Puerto Rico - Jan 29, 2008 - Day 18
Day 18 - Puerto Rico - Guanica, Guanica State Forest
Another late breakfast. Now, redjo tends to order breakfast for me before the kitchen closes at 10:30am. Started to link my LJ entries to pictures on Flickr and catch up on journaling. I’ve got a list of 25 organizations who have contacted me in two weeks with reasonable jobs that follow my presumed career path. Not bad, not bad at all. I’m following up with recruiters, both pimps and those who work for a particular company.
I took quite a few pics of the Parador for redjo, who wanted folks to know what a nice little place this is. During the week, we seem to have the place pretty much to ourselves. Several times, one other couple has joined us for breakfast, but that’s all. Fountain, manicured lawns, palm trees, pool, weight room, ocean, restaurant. All for us today. I imagine it will get busy on the weekend again.
We had another *great* walk in the Guanica State Forest. On the way, stopped at an abandoned lighthouse, built on the ruins of an older Spanish outpost destroyed in the 1898 Spanish American War. This time, we took the Mesata trail, which goes up and down the sea coast. First off, I noticed holes in the ground, with little balls of wet sand all around them. Crabs! I remember ones in Malaysia that did this, using the creation of the sand balls as a way to pick anything living from the sand.
>>>
3. Meseta - Length: 3.5 km. Time: 45-60 minutes each way. Difficulty: 1-2.
Trailhead: Go to the parking lot at the end of Rt. 333. Go through the gate and head east along the coast - You'll have the chance to see how rugged the coast is here. With rocky headlands and sandy coves making up your route, you will end up in a remarkable “bonsai” forest of dwarf white mangroves, buttonwood and cedar. Though small because of the pruning action of salt spray and wind, these trees many be over a century old. Look for brown pelicans, frigate birds and the beautiful white tropicbirds. This walk bordering the Caribbean is one of the reserve's best.
>>>
We wandered sloooowly down the path. I would say that nearly all of the vegetation was either scraggly cedar, cactus, or short brush, well defended by sharp needles or spikes. I have some beautiful pictures of prickly pear trees, a little forest of them. Barrel cacti, including one that was rather … well, *very* phallic looking.
I didn’t realize how many ways the barrel cacti had to reproduce. There is a little red fruit that squeezes out from the top and drops off, presumably to be eaten, and seeds within to be deposited hither and yon. The top can go until it falls over and spreads like a vine. A very thick vine. The top can grow multiple heads which fall off like little tribbles and scatter like tumbleweeds.
Lots of saguaro type cactus too. The prevailing wind shapes the bushes too. They grow thin at the front edge, and taller away from it, in a long wedge. Windward side can be scoured of leaves too in slower growing plants. The ocean-side trees are beautiful. Willowy, strong, tall, very fine weeping willow like green leaves, easy with the breeze. We stopped on a hillside next to the ocean to turn around.
As the sun started to set, we followed by dinner at the funkiest little beach side restaurant called San Jacinto. The tables were concrete, topped with wood. Completely outdoors, with a barely adequate umbrella overhead. This was also the dock for the Guilligans Island, leaving twice daily. The food was fresh, tasty and a very simple preparation. I had a lobster and mashed plantain, and redjo had red snapper.
Throughout the meal, there were five kittys that were trying to beg food. They each had their special kitty-fu. One, a calico, was dominant, and kept all the others off the other side of the bench next to the table. Two of them meowed at us in the most insistent way. One even tried stealthing up close and just watching very very closely with big eyes.
[Previous Day] [Daily Pics]
Another late breakfast. Now, redjo tends to order breakfast for me before the kitchen closes at 10:30am. Started to link my LJ entries to pictures on Flickr and catch up on journaling. I’ve got a list of 25 organizations who have contacted me in two weeks with reasonable jobs that follow my presumed career path. Not bad, not bad at all. I’m following up with recruiters, both pimps and those who work for a particular company.
I took quite a few pics of the Parador for redjo, who wanted folks to know what a nice little place this is. During the week, we seem to have the place pretty much to ourselves. Several times, one other couple has joined us for breakfast, but that’s all. Fountain, manicured lawns, palm trees, pool, weight room, ocean, restaurant. All for us today. I imagine it will get busy on the weekend again.
We had another *great* walk in the Guanica State Forest. On the way, stopped at an abandoned lighthouse, built on the ruins of an older Spanish outpost destroyed in the 1898 Spanish American War. This time, we took the Mesata trail, which goes up and down the sea coast. First off, I noticed holes in the ground, with little balls of wet sand all around them. Crabs! I remember ones in Malaysia that did this, using the creation of the sand balls as a way to pick anything living from the sand.
>>>
3. Meseta - Length: 3.5 km. Time: 45-60 minutes each way. Difficulty: 1-2.
Trailhead: Go to the parking lot at the end of Rt. 333. Go through the gate and head east along the coast - You'll have the chance to see how rugged the coast is here. With rocky headlands and sandy coves making up your route, you will end up in a remarkable “bonsai” forest of dwarf white mangroves, buttonwood and cedar. Though small because of the pruning action of salt spray and wind, these trees many be over a century old. Look for brown pelicans, frigate birds and the beautiful white tropicbirds. This walk bordering the Caribbean is one of the reserve's best.
>>>
We wandered sloooowly down the path. I would say that nearly all of the vegetation was either scraggly cedar, cactus, or short brush, well defended by sharp needles or spikes. I have some beautiful pictures of prickly pear trees, a little forest of them. Barrel cacti, including one that was rather … well, *very* phallic looking.
I didn’t realize how many ways the barrel cacti had to reproduce. There is a little red fruit that squeezes out from the top and drops off, presumably to be eaten, and seeds within to be deposited hither and yon. The top can go until it falls over and spreads like a vine. A very thick vine. The top can grow multiple heads which fall off like little tribbles and scatter like tumbleweeds.
Lots of saguaro type cactus too. The prevailing wind shapes the bushes too. They grow thin at the front edge, and taller away from it, in a long wedge. Windward side can be scoured of leaves too in slower growing plants. The ocean-side trees are beautiful. Willowy, strong, tall, very fine weeping willow like green leaves, easy with the breeze. We stopped on a hillside next to the ocean to turn around.
As the sun started to set, we followed by dinner at the funkiest little beach side restaurant called San Jacinto. The tables were concrete, topped with wood. Completely outdoors, with a barely adequate umbrella overhead. This was also the dock for the Guilligans Island, leaving twice daily. The food was fresh, tasty and a very simple preparation. I had a lobster and mashed plantain, and redjo had red snapper.
Throughout the meal, there were five kittys that were trying to beg food. They each had their special kitty-fu. One, a calico, was dominant, and kept all the others off the other side of the bench next to the table. Two of them meowed at us in the most insistent way. One even tried stealthing up close and just watching very very closely with big eyes.
[Previous Day] [Daily Pics]