Shrimps and Leeches...the surprises of Bio Bay

Back in the open waters again…Last night we left Puerto Rico and I must say that I had a very good time there. On my second night I went to Bioluminescent Bay which is this bay where a natural phenomenon occurs. In reaction to agitation these plankton or living organism within the water react and emit light. There are only 4 bioluminescent areas in the world and 3 of them are within Puerto Rico. The 4th is in Japan but it was a man-made area where the re-planted the mongol trees that help to cause the phenomenon. So, after an hour car ride out to the bay I boarded my kayak with another Marissa and we followed our guide (who called himself Peter Plankton) into this dark tunnel created by trees. It was already nighttime and dark outside and then adding the cover of the trees left little to see. I could barely make out the fluorescent ring of the kayak in front of me and it took me and Marissa a little while to become good at steering the kayak. With this being so, we definitely ran into many trees that we didn’t see coming and we had a couple of foreign stowaways; one being either a huge black beetle on my arm or possibly a leech and the other being either a shrimp or a sardine that was attempting to get into Marissa’s bathing suit bottoms. Ha. Gross. Anyways, after about a mile’s worth of rowing we could tell that we were close to the bay because with every stroke of the paddle the water would start to light up. Once out in the bay we were in this vast area of water surrounded by only trees. Peter Plankton tied all of our kayaks together, told us a little biology/ecology lesson then let us dive into the water. It was so cool. Even though it was almost pitch black outside you could see your own legs under water because with the motion it would light up the organisms and make the legs appear to glow. Also if sitting in the kayak you could scoop up the water with your hands and the bioluminescent plankton would trickle off your hands as though it was fairy dust. Basically the water looked like it contained fireflies as inhabitants and it was quite amazing.
Yesterday I went to the beach and became a lobster. Unintentionally of course, but the water was so warm and beautiful and it was a perfect day to relax. Before venturing off to lunch we asked one of the local surfers where we could find some good Puerto Rican food and he told of the name of a place in Old San Juan. Of course he didn’t know what street it was on and the only information that he could tell us about it was that it was across from a Footlocker. Well we were brave and ventured off on a 45-minute walk from the beach to Old San Juan and miraculously found the restaurant, Manolina, down one of the many tight streets of town. It was like a local diner filled with native Puerto Ricans so we knew it was the real thing. I had a chicken empanada with rice and beans, which was delicious, and I found it interesting that they had bottled ketchup/mayo that they used as a sauce. But the food was great and I think that the sheer fact that we found the place was grounds for satisfaction.
I finished the day off with some more beach time then went back to the ship.
It is funny because it took me about 3 days to feel as though I was back on land and then as soon as I was comfortable again it was time to get back on the ship. But now I think I am used to the rocking as I actually couldn’t wait for the ship to start moving last night to rock me to sleep and today I felt just fine. I started my other two classes today which I think I am going to really enjoy. First was documentary filmmaking in which I will make a movie about a topic that I choose. At this point I am thinking of either making a cultural comparison between the countries or focusing on the children of each port and their differences in health and poverty levels. Anyways I think that the class will be a challenge but I will come out with a great product.
My other class was African drumming. I am so excited about this one because it doesn’t really seem like class, it is more like an after-school activity. We didn’t get to play the instruments yet, but we did walk around in a circle clapping our hands and stomping our feet to syncopated and clave rhythms. At the end of the voyage we will play along with the xylophone class and give a concert for the ship. It should be fun.
Last but not least, we had the activities fair tonight. I am already signed up to be a pen pal for a school within Washington state (which I will find out which class on Monday), but I wanted to do other things too. First I signed up to be a Student of Service which is a group that will help plan activities and gather donations for the various orphanages and schools. I also signed up to be in a shipboard “family” where many students get paired up with the “life long learners” on our voyage and meet up for dinner once in a while. The life long learners range from like 28 to 91. Anyways, it should be fun to get to know them better.
That is it for now! I am going to aloe myself to sleep.