Puerto Rico Day Seven: Farewell To the Rain Forest And Back To San Juan

I awoke with the first light of dawn from a heavenly sleep at the Rain Forest Inn. The chorus of the frogs was ending. I stepped outside as a warm tropical rain fell on the forest. 

I crawled into a hammock and listened to the gentle falling rain, the songs of the birds awakening in the forest and the crowing of roosters from the neighboring homes. It was most relaxing. 

The rain soon stopped and I watched the dissipating  clouds float across the sky.  I could not see the sunrise since it was on the other side of the mountain but I enjoyed watching the clouds reflect the morning sunlight. Here is a link to some more photographs of the morning sky. Puerto Rico Day Seven: Rain forest morning clouds. February 14 2018. 

It didn’t take long for the already intense sun to rise over the mountains and  break through the clouds.

I did not want to walk back into the rain forest that morning. My shoes were still soaked and my cloths muddy. And I wanted to explore more of the mountains in my jeep. So I decided  to take some photographs of the  beautiful flowers

and exotic plants growing in the well maintained gardens of the Rain Forest Inn with my macro lens. 

As I photographed the many tropical flowers,

I also encountered some spiders,

and quite a few lizards. 

The lizards were everywhere. Scampering up walls,

or peering out from under leaves or on rocks. 

I also had my zoom lens close at hand to capture some  of the many birds that were singing in the surrounding forest. 

I had a few hours to take photographs since breakfast was to be served at 9 a.m. So I continued to look for birds, spiders lizards or anything of interest, including this beautiful snail. Here is a link to some more photographs taken with my macro lens. Puerto Rico Day Seven: Rain Forest Inn macro lens. 

I  was accompanied on my morning explorations with Simone,

Gracie

and Ernest the cat.

After frolicking with these friendly pets, I sat down for a delicious breakfast prepared by Rene. I had a wonderful conversation   with her and  Bill. I learned so much about the rain forest, the history of the area, and the damage caused by Hurricane Maria. They love their Inn and surrounding property as much as I do mine. 

In the short few hours I was there, I  really  came to love the beautiful  Rain Forest Inn and it’s surrounding forest . Here are some more photographs of the lovely, elegant Inn located in this  sub-tropical paradise.  Puerto Rico Day Seven. Rain Forest Inn February 14 2018. 

Sadly, I had to leave. I decided to drive some of the mountain roads and  check out the damage caused by Hurricane Maria. I didn’t take long to find it. I soon came to this crew who had stopped traffic while the did some repair work on the road.

I followed Route 186 up into the mountains.

The road was narrow, steep and winding. I am sure it was not easy to drive  even before the Hurricane. Large potholes, fallen trees  and washouts made for even more difficult driving conditions.

It didn’t take long to  find out just how bad the road conditions were. I hit a large hole in the road and blew out a tire. Luckily, I had  a spare in the Jeep. I had road side assistance but there was no telephone service in the mountains. 

Thankfully, a crew of electrical workers from Missouri and Illinois were nearby to lend assistance. We were in the mountains and there was really no flat ground to change the tire. They had a wedge to place under the tire and helped me change it. 

 Just as we had changed the towers a nearby transformer on an electrical pole line exploded sending the workers scampering to safety. They said it will take months to get electricity to the folks living up here. The Rainforest Inn had no electricity and had to use propane electrical generators. The residents of this wonderful island still need plenty of help. 

After getting a flat, and realizing how remote it was up in the mountains I decided to head back down to civilization. 

I drove through small villages and  encountered a few delays on the way because of electrical workers repairing the power lines. 

At one point I waited, with some local folks who seemed used to this, for almost 45 minutes while a transformer was repaired. 

Eventually I was on my way.  I drove down from the hills to the  major highways and back to San Juan. My hotel for my last night in Puerto Rico, The San Juan Water and Beach Club Hotel was located on the beach near the airport. Here is a link with some more photographs from my drive from the mountains. Puerto Rico Day Seven: Drive to San Juan February 14 2018. 

It was around 1 p.m.   when I arrived and a room in the unique water themed hotel was available. 

I quickly settled in and made my way to the beautiful beach where I finally relaxed for a few hours. Well I guess you can call walking on the beach relaxation. 

I was surprised at the lack of seashells and shorebirds on the beach but still enjoyed the sun, sand and crashing of the waves. 

I decided to talk a walk through the neighborhood to see what was around. It was many a commercial/hotel district. 

The usual fast food restaurants, chain stores and gas stations made up the bulk of the area,

but there were also many large high rise condominiums and apartment buildings along the shore. 

I knew I  was close to the airport and found out how close when I walked almost  to a runway at the airport.

It was now almost evening and I had an early reservation at Zest, a highly rated restaurant at my hotel. It was Valentine’s Day so I shared a delicious  meal with a crowd of couples.

I was too tired to explore the nightlife of San Juan.  I had a late flight the next day.  I planned to get up early and do a little more exploring on my last day on this wonderful island. So after editing some photographs I was soon sound asleep. Here is a link to some more photographs from my afternoon walks. Puerto Rico Day Seven San Juan hotel afternoon walks.