The Adventures of LorAx: Spring Break!!!

For Laura's spring break back in March we decided we needed to go somewhere warm, so we headed to Puerto Rico where we met up with some of our friends from St Louis to take a cruise on the Carnival Victory.

Fountain near the bay on the way to El Morro

First we decided to check out San Juan. We got up at 3am that morning and arrived in Puerto Rico about 11am, 9 hours before our ship sailed. So after checking in at the ship we had time to walk through parts of the city and to check out El Morro, the 400 year old fort defending the bay.

When you approach the fort, there is a large grassy field leading up to the gates. A lot of people come here to fly kites and picnic. We decided we would have to find a place to get a kite and come back.

Inside the fort we found that it is much bigger than it appears from outside approaching up the field. There are multiple levels all built during different time periods and designed to accommodate different types of guns. At the lowest level is an early tower that had just a few guns, in the middle is rotating and elevating guns from American Civil War era, and at key points at the top levels are big circular platforms for WWII era AA guns.

From the walls overlooking the field you can see the ocean on the left and the bay on the right. All those people are flying kites! We had to join in on the fun...

We found a kite at the gift shop in the fort, and went back out onto the field for a while to fly.

We got a little tired after all that climbing up and down the hills, city walls, and fort, so we headed back to the ship. As we were re-boarding the ship we ran into our traveling companions - the Vondersaars! After dinner and muster we went up top to watch as we left San Juan.

Lighthouse on the fort

Old city walls

The next morning we were in St Thomas, and took a taxi to Magen's Bay. This was a really large and very nice beach. The view was incredible with mountains on either side. We found a really nice spot with a very low hanging tree next to us where we could hang our bags and keep them in the shade and out of the sand.

Maybe a tenth of a second before impact

One of the neatest parts of the beach was the fishing birds. All around us pelicans and other large birds would cruise along about 30 feet up, and then suddenly drop and dive into the water. Several times we were out in the water and got spooked by a large splash behind us, and turned around to find a pelican only 5 feet away enjoying a snack. They were not shy!

Nice view on the way back

One excursion we really enjoyed was zip-lining in the jungle at St Lucia. I banged my knee on one of the platforms pretty good, but for the most part it was quite safe.

No hands!

Besides zip lines, they also had a 3-4 story rappel line and a Tarzan style rope swing over a pit. On the rappel line they had a person at the top to release and a person at the bottom to stop you, so it was extra scary since you weren't in control. The initial drop was just a free-fall, and you could really feel it in your stomach!

Tiny crab! Click to enlarge...

We also spent some time at a beautiful beach in St. Kitts. There were umbrellas and plenty of chairs for laying out. The water was a little chilly but very refreshing. Alex even took a little time to examine the local wildlife...CRABS!

In St. Maarten we went on a snorkel adventure at a floating tiki hut. There was a helicopter and a canon submerged in the cove with all sorts of fish & coral. Plus we saw a humungous barracuda swimming in the rocks near the shore. We also sampled some local liquor - Guavaberry Rum. On it's own it tastes like cough syrup, but mixed into a mango daquiri it's....a little better. We had a great time!