Christmas in Puerto Rico
View from the deck
Mandi and I arrived December 24th after an uneventful (always a good thing) plane ride which took us from St. Louis to Newark to Isabela, Puerto Rico. We spent Christmas Eve listening to the surf with visions of snorkeling swimming in our heads.
Evening at La Casa de Heslas
Our first day there, Christmas, started out with Mass in the morning (in Spanish). The service was lively and the music incorporated cowbells, which we were delighted to learn. Later that day we would venture out the front door and into the ocean for some snorkeling, but first we just enjoyed some fresh fruit and absorbed the beauty of the ocean from the deck.
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Southwest
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The coral around Puerto Rico is "fringe" coral, which means it comes right up to the shoreline. Snorkeling was fairly easy to get used to, though I did get a few mouthfuls of saltwater occasionally. It was stunningly beautiful, diving in and among the coral and beautifully-colored fish. We also tried a little kayaking, though I learned I was much better suited for inland rivers/lakes.
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Kayaking out the back door
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We snorkeled almost every day--the water was wonderfully warm, and the mid-80's
air dried us off quickly. John and Scott even tried snorkeling at night.
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Swimming with the big fella
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The following days brought walking the beach collecting shells and coral that
had washed up on shore, watching Pete, John, and Scott surf at a nearby beach,
and, of course, relaxing.
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You gotta 2-fist when the cans are only 10oz.