Well, we decided to take one more wham of a trip while it's just the two of us. One of my friends suggested Puerto Rico, and after looking at how affordable it'd be, we jumped on it. As we flew into PR we were greeted by one of the local giant i
guanas taking a stroll along the runway. We made it to the bus stop only to wait 45 minutes w/ hundreds of taxis honking as they passed. Finally, our first bus came. At our transfer, the next bus wouldn't allow us on with our luggage. 30 minutes after that, we got a bus to take us. When we finally got to the hotel in San Juan, the front desk attendant greeted us and said, "Mr. Sugiyama, it looks like you are part of our Ambassadors Club and therefore need to take the elevator up to the Penthouse level where the receptionist will be waiting." From that point on, we truly felt like Ambassadors. Our room was beautiful, it came with breakfast and hor doeuvrs, with some of the best hot chocolate ever.
guanas taking a stroll along the runway. We made it to the bus stop only to wait 45 minutes w/ hundreds of taxis honking as they passed. Finally, our first bus came. At our transfer, the next bus wouldn't allow us on with our luggage. 30 minutes after that, we got a bus to take us. When we finally got to the hotel in San Juan, the front desk attendant greeted us and said, "Mr. Sugiyama, it looks like you are part of our Ambassadors Club and therefore need to take the elevator up to the Penthouse level where the receptionist will be waiting." From that point on, we truly felt like Ambassadors. Our room was beautiful, it came with breakfast and hor doeuvrs, with some of the best hot chocolate ever. 
The next day we rented a car and drove to the city of Fajardo on the west side of the island. From there we loaded onto a ferry to the nearby island of Culebra. It was there our Kayaking Puerto Rico adventure began. We had a couple hours to spend at Flamenco Beach (ranked 9th in most Most Romantic Beaches). The water was crystal 
clear and super warm. Connie enjoyed burying me alive in the sand. As we were eating Connie noticed our tour bus was about to take off so we scarfed down the remaining rice and beans, and ran through the parking lot kabobs in hand.
clear and super warm. Connie enjoyed burying me alive in the sand. As we were eating Connie noticed our tour bus was about to take off so we scarfed down the remaining rice and beans, and ran through the parking lot kabobs in hand. We then got to go kayaking and snorkeling. We saw all sorts of fish and coral formations. Some of the highlight
s were the sea urchins, turtles, barracuda, and sting ray. Our tour guide had people dive down for an underwater shot, unfortunately mine turned out with me looking like a queer. Our second snorkel location was cut short as 
we were about to be swept into a strong current. I noticed some of the "non-swimmers" lagging behind, and decided to go back to help. Apparently, just as I did so Connie took in some water and panicked a bit not having me right beside her. But all was well and we were not swept out to sea, although Connie feared we might. 
s were the sea urchins, turtles, barracuda, and sting ray. Our tour guide had people dive down for an underwater shot, unfortunately mine turned out with me looking like a queer. Our second snorkel location was cut short as 
we were about to be swept into a strong current. I noticed some of the "non-swimmers" lagging behind, and decided to go back to help. Apparently, just as I did so Connie took in some water and panicked a bit not having me right beside her. But all was well and we were not swept out to sea, although Connie feared we might. 
After grabbing a quick bite at the local pizza joint owned by a recent convert, we began our next kayaking adventure at the bioluminescent bay. We kayaked in the dark through a mangrove only about 15 feet wide with trees hanging all over the place. We were probably the only ones to successfully make it to the bay without hitting any trees. The bay was really cool. It had the largest concentration of these bioluminescent plankton that would glow if agitated. So every paddle stroke glowed bright blue, and the harder you splashed with your hand the brighter it got. You could even splash it on your arms and legs and see the little lights fall back into the water. Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.
The next day was our Old San Juan site-seeing tour. We walked around two old forts, El Morro and Castillo de San Cristobal, historically significant as one of the largest defenses built in the Americas. We took a stroll through the shops and tried some of the local dishes. I ordered the Mofongo and Tostones, both plantain dishes and both delicious. Not the most eye appealing presentation, but the taste was amazing.
After checking out, we lugged our suitcases onto the beach and spent our last few hours taking it all in. I had a blast flying my kite, and together we made the most pathetic sandcastle ever. We then hailed a taxi and that evening were back to our humble abode. It was a bit sad to think that one moment we were lounging at the beach, the next moment we were back to our old stinky apartment. But all in all a perfect vacation. 
