Around the World in 60 Days - Stops 2 & 3: Puerto Rico and NYC

OK, so I just have to put this out there: I have been a bad blogger and I don't have any photos from NYC. Sometimes I feel like such an idiot but I am not the natural picture-taking type and I run out of photographing steam...then I look at the photos and I think, wow, that was a great idea! I should do that more often. Doh. Next time I should listen to my own advice.

So, we spent a great 8 days in Puerto Rico. The first four were with my parents and the last couple of days it was just Ari and me. My parents just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last Tuesday (cheers for Mom and Dad!) so this was part of the party. We started our trip in Ponce, which is in the Southern, unvisited, sleepy part of the island, and then headed up to San Juan. We visited Arecibo, the bioluminescent bay, beaches, El Yunque (the only tropical rainforest in the U.S.), and historic Old San Juan. We were disappointed by the food and the prices (a shocking $25 min per meal, anywhere you go!) and delighted by the deeply rooted culture and the beautiful lush rainforest.

Instead of commenting about precisely everything we did, here are some pictoral highlights from the trip, with comments:

Me and Mom and Dad in Puerto Rico, in the Ocean


Ari and I on the grassy knoll near El Morro, Old San Juan


Those of you who know Ollie well will know why I had to take a picture of this cat...notice the paws...


Ann and Arun dancing salsa in Old San Juan


Ari and I at the top of El Yunque peak


Rainforest beauty


My parents at the edge of Arecibo Observatory (where Contact was filmed!)...


A parallel parking victory in Old San Juan!

in NY:


Me and Phil in his front yard, Westchester County (Somers) NY


Me and Ari, in the same spot. By the way, the Guerci's have 5-star accomodations!! :-)