Round Two

WOW! I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since my last post.  We have had visitors and time flies when you're having fun.  Two weeks ago some of our best friends came out for some much needed R & R.  We started the trip off by visiting the only rainforest in the United States, El Yunque.  We saw a couple waterfalls and some amazing views.  The last waterfall we hiked to we got down poured on right when we got there, so what did we decide to do?  Swim under it of course!  In hindsight we now realize we should have waited for all the rushing water from the rain to flow down the river.  We jumped in anyway and soon found out why there are flash flood signs everywhere.  Theses falls are powerful.  As we were trying to swim under it to a cove we were immediately dunked and thrown about until we had no air left.  We came up just before a big rock engulfed us (me and Erika that is).  Preston and Eric had no problems getting to the center.  As Erika and I are trying to catch our breath from almost drowning we can hear Preston yelling from inside the waterfall, "Erika, Erika, Tara, Tara, where is Tara?   Where did Tara go?"  We had a good laugh as we hiked back to the car.  Our lives flashing before our eyes as we gulp for air every second we could.  It was fast and scary, but we had a blast getting blasted by the falls.  The next day we took off in the boat for Vieques with the intent of stopping by the bioluminescent  bay again.  We had some rough weather and were only able to sail for a couple hours.  Once we pulled in and ate dinner we headed off in the dinghy to swim in the sparkling water.  We wore shoes this time so the sea grass on the bottom wasn't as creepy feeling.  The moon would come out of the clouds every couple minutes and ruin the effect of the water, so it was still cool but nowhere near as bright and sparkly as when we were here before.  The next day we relaxed, went to a new beach and played in the sand.  We were fighting bad weather and moved anchorages to the end of the island where we had some GREAT snorkeling.  We saw a forest of sea fans, turtles, rays, fish, crabs, and coral.  The turtles were really fun to swim with.  They would let you swim within a foot of them.  I even reached out and touched one!  It immediately flipped around ready to defend itself.  It startled me how fast it turned around.  Our last stop is one our our favorite places we have been to, Culibrita.  It takes 5 hours beating into the wind and waves to get here, but boy is it worth it.  The protected bay, the clear teal water, the white sand beach, and the turtles make the trip feel like it was nothing.  We spent the next couple days exploring a lighthouse from 1860, relaxing in some "jacuzzi" tide pools, finding seashells, paddle boarding, snorkeling, playing in the waves, and most importantly having fun with our friends.  We have had the time of our lives the past few weeks and can't express how thankful we are to our friends and family for taking the time out of their lives back home to come visit us on our journey.