Reporting from Puerto Rico *

Our hike in the rainforest

HEY!! Sorry I’ve taken so long to get this thing up and going. Its really nice having absolutely no internet, email, etc. in your life for days at a time. But I’m finally ready to spill.

This trip has been utterly amazing. There has not been one low point thus far. I feel like I’ve been aboard for weeks, when in actuality it’s been only about 13 days. I’ve found a great group of people and am still meeting people everyday. Life on the boat is great. I only have classes every other day .. the rest of my hours are filled with sun bathing and eating moderately delicious meals. My classes are pretty decent .. a poetry workshop, art history- sacred sites, and a lame history course that may be the partial death of me and my only complaint on this entire experience so far.

Our first port was Puerto Rico.. which was Amazing. Traveling to all these remarkable countries I definitely under estimated the potential of Puerto Rico. The night before pulling into port we grab blankets and sleeping bags and sleep out on the deck to catch the sunset and the first glimpse of land.. it's incredible and we decide it should be a tradition on every night before port. Our first day we ventured into El Yunque rainforest to do some hiking. La coca was our first waterfall stop, the second stop at Yokahu Tower, we climbed to the top and saw some great views of San Juan. Our last stop was at La Mina falls.. Breathtaking.

Hiking in El Yunque

We swam in the water and relaxed under these amazing falls. On our route back our cab driver let us in on Puerto Rico’s most amazing gift.. Chicken on a stick, and Medalla. I wont even go into detail on these two products because there are no words. That night was our first taste of Puerto Rican night life where we found some great local bars and a popular karaoke night where we sang our voices away. The next day we woke early and headed to the beach, Isla Verde. Surrounded by resorts and hotels it’s a big tourist spot but it was gorgeous..

Swimming under the waterfalls

That night I did a trip to bioluminescent bay where the water actually illuminates because of the micro organisms that live in the water. Our tour guide, Captain Suarez, was so incredible, and although the state has outlawed swimming in these waters, Suarez let us take a dip and we swam and glowed in the pitch black night. It was an amazing experience and kept having to remind myself we were still in port numero uno. The next day we venture our into old san juan and find a great little café stuck in the middle of a busy street. The food is mind-blowing and the food coma sets in. We walk it off and spend the rest of our time in port before having to be back on the ship sitting on a cliff over looking the water. Since leaving Puerto Rico we’ve been in class, hardly working, and working on that tan. I haven’t one complaint in the world. We’re pulling into Brazil tomorrow morning just in time to catch the last day, and the best day, of Carnival, the biggest party in the world. I don’t have too many plans in Brazil besides a futbol game, tasting all the local food, swimming at all the beaches, and having an amazing time. Letters and emails are great!! Semesteratsea.com has a send a postcard link, this site is free for me and is perfect for sending emails. Thanks for following me on my journey and hopefully my next entry will be even more exciting and a little more timely.

Xo from the high seas

–ker.