We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, around 9 AM. I had forgotten how nice the entrance to the harbor is here. On our port side we passed El Morro (officially Castillo San Felipe del Morro), an iconic fortress built on the promontory overlooking the entrance to the harbor. Construction of the fort was done in the 16th century by the Spanish. In 1595 El Morro was attacked by Sir Francis Drake who at the time was considered invincible. He was soundly defeated. A few years later another Englishman, George Clifford, learned from Drake's mistakes and attacked the fort from the land side. He won and for a few months the English ruled Puerto Rico. Unfortunately for them they succumbed to dysentery and had to abandon the island.
I decided to take a trip up to El Yunque, part of the National Forest system and the only tropical rain forest in the US. There were two little buses, each capable of carrying 25 people but Seabourn never fills more than half the seats. Hence, our bus had 11 passengers. Off we went on a 40 minute drive eastward out of San Juan. I could not believe the growth since the last time I was in San Juan. There are lots of tall apartment and condo buildings, many more than I recall seeing. After we bumped along we got off the main road and headed up to the park. We stopped briefly at a bakery where there was a bathroom available. The pastries looked delicious, but after 15 days of eating and having had breakfast already, I couldn't try one.
We picked up our guide Richard and headed up into the hills and the forest. Think of forest so lush with all kinds of vines hanging down that you can't see even a few inches into the vegetation and you've got a picture of the forest. Our first stop was a bridge over the Mameyes River, a "wild and scenic" river running through the park. We parked and walked out on the bridge. The water rushed down through rocks and rapids. In the little flat areas there were pools with people cooling off. Lots of cars were parked along the side of the road and families were carrying portable grills and coolers down to the banks to enjoy a Sunday barbecue and picnic. The temperature on the bridge was refreshingly cool. Our guide told us about the flora and fauna. I can't remember how many species there were except for 16 types of Coquis, the little Puerto Rican tree frogs. i really tuned out when he mentioned that there were several species of snakes in the forest. It was time for me to get back in the bus at that.
We headed up the winding road on our way to a waterfall and a watch-tower and it was then that our troubles began. We were in a line of local traffic, cars filled with locals wanting to see the sights. As we inched forward, we saw there was a checkpoint with an official sitting and checking permits to go further. Most of the cars ahead of us had to make a u-turn and go back the way they came. Our turn came and the official wanted to see our permit. Our driver shuffled through papers and couldn't come up with the one showing the correct date, November 21. Call me foolish, but it was pretty apparent that a little bus with 11 obvious tourists with an official guide didn't just decide on a lark to visit this place. But if ever there was a proof of what happens when you give some people a little authority and it goes to their head, this man embodied it. But wait, it got worse!
We made our u-turn and drove a little way back to a turnout. Most of us got out and took some photos; the view was nice. In the distance we could see Jost van Dyke, one of the British Virgin islands. Meanwhile our driver tried getting his office to have them e-mail the required document. It was Sunday so no one answered. On the bus a very elderly lady needed to use the bathroom. Up by the checkpoint there was a porta-potty so our guide told the woman he would walk up with her so she could take care of her needs. And now comes the really horrid part of the story. They walked up there and the official told them "the porta-potty is only for employees" and a law enforcement officer told the two that they didn't have a permit to walk there and if they didn't leave immediately he would arrest them!!!
When the two got back to the bus, the rest of us decided it was time to go back down, stop at the bakery with its bathroom and call it a day. The lack of basic human kindness by the two officials was really stunning to me. They certainly weren't good representatives of their island. We got back to the ship uneventfully. I did see a little of the rainforest and the river was very pretty so I have no complaints.
We sailed away after dark and passed along the north coast of Puerto Rico. The lights in the distance were very pretty but I didn't get any photos. I've been using my iPhone and to tell the truth, I don't really like doing it. During the day in the sunlight I have a difficult time seeing the screen and I just hope that I'm pointing in the right direction. On the ship I have a hard time keeping the phone still. I will have to rethink this in the future. So that's it from Puerto Rico. Tomorrow we're in Marigot, St. Martin.
Some photos from the last few days
No comments:
Post a Comment