Showing posts with label puerto rico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puerto rico. Show all posts
arecibo observatory
the arecibo observatory had been on my bucket list for several years, so i was beyond excited to include it on our trip.
the reflector dish is the largest one in the world. some nifty facts about the scale of this whole thing:
the reflector dish is the largest one in the world. some nifty facts about the scale of this whole thing:
- the antenna (needle-shaped part, just to the right of center of this photo), is 96ft long
- if you look closely at the reflector portion (the dish at the bottom of the photo) you can see a faint grid pattern. that grid is actually the aluminum panels that make up the dish.
- each of those aluminum panels is approximately 3ft x 6ft
- the dish is made up of 38,778 of those panels
- the entire reflector portion weighs 300 tons
close up of the gregorian dome and antenna
one of the towers that supports the gregorian dome, the platform above the dome, and the antenna
cueva del indio
the taino indians of puerto rico held tribal meetings in the area around cueva del indio. they made numerous carvings in the walls of the limestone caves there, which were said to have been made during ceremonial activities. these petroglyphs predate columbus's arrival in puerto rico in 1493, and were likely to have been made even centuries before that.
the main cave is located on a cliff near arecibo. the platform where the people are standing below, is on the edge of a 150ft drop, and in the corner behind them, there is a ladder that goes down to a cave inside the bottom of the cliff.
view from the top of the cliff, looking back the other direction
the ladder going down to the bottom. neither of us wanted to spend the rest of our trip in a neck brace, so we just skipped this part. you can see some of the petroglyphs on the walls, especially above the ladder, and again to the far right of the pic.
you can get an idea of the scale in this shot of another tourist at the bottom
the main cave is located on a cliff near arecibo. the platform where the people are standing below, is on the edge of a 150ft drop, and in the corner behind them, there is a ladder that goes down to a cave inside the bottom of the cliff.
view from the top of the cliff, looking back the other direction
the ladder going down to the bottom. neither of us wanted to spend the rest of our trip in a neck brace, so we just skipped this part. you can see some of the petroglyphs on the walls, especially above the ladder, and again to the far right of the pic.
you can get an idea of the scale in this shot of another tourist at the bottom
animal friends
made some new friends in puerto rico.
this little guy in culebra
some friends we didn't get to meet
an iguana in vieques (well, i wanted to be his friend, but the feeling apparently was not mutual.)
this ridiculousness in old san juan
star fish in punta arenas
this enormous snail, and what i presume is his poo, in el yunque
and some enemies in isla verde
this weird fish in the mangroves on gilligan's island
this baby cow somewhere outside mayaguez
pups in guanica
this little guy in culebra
some friends we didn't get to meet
an iguana in vieques (well, i wanted to be his friend, but the feeling apparently was not mutual.)
this ridiculousness in old san juan
star fish in punta arenas
this enormous snail, and what i presume is his poo, in el yunque
and some enemies in isla verde
the second most beautiful beach in the world
flamenco beach on the island of culebra, off the coast of puerto rico, is considered by some (ok, maybe just the discovery channel) to be the second best beach in the world. i guess i can cross the maldives, zanzibar, and all of polynesia off my to-do list...?
anyway, second most beautiful beach in the world or not, flamenco definitely won me over as a fan with it's giant horse-shoe stretch of soft white sand, secluded sea grape sun-hideaways, swimming-pool still water, and excellent wall snorkeling.
also, there's an old tank on the beach!
since we were island hopping, i didn't bring my slr. i think these phone shots capture the general idea though...
lots of little gar (at least, i think that's what these guys are?) in the shallower water
and a squid!
anyway, second most beautiful beach in the world or not, flamenco definitely won me over as a fan with it's giant horse-shoe stretch of soft white sand, secluded sea grape sun-hideaways, swimming-pool still water, and excellent wall snorkeling.
also, there's an old tank on the beach!
since we were island hopping, i didn't bring my slr. i think these phone shots capture the general idea though...
lots of little gar (at least, i think that's what these guys are?) in the shallower water
and a squid!
el yunque rainforest, puerto rico
puerto rico is home to the only tropical rainforest in the united states national forest system (weird, seems like surely there'd be one in hawaii too, no?)
there are a million hiking trails that lead through some of the most beautiful vegetation and views, but we decided to do the el yunque peak trail since el yunque peak is the highest point in puerto rico. there were also several side trails to observation towers and a crazy drop off/ledge that were short trips off the main trail... and totally worth the detour.
panoramic view from one of the observation towers;
a rain shelter on another one of the side trails;
los pinchos (the jagged peak) as seen from a side trail. i almost died of a heart attack after taking this photo when i looked down and realized i was standing literally on the edge of an extremely steep drop-off. no kidding. it's hard to tell in this photo, but the lighter green plants at the bottom of this picture are clinging on to the side of a cliff face, NOT growing out of the ground.
jen, back on the main trail to el yunque peak
view from the top of el yunque. unfortunately, this spot is apparently always covered in clouds forming off the warm caribbean waters and cooling as they rise over the peaks... it was pretty awesome to see the sun shining in the distance surrounding us though, and then later back at sea level, looking back at the peak and seeing it constantly covered in clouds.
after el yunque peak, we did another, shorter hike, to a series of "hidden waterfalls" -- they aren't super hidden since i easily found directions on the internet before our trip, but they also aren't marked well on the maps and the trail isn't officially blazed. also, the term hike isn't exactly appropriate, it was really more like muddy rock climbing. i'm pretty sure this is when we had an unfortunate encounter with a poisonous plant that, two weeks later, has still left a painful rash on our arms.
the muddy climbing and poisonous plants were totally worth it though, because we ended up at this 40ft waterfall and swimming hole that we had all to ourselves. we didn't even bother going to la mina, which is the main tourist attraction because this spot was so awesome.
panorama view of the falls... the big rocks in front of jen are concealing a smaller waterfall that led further back down the mountain
there are a million hiking trails that lead through some of the most beautiful vegetation and views, but we decided to do the el yunque peak trail since el yunque peak is the highest point in puerto rico. there were also several side trails to observation towers and a crazy drop off/ledge that were short trips off the main trail... and totally worth the detour.
panoramic view from one of the observation towers;
a rain shelter on another one of the side trails;
los pinchos (the jagged peak) as seen from a side trail. i almost died of a heart attack after taking this photo when i looked down and realized i was standing literally on the edge of an extremely steep drop-off. no kidding. it's hard to tell in this photo, but the lighter green plants at the bottom of this picture are clinging on to the side of a cliff face, NOT growing out of the ground.
jen, back on the main trail to el yunque peak
view from the top of el yunque. unfortunately, this spot is apparently always covered in clouds forming off the warm caribbean waters and cooling as they rise over the peaks... it was pretty awesome to see the sun shining in the distance surrounding us though, and then later back at sea level, looking back at the peak and seeing it constantly covered in clouds.
after el yunque peak, we did another, shorter hike, to a series of "hidden waterfalls" -- they aren't super hidden since i easily found directions on the internet before our trip, but they also aren't marked well on the maps and the trail isn't officially blazed. also, the term hike isn't exactly appropriate, it was really more like muddy rock climbing. i'm pretty sure this is when we had an unfortunate encounter with a poisonous plant that, two weeks later, has still left a painful rash on our arms.
the muddy climbing and poisonous plants were totally worth it though, because we ended up at this 40ft waterfall and swimming hole that we had all to ourselves. we didn't even bother going to la mina, which is the main tourist attraction because this spot was so awesome.
panorama view of the falls... the big rocks in front of jen are concealing a smaller waterfall that led further back down the mountain
a cemetery, somewhere in puerto rico
i'm not completely sure where we found this cemetery, but it sure was beautiful
gilligan's island, puerto rico
gilligan's island (formal name, caye aurora) is a tiny mangrove sandbar island just off of guanica in puerto rico.
to reach the key, you take a cheap ferry from the mainland (pictured behind the pina colada)
i made a new teeny tiny friend while waiting for our boat.
this is what the island looks like;
and the water around it is clear, warm, and perfect for snorkeling. snorkeling through the mangroves was awesome, although admittedly, a little creepy.
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