Puerto Rico's El Yunque Rainforest

I think this will be the last of the Puerto Rico series for now until I return there again; I intend to. Apart from exploring the historical places in Old San Juan, we managed to book a half-day tour to El Yunque. I've been to several rainforests like the ones in Hawaii, but I thought it would still be great to experience Puerto Rico's own rainforest. You know, El Yunque did not disappoint.

"The true sub tropical 'Rain forest' occupies very little area in Puerto Rico, only a single, crescent shaped, band on the windward side of the El Yunque mountains. It lies wholly within the El Yunque National Forest Reserve. This life zone is characterized by an annual total of 3,400 mm of rain. Its' main features are the Sierra Palms and a superabundance of epiphytes..." ("Forest Legacy Proposal" by the Department of Natural Resources of the Government of Puerto Rico.)

Welcome to El Yunque also called as the Caribbean National Forest.

Our first stop was La Coca Falls

La Coca Falls

I cannot remember the name of this flower, but in the middle of those pretty petals there's a sac filled with stinky liquid.

Giant ferns

Pink Ginger

Braided tree trunk

Knock on a termite's house

This view reminds me of the Philippines.

According to our funny guide, this is the Puerto Rican Mickey Mouse.

Yokahu Tower

Window from the Yokahu Tower

Ok, you might be asking why oh why did I take a photo of this Bamboo. Well, here's why, the Bamboo and the tall Coconut tree population planted in El Yunque are from the Philippines brought by the Spaniards in the earlier days. Isn't that amazing?

This is the tree that produces the stinky flower.

How giant is a Giant Fern?

At some point during this trip, the batteries of my camera died. I was so disappointed, but a trip to El Yunque is a must. It was a wonderful experience to learn about the Taino Indians and learn about the different species that live and thrive in the rainforest.

So until next time Puerto Rico!

Part 2: DC Cherry Blossom's Festival 2010

A few have asked how long the blossoms last, so I've decided to include more info and a little bit of history about the DC Cherry Blossoms:

"The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. has come to symbolize the natural beauty of our nation's capital city. The famous trees, a gift from Japan in 1912, signal Washington’s rite of spring with an explosion of life and color that surrounds the Tidal Basin in a sea of pale pink and white blossoms. Thousands of city residents and visitors from across the nation and around the world come here to witness the spectacle, hoping that the trees will be at the peak of bloom for the Cherry Blossom Festival."

* 2010 Bloom Watch
- Average Peak Bloom Date: April 4
- 2010 Peak Bloom Date: March 31
- 2010 Blooming Period: March 27 - April 5

(Source:http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=404)

Although the cherry trees bloom once a year and the blooms last for almost two weeks, their beauty and impact can last a lifetime. It makes you yearn and look forward to the next blooming. I admit, I couldn't stop taking photos while I was there. It was blissfully maddening. Being surrounded by so many flowers makes you want to just capture it all - every flower, every angle, and every corner.

Some of the flowers just peek and bloom through the tree trunks

Walking through a canopy of flowers

It looks as if it snowed in spring

A hint of culture from where the trees came from

Soon, the water will turn pink and white, as the petals fall off from the tree crowding the lake

I think I want to do this one next year

Bending tree beauty

Jefferson Memorial surrounded by beauty

A long but delightful walk

And so we walked and stopped to take pics for the umpteenth time

And so next year, I'll definitely see the cherry blossoms again.

To learn more about the history of the DC Cherry Trees, go here: https://ncrcms.nps.gov/chbl/cherry-blossom-history.htm.

DC Cherry Blossom's Festival 2010

I couldn't stop myself from taking photos. Last week, I took 164 photos when I visited the Cherry Blossom trees at the Tidal Basin. The flowers were at their peak and I was greeted with such a beautiful, almost fairytale like, sight of blooming flowers. Underneath the Cherry Blossoms, it's a struggle to see how blue the sky was especially at certain places where the Cherry Blossoms were in clusters, almost hugging, providing shelter above me. Everywhere I looked was beauty, the Cherry Blossoms never fail to please me.

The Washington Monument reflected on the Tidal Basin

The Jefferson Memorial

Enjoying the flowers by paddling around the Tidal Basin

Non-stop picture taking

Shade and beauty

The Monument peaks through a cluster of flowers

I don't know where to start or which one to focus on

This time, I walked the entire length of the Tidal Basin, underneath the shade of a million beautiful flowers

Taking a dip

“Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms.”

(Ikkyu Sojun)

 

There will be more photos to come as I slowly sort out my album. I hope you enjoyed these photos today and look forward for more photos to come. This weekend, I'll be driving to Hershey Gardens to witness the blooming of 30,000 Tulips. I can't wait.

Happy Easter

A lovely Easter to all!

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right...
(Phillips Brooks, "An Easter Carol")

Thankful Friday

I was out on sick leave yesterday due to my doctor's appointment. By the way, the check up went well and platelets are up two points, except that my platelets are still in no way at a normal level. But through treatment, healthy living and prayers I will certainly keep getting better. Anyway, I just found out today that we're closing the office early. I couldn't believe it because for the past years, the holy week isn't really a big thing here. I am super excited to jump into writing and finishing my weekly report and head out to do a little shopping and just enjoy the warm, spring weather outside.

This week, I am thankful for:

• my boss who is so understanding and kind. Working for her is absolutely fun and productive at all times.
• the blooming Cherry Blossoms and flowers for bringing beauty and tourism to the city and for bringing smile to my face every single time I look at them.
• my grandmother who survived a recent stroke. She's still in recovery but I'm hoping she'll be up and running in no time. Get well soon, Grandma.
• the sun and the warm weather that I can finally go out for long walks and hikes

Happy weekend everyone!

Three Things

Three things that scare me:
- Death
- Heights
- Failure

Three people who make me laugh:
- Ma and Dad (family)
- Weng
- PW Bear

Three Things I love:
- Weekend trips and travel
- Taking photos - family, friends, flowers, landscapes etc.
- Chocolate

Three Things I hate:
- Stinking office politics
- Slow DC Metro and 270 traffic
- Politicians who lie all the time

Three things I don't understand:
- Dichotomy between good and evil
- Space
- Religious debates

Three things on my desk:
- Glass of water
- Planner
- A box of tissue

Three things I'm doing right now:
- Typing
- Staring at the glass window
- Drinking soda

Three things I want to do before I die:
- Travel around the world
- Own a house in Hawaii
- Write my grandfather's WWII story

Three things I can do:
- Play guitar
- Compose poems
- Cook (sometimes)

Three ways to describe my personality:
- Antisocial
- Quiet
- Private

Three things I can't do:
- Calculate tips - anything that deals with numbers
- Run very fast
- Drink alcohol

A Piece Of Thought

It's already mid-March and this month is slowly chipping away. My weekend was blessed with a lot of rain, so staying at home was the most practical thing to do. I spent most of my time watching movies, drinking tea, and doing laundry. Call it boring, but I did manage to relax and get my mind off from work for at least two days. All I could think of was how to start my vegetable and flower garden this spring. Just the thought of it makes me smile and excited. What can I say, I'm a farmer's daughter and I love to get dirt on my hands and tending to vegetables and flowers gives me a feeling of accomplishment and joy. I was thinking of tomatoes, green beans, peppers and perhaps a couple of herbs. When Sunday evening finally arrived, I winced at the thought of going back to the office this week.

Donut Adventure And The Big Footed Bunny

It's been months since I had a donut, so my friend, PW Bear, and I decided that we should have donuts for breakfast on Saturday. We were itching to go out because: 1) the weather is warmer; 2) we were deliriously suffering from spring fever; and, 3) nothing beats donuts for breakfast. Apart from my favorite glazed donuts from good ol' Krispy Kreme, I found out they have a new featured donut - banana cake donut. Whoa, the glazed banana cake donut absolutely rocks! Has anyone tried it yet?

After our early donut adventure, we drove to Germantown to visit a favorite - the Lancaster Dutch County Market, which is a collection of family-run Amish stores. I absolutely love buying my fresh vegetables and meat there. They also have freshly baked bread and pastries, and their soft pretzel and hotdog rolls are to die for. Plus, there's this shop that sells all types of sweets and snacks. I wish I could take photos, but I respect the Amish request not to be photographed. Anyway, I bought two milk chocolate bunnies and a spotted dog made of milk and dark chocolates.

And here's a biggy among my Easter chocolate collection this year, the Big Foot Bunny made of milk chocolate and crisp candy. I've decided to devour this on Easter. Although my friends say it won't make it until then. Speaking of Easter, just a sweet reminder that DST is also upon us. Do not forget to turn your wall clocks or watches an hour forward on March 14.

I hope everyone's having a sweet week!

Puerto Rico For The Foodie

Traveling is never complete without satisfying the foodie in me. Although I feast my eyes with the sights and scenery when I travel, majority of the time I also make sure the foodie in me gets its rightful share to experience the host country's food specialties. Puerto Rico did not disappoint. Anywhere I looked at the Old San Juan port, there's a stall, a tent, and colorful street food signs beckoning to be tasted, to be tried and to be enjoyed.

The Puerto Rican version of "ice cone" or what we call "shave ice" in Hawaii.

Pinchos or kabobs are made of either pork or chicken served with a slice of bread. Our dinner on our first night in Old San Juan. It was a warm, balmy night and we ate our dinner at a park.

Puerto Rican native sweets made of coconut, milk and nuts. I'd say very similar to our Peanut Brittle.

Street food sign - pick your favorite. I like the Bacalaitos and the Empanadillas, which are similar to our Empanadas in the Philippines.

La Muralla is a great place for snack after exploring El Yunque Rainforest. We enjoyed our snacks while that cute dog watched. I kept coaxing the dog to jump but the cutie just looked at me.

A closer look. She or he melts my heart.

Great menu for an inexpensive meal.

The hotdog looking one is called Sorullito made of corn bread with a cheese filling. Next to it is the the Empanadilla de Pizza, sort of a pizza turned over.

These are the famous Pan de Mallorca, Puerto Rico's version of the Danish.

I went for the simple Pan de Mallorca and found it similar to Enseymada without the margarine and the sugar. This one was warm, soft, buttery, sweet, simple in taste, but absolutely a mouth's delight. We bought this at the La Bombonera, a bakery featured on Rachel Ray's TV show.

Apple/Strawberry Danish pastries (left), Bread Pudding (middle), Pastelillos de Queso (right). The Pastelillos de Queso is my favorite and for the duration of my stay in Puerto Rico, I had to have them every single day.

La Lechonera and oh yes, there's a pig roasting in there.

My ever first real Lechon meal since moving to the US. The meat was succulent and that skin was so crispy I was in heaven.

I ordered my Lechon with Mofongo also called as Fufu. Mofongo is made with plantains or yucca, fried, mashed and seasoned with garlic and olive oil. I heard there are several versions of how to make a Mofongo. My order came with a Chimichurri Sauce, which you drizzle over the Mofongo. I like the Mofongo just plain without the Chimichurri Sauce. It was an adventure to actually finally taste this after reading about it on travel books. Verdict? I like it.