barely even glanced at us.
I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone! The cost wasn't too bad and I will remember it for the rest of my life. We're actually considering going again next year if anyone wants to join us! Thanks to my husband for being my best friend and favorite travel partner. I love you!
