The next day, action was on the agenda. We started with a guided tour in the El Yunque Rainforest for hiking and kayaking at Bio Bay. The tour was a great experience. Our guide Héctor was brilliant. He told us a lot about history, culture, nature, country and people and made the day a highlight. Interesting things he explained to us, for example were, that oranges in Puerto Rico were not called "Naranjas" as in other Spanish-speaking countries, but "Chinas", because on the boxes, when the first oranges came into the country, it said "China". Or that the indigenous people were the Taíno, a brave, noble and helpful tribe, who were also known for being very good fighters. The tribe died out in the second half of the 16th century due to the exploitation, the war and above all the diseases that the Spanish had introduced. However, since there were also many mixed marriages, 60% of the population of Puerto Rico today descend from the Taíno. African slaves were also brought to Puerto Rico. Today's population is therefore a colourful mix of ethnic groups, which is also reflected in religion, Catholicism and African religious customs are practised.

On our rainforest hike we also learned a lot about the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, who reached the island in the southeast and swept over it in northwestern direction. Therefore, the southwest of the island is the least affected and best preserved. After the hurricane, the rainforest is like replaced, while in the past you were almost in the dark under the trees, now there were only a few trees left and the plants were just recovering. According to Héctor, the whole rainforest was brown after the storm, because all the grasses and plants were destroyed by the saltwater rain and without the shade of the trees that had blown bare (see Website of the National Park).

We made our way between trees and plants, through a river and over boulders to get to the place where we could go swimming. Our first goal was a natural stone slide. On the way there, we also learned on our own bodies that it is still quite dangerous to go into the rainforest after the hurricane. We stood at a spot and then decided to climb under the rock and wait a little further forward, just when the last ones (Katharina and I) were under the rock, a tree trunk flew behind us to the spot where we were 20 seconds before. The whole thing happened to us again an hour later. So we really had a whole bunch of guardian angels with us. After the shock was overcome we started to slide 🙂

After that we could jump from the rock into the water. From below it didn't look that high. But it was then. When we stood on top of the rock I had almost changed my mind, but then I couldn't either, because everyone was already shouting up cheering from below. So I just jumped. Over 10 meters down into the water... It was awesome :)

Afterwards we went again over hill and stones to another water place, where there were then Tarzan ropes. Of course we were part of the game again.

After extensive jumping, swinging and swimming we walked down the river through the water. Canyoning at its finest.

After a short lunch stop at the Streetfood Market with great delicacies and an even better cocktail we went on to the second part of our day trip, kayaking through the mangroves and the bioluminescent water. For the tour I took my GoPro camera in a waterproof housing. The only trouble is that I first noticed on the kayak that I was wearing the camera all the time and it didn't have a battery for the kayak tour ... stupid....

After a small kayak race with our fellow travellers from Arizona we went off into the mangrove channel. Here, too, you could clearly see the extent of the hurricane. According to the guide it was pitch dark under the mangroves before the storm, a part of the mangroves died and about a third was just about to grow again. Luckily we had a new moon and therefore it was quite dark. But not dark enough. In order to be able to see the luminescent plankton very well, we got together in triple kayaks and put a black tarp over us. And then you could see it really glowing when you were in the water with your hands and splashed around wildly. Our kayaks had a glass bottom, where you could see the blue light really well. For Katharina the wow effect was even bigger, because she thought she just booked a normal kayak tour 😉 Unexpectedly comes often. After the tour we went back to San Juan by bus. Actually we had thought about going dancing in La Placita, instead we fell into bed and slept like two stones.

On the tour we also met Fred and Sue from the USA. He gave her a 60th birthday holiday as a present. Besides beach time, city tours and jungle tours, they helped to rebuild houses destroyed by the hurricane. I want to ask Fred what organization that was, maybe I work a little bit on one of the other hurricane-ravaged Caribbean islands.

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