Makes the Night Come Alive With Freshness

So, if you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, as the song goes, then you'll love Puerto Rico, because you'll get plenty of both. Yes friends, I have returned from the Isla de Encanto, a little crisp and slightly injured (long story) but otherwise wishing that I could have stayed longer.

So many stories...but I'll save the "what I did on my summer vacation" version of the story for future cocktail parties. Here are a couple of observations and general conclusions from me:

• Burger King became the landmark for every place we needed to go. Where's our highway exit? When do we get off the bus? Where is the nearest bank? All we had to do was look for the Burger King. Thankfully we never set foot in one.
• The name Steve kept showing up as often as the Burger Kings. The manager of our guesthouse looked so familiar to me when I met him, and then I noticed that he looked exactly like an older version of Steve from "Sex in the City". I learned later on that Esteban (the manager's name) is actually the Spanish version of Steven, which I found hilariously creepy. We also met a fellow tourist named Steve, who was staying at our bed and breakfast, and then later showed up in our kayaking group.
• Speaking of kayaking, anyone who's reading this must go to a bioluminescent bay at least once. The coolness cannot be conveyed in words or photos (because it doesn't show up in regular photos). Sticking your hand in the water and watching the water glow is just amazing.
• A lot of pharmaceutical companies have manufacturing facilities there. Interesting...
• The photo above is the sunrise from the door of our room in Ceiba. The sky is a little hazy, isn't it? The reason is African dust. That's right, it's actually DUST FROM AFRICA.
• I don't think I'll ever be as excited again about alcohol as I was when we were in Casa Bacardi, the world's largest rum distillery. A very lengthy free tour, two free drinks, and so much cheap alcohol that I didn't know where to start. Interesting point: Bacardi 151° is not allowed on airlines because it's flammable. Perhaps the fact that it's 75% alcohol might have something to do with it.

Despite our jam-packed days, there is still a lot that we didn't get to see or do, so I am definitely putting Puerto Rico back on my list of destinations. For now, I just need a little time to recover.

"Don't you see baby, así es perfecto"

Waiting for Laundry

It's finally here...Puerto Rico Eve. My suitcase is open on the floor, it's almost midnight, and I'm waiting for my laundry. My dad has restricted my mom to doing laundry at ten o'clock at night or on weekends, when it's cheaper somehow. Go figure. And it makes packing in advance a little difficult.

So I'm as ready as I'll ever be. My stomach is acting like it does when I'm about to speak in public, which is weird. But I'll take it as a sure sign that I'm excited. Not that I needed a sign or anything.

Almost positive that I haven't forgotten anything.

Remember not to eat the ice cubes.

Hasta luego.

"I can't live, I can't breathe unless you do this with me"