Our Puerto Rico Vacation – Day 5

On our fifth day we left early so that it wouldn’t be too hot during our walk through the Caba Rojo salt flats…There an interpreter took us through the nature preserve and the salt flats where salt is still collected.



We were warned not to touch these:)
 


Barrel cactus were everywhere…

It is a very dry, desert like environment…


You really have to be there at dawn to see the most birds…it was too hot for birds to be out by the time we arrived…

The black widow spiders were out though…

…and there are some beautiful wild flowers among the cactus.

The salt flats are pink due to algae in the water…It a delightful contrast against the blue sky.


There is an observatory tower to take it all in…

After lunch we hiked to the Caba Rojo lighthouse…the lighthouse was closed but the view is what everyone seeks…and the wind was refreshing after hiking in the desert heat…






Yes, I had white ankle socks on…I was hiking!

This was growing wild up on the windy cliffs.

Looking back towards the salt flats and mountains you could see an idyllic beach… I would have stayed there all day but we had to get back on the bus and head towards San Juan and supper…

Some Egg Action…

I haven’t bothered with an egg tree every year but this year my Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick  died and its branches make the perfect egg tree…

 

I haven’t dyed eggs every year either but this year I needed an activity to do with my grandchildren during an overnight…

And finally…I rarely had an egg hunt here when my children were young because my parents always held one at their house.  Now I am the grandparent and the egg hunt was here…

And now to eat all those hard-boiled and chocolate eggs.

Our Puerto Rico Vacation – Day 4…

Because of the mountains, one side of Puerto Rico has rain forests and the other side has dry forests.  On our fourth day we hiked in the dry forest of  Guanica…Bosque Seco de Guanica

Quite different than our walk at the botanical gardens or later in the rain forest of El Yunque.

Wild cotton grows everywhere…

…and cactus…

…and flowers.

Once we hiked high enough we had views of the sea.

Most things I took photos of I don’t know the names of…but I managed to get more photos of birds there than on any other of our  hikes…

When we reached the end of the hike we were rewarded with this scene, a most welcome breeze, and another great picnic…

After the hot hike we were very happy to spend the afternoon at the beach…

Our Puerto Rico Vacation…Day 3

La Parguera is on the Caribbean and we spent one entire day on and in the water.   Just a short walk from the paradore we met our guide and climbed into kayaks for a morning of paddling through the mangroves. 

I videoed part of the trip while letting Mr O do all the paddling.

The rest of the day we snorkeled and at night we went swimming in a bio-luminescent bay…magical… but some things I just couldn’t photograph…