Sabbatical 2.0

After completing our volunteer experience in San Juan, we rented a car and drove to the El Yunque rainforest, the only rainforest in the U.S.  We stayed in a cabin called the Sugar Shack (AirBnB) and were right on the edge of the rainforest. Each day we trekked into the forest and explored waterfalls and trails that led to towers to see the amazing views. If you go, you must use recreation.com to purchase entry tickets ($2.00).  They are controlling the number of visitors through this site.  We were able to get the tickets the day before at 8:00 am, when they offer a few tickets to late-comers. Jon went down a natural water slide. He said it was great, but not designed like those ones in the water park. Therefore, it hurt. Bridget was already nursing some injuries, so she decided not to try it. The mango coconut limbers afterward were very tasty, though. After El Yunque, we drove back to San Juan and took a puddle jumper to the island of Vieques, along with Culebra, these...

We are in San Juan, Puerto Rico completing our volunteer experience with CRESPR.org in the Bucare Urban Garden.  This organization is all about the maintenance and recovery of the dunes on the island of Puerto Rico. Through the growth and planting of mangroves and other native plants, the dunes can be kept in place.  So, we are doing some gardening. Yes.  They are superpositive. Nothing wrong with sitting on a compost bucket while waiting for the gate to open. The edge of a green sanctuary made possible by CRESPR.org. The skate park above was the foundation of a condominium.  It was never completed and the adjacent land has become a green sanctuary with hundreds of plantings done by B.U.G. This is one of the leaders of CRES, Juan. Yvette is the other leader. They both volunteer their time and don’t get paid. This is hard work but they say it’s their hobby.  Old San Juan is a beautiful city.  The history of Spanish conquest is a central part of Old San Juan....

San Pedro de Atacama is a town in a desert in Chile.    The town itself feels like a tourist town with restaurants and gift shops and tour companies galore.  However, it is in an amazing place with geisers, mountains and desert sights that make it an incredible place to visit. On our first day we hiked the Pukara de Quitor, a precolumbian archaeological site that was a defensive bunker used to protect against invaders. The next day, we were up at 4:30 am to catch a ride to the Tatio Geisers for sunrise. We explored the Valle de la Luna, which has some great desert formations.  But, I wouldn’t say it looks like the surface of the moon. We caught some beautiful sunsets, which is a standard desert pastime.  At the best locations, everyone comes out for the show. The next day we tried to go to Laguna Cejar and Dos Ojos, but we were unsuccessful. There was some weird thing about the times we went. So we went to Laguna Chaxa and Cejar the next day at the right times. ...