PR Part 2: The Rainforest

One of the priorities on this trip was to spend some time in El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. national forest system. We were very lucky to find Casa Cubuy, an ecolodge on the southern edge of El Yunque, where our senses were filled with sights of the rainforest and sounds of wind, water, and little coqui frogs who called "co-qui!" all evening and night.  

After a restful sleep, we awoke to coffee on the porch while awaiting breakfast. From the porch, we could see waterfalls in the distance, and we were eager to hike the trail to the natural pools ... or swimming holes, as we call them in south Louisiana.

   

But first, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast! Each morning, Casa Cubuy serves a full, family-style breakfast with the other guests of the lodge. Breakfast included the creamiest oatmeal, boiled eggs, fresh fruit (including bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple, and grapefruit!), coffee, juice, milk, and a bread (coffee cake the first day, pancakes the second). All of the guests we met were so interesting! 

 

After breakfast, we ordered lunch for our hike. After we dressed and returned to the dining room, lunch bags were packed with sandwiches (egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, meatloaf), fruit, chips, and brownies. We stowed our lunch bags in our backpacks and headed down~down~down the trail.

  After a short while, we arrived at the first natural pool. It was like something from a movie!

   

A waterfall fed into the pool, which had another waterfall flowing below it. Two of our fellow guests were already sunning and swimming, and we visited with them for a few minutes before scooting across the slick rocks to continue on the trail.

   

We walked through a super-lush forest filled with ferns and tropical plants, but eventually came to another river crossing with yet another waterfall. 

Crossing a little log bridge.

K on the log bridge.

This is what we found in our lunch bags.

 

We stopped for lunch, after which D and B inched ever closer to the waterfall ... until B fell right into the water.

   

With his phone.

And his camera.

 

The rain came -- it is a rainforest, after all -- and we decided to head back to the natural pool rather than continuing to the next and final river crossing. After the rain, the giant snails come out en masse!  

Finally, we arrived back at the pool and hopped right in. At first, the water was COLD! But after only a couple of minutes, it was perfect ...

 

... and the view was spectacular!

After a long swim, we hiked back to the lodge and took afternoon naps. The hammocks on the porches were perfect for an afternoon snooze!

After a delicious dinner (with even better pina coladas!) in town, we again slept well, awoke to another scrumptious breakfast, and packed up for our flight to Vieques and the bioluminescent bay ... details coming in PR Part 3!