Puerto Rico- Day 2

Today we visited some of the unique areas of Puerto Rico. This morning we traveled an hour to visit El Yunque, the Puerto Rican rain forest. As we traveled to our destination, I was able to see what life is like outside of San Juan. We saw houses built on the beach with iron bars across the windows and doors. There were stray dogs and roaming horses. Then, there were people sitting on their front porch talking to neighbors or reading the paper. I have noticed that outside the city, the pace seems much slower; people take time to enjoy things.

Once we arrived at the rain forest, we jumped out of the van to take pictures of the gorgeous surroundings, the first of which was Coco Falls. Our tour guide described all the nature that was around us. We heard birds calling to one another, bamboo knocking together, and the waterfall cascading over the rocks. One of the most unique sounds was the croak of the Coqui, the native tree frog of Puerto Rico. We hiked into the rain forest, enjoying the information we learned from our guide. We stopped along the way to learn about El Yunque from signs that were posted throughout the forest.

One thing I learned from our guide, Dr. Ignacio Olazagasti, is there are very few mammals in the rain forest, if any. They were all forced into extinction when the Spanish arrived. El Yunque was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. I never knew something so beautiful existed in Puerto Rico.

In the afternoon, we traveled to a beach. We experienced the food and recreation of the Puerto Rican people. I could see that everyone at the beach was spending time with family, enjoying the nice weather, food, and the warm water. Dr. Olagagasti told us that many Puerto Ricans do not go to the beach, which surprised me due to the fact that it is an island!

For our evening on our own, six of us returned to Old San Juan to visit shops and eat dinner. As we shopped, we engaged some of the shopkeepers in conversation. We asked them about purchasing gifts from Puerto Rico and they replied that many of the things in the shops are not from Puerto Rico. They told us that even the rice and beans (the staple food of Puerto Rico) is imported.

After visiting some local shops, we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We enjoyed learning about one another, but we also talked about how this trip has helped us understand more about the Hispanic culture in York, Pennsylvania. I now understand that many Puerto Ricans do not identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino, they are Puerto Ricans. Also, I realize that even though they may speak the same language, there are noticeable differences between people from Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.