La Cueva del Indio Weekend

On Saturday we started off our day with a trip to the San Antonio post office.  There was only person in line before us, and the postal worker spoke perfect English, and was so nice and helpful.  This experience is the best experience we've ever had at a post office! (Which is good, because we're going to have to make a few more stops to ship our boxes...)

A few custom boxes from UPS

After that, we went to La Cueva del Indio in Arecibo (this was on our bucket list to do before we left).  It was a warm sunny day, and perfect for a little exploring. 

Jake taking a little rest before walking in the hot sun.

After you climb up on the rock structure, you see this view!  Pretty amazing!  

Then, you climb this ladder to get into the cave.  There were several people coming up from the cave, so we waited a few minutes- and took in the beautiful water view.

Mouth of the cave

We climbed around inside the cave for a while.  There was a small stream running through it, and lots of taller rock structures.  We also saw some Taino petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs

Crab in the cave

The ladder to get in or out of the cave...

After exploring the cave, we walked up a different side of the rock structure.  The view was just as good looking the other way!   You can really appreciate the strength of the water, when you're this close to it.

View looking the other way

This little guy was trying to hitchhike with us.

On the way back, we stopped at this gorgeous beach on the side of the road.  You can even see the Arecibo Lighthouse from the beach.

Arecibo Lighthouse

 Sunday was spent packing, packing, and more packing.  At the end of the of the day, we spent a few hours down at the beach.

Our Weekend: Car, Boxes, and Beach

On Saturday we went to the car dealership where we bought our car.  Jake had been communicating with them about buying our car back.  Even though we bought the car six months ago, the title is STILL not in our name.  We're waiting on the DMV to get it to us.  At this point, it seems easier to sell it than to try and ship it without a title.

We found Dennis, the man Jake had been talking to, and we finally agreed on a price.  Dennis wanted to get the deal done today, so we drove to rent a rental car to take home.  We thought we'd be leaving our car, and taking the rental car home...

We went to Avis to rent a car, filled out the paperwork, and were given a rental.  Then, we got a phone call from Dennis-- apparently the car needed to be inspected before they would buy it.  (Why he didn't mention this detail BEFORE we rented a car, we'll never know...)  So we returned the rental car, and got back into our car.

The rental

Just kidding- back to our car

To soothe the pain and frustration, we went to Krispy Kreme.  (At least this time we skipped the donuts and only got a smoothie!)  We tend to reward ourselves with a "treat" when something stressful happens here.  Probably a habit we need to break when we move...

After dealing with the car, we wanted to do something productive, so we went shopping.  

Felt super safe parking by the "ranger"

In Home Depot, we picked up boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, and a few other moving essentials.

Then, we made our last stop at Sam's Club.

When we got home we focused on packing a few boxes.  This is what our "packing area" looks like currently.

Sunday we decided to go to the beach and enjoy the sunny day.  We're trying to soak up as much of the sun and beach right outside our front gate as we can!

Trek down the beach

Our spot

Again?

FROM

Isabela, Puerto Rico

TO

Clearwater, Florida

On June 25, 2015

Let the packing begin! :)

The Price of Subway

This story begins way back in March.  Jake went to Subway for lunch the Thursday before KC started at Honeywell.  Subway is a few blocks away from work.  He didn't want to go through the drive through because he didn't want to try to order in English.  It's easier to go inside, and point to what you want.

As he was trying to find a parking spot, Jake avoided a few that looked vulnerable to being hit by people passing in and out.  He found one near the drive through and he pulled in and started to back up.  Little did he know there was a two foot high cement wall waiting for him...

The damage...

Our friend at work suggested someone to paint the bumper. We had to drive up a long windy, windy road to find the auto repair place.  When we got there, our friend helped us communicate because the owner didn't speak English.  We got this rental car, and dropped off our car on a Sunday night.

Rental car

Driving home from the rental place - damage still visible

After work, we went to pick the car up.  Between hand signals, cash being exchanged, and "gracias" the deal was done.  We drove the car home, as good as new.

As good as new

Can't even tell it was painted

Our Weekend: Snorkeling and Ruins

On Saturday we went snorkelling with a tour guide at Tres Palmas Marine Reserve (Steps Beach) in Rincon.  We had been there before, but wanted to try going with a guide to ensure we were seeing the best places in this area.

The steps of Steps Beach 

We snorkeled for about two hours.  During this time we saw lots of marine life.  A pufferfish, a few rock fish,  many different varieties of fish, and a sea urchin.  Our guide picked up the sea urchin, and we took turns putting it on our hands and feeling it suction to our hands!  You could turn your hands upside down, and the sea urchin would stick to them.

School of fish

We also saw a lot of elkhorn and fan coral on our exploration.

Elkhorn coral

Fan coral

Snorkeling tip: Even if you're going in the morning- wear sunscreen, and make sure to put it on the areas of your body that are closest to the surface.  Lesson learned!

For lunch, we stopped at Jack's Shack.  This place is the #2 rated restaurant in Rincon, and all their ingredients are organic.  It has a great location and view!  We enjoyed the fish tacos we had.

After lunch, we spent some time walking around Rincon.  We went into a few local shops, and purchased some items.  One of the items even says Bienvenidos, so our Spanish skills are increasing! :)  We also went to a bakery and found cupcakes with BUTTERCREAM frosting.  This is a big deal- no one uses buttercream here, and KC loves it.  

Pistachio and vanilla cupcakes 

On the drive home, we drove past a car show.  It reminded Jake of the time he spent at car shows with his dad.  Although, most of those were probably a little bigger.

Sunday was cloudy and overcast, so we visited the Aguadilla Ruins or the Ponderosa Lighthouse Ruins (depending on who you're talking to).  You drive through a golf course to get here, and then continue driving down a little road to this spot.  There are also two beaches nearby, and the view was awesome!

On the way into our building, we saw this snail on the pavement.  Not something you see in Minnesota!

Sunday night ended with a thunderstorm!  We haven't had many of those in Puerto Rico, so we sat on the patio and grilled,  and watched the storm roll in.