In our brief trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico we ventured off the beaten path into the Puerto Rican El Yunque Rain Forest. It was a light hike through the mud and winding root systems, but the views of trickling waterfalls, fairy green tide pools, giant web-like roots winding through the forest floor were a sight to behold. It was sticky, but how often does a person get to see a rainforest? We had the sweetest guide, who called her Mamma, escorting her by her arm through the forest. It rained a bit off and on, but it added to the experience.

Heading back into the city we checked out the shops in the city center and had lunch in a crowded coffee shop. I bumped into a street vendor and had a photo opportunity of a lifetime when he introduced me to his parakeets or was is parrots or lorakeets...I'm not sure? But they did not poop on me, so I really appreciated that. 

As we drove through the city we were mesmerized by the colorful  graffiti art that adorned the city walls. We spotted this fabulous cemetery overlooking the sea atop a hillside in Old San Juan. We had to go down the hill and through a short, dark concrete tunnel covered in graffiti  and gated at the end (yeah, sounds like the plot in a horror movie right?) Then it opens up to the the most amazing cemetery of stark bright white flat tombs decorated with a rainbow of flowers while your eye drift to the bright blue of the water meeting the sea in the distance. Really, it is worth going just for that view alone. You can see pictures below or on our Cemeteries page.

I am not sure how much of these beautiful things fared after the recent hurricane devastated Puerto Rico's infrastructure, but don't forget to show them your love. You can donate to them at United for Puerto Rico http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/
or to UNICEF at https://www.unicefusa.org/donate/support-unicef-usas-hurricane-relief-efforts-puerto-rico/32952

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We have been to Vegas many times and rarely take photos or even visit the typical tourist spots anymore. We have dined at the high end casinos and stayed at the cheapo casinos and timeshare condos as well, both on and off the strip.  

Usually when we go to Vegas we look for the free or cheap entertainment: MGM lions, pet circus, Chihuly glass ceiling sculptures, indoor gardens, Shark Reef, rock memorabilia displays at Hard Rock, play games at Circus Circus, take in views at Stratosphere, Pirate show at Treasure Island, watch the fountains at the Bellagio, or taking in the Ambiance at Vooodoo lounge. I am not even sure which of those things are still available anymore.

We are not big gamblers, but if we decide to hit the tables, the Rio or the Orleans off the strip are usually fun to play roulette because they allow lower minimum bets. 

Our recent trip to Vegas introduced us to the Fremont Street Experience. As we walked up the road we were greeted with a multitude of scantily clad street performers with tape over their nipples, body paint, platform heals, and man-thongs. One man dressed as cupid. We saw a Wolverine and KISS. We saw a contortionist wrap his arm backward around  his body and another hop on his head like the weird orange "Chilly down" creatures do in Labyrinth. We saw small children with zero dancing skills street performing for money with their parents and a boom box.  One ragged looking man had a native American marionette and a boombox of tribal beats to which he made the puppet dance.  A middle aged white woman sat in a motorized wheelchair with a basket in the front and held up a sign that just read "Fuck You."  As we walked out I saw three women dressed as sexy cops in hotpants and fishnets and were bent over with their rears toward the camera as they draped their bodies over a man who stood there with his hands in cuffs posing in a flirty "what  am I gonna do?" position.  Multiple women strutted across bars in boots coaxing people to buy booze. An old man who appeared to have no teeth help up a "Fuck Trump" sign. Chris' favorite was the contrast of the overweight slovenly middle aged white guy in a dirty giant bunny costume (not the sexy kind) with a sign that read "Fuck you" and beside him stood a tall, thin blonde standing awkwardly in negligee with a young African-American man standing guard next to her. One man stood atop a go-cart and blared out tunes from his saxophone while several men stood guard.  We passed two free concerts happening along the street with bands that were trying to establish or re-establish themselves and just beyond the bright stage lights and busy alcohol fueled crowds you could see the rubble of a half destroyed old Vegas hotel...seemed kinda symbolic of the old city. It was the most entertaining, unapollogetically Un-PC free entertainment I think we could have ever found.

We got there just minutes before the 10pm light show when several Imagine Dragons videos began playing over our heads along the giant light display. People zoomed over our heads like birds on their ziplines while the music thumped. Around us people crowded together on their phones as they took photos and videos before returning to the street fair.

After the show we walked through the throng of people to the outer parts of the street and discovered some interesting art on display.  Loved the heart of padlocks. The shooting massacre in Vegas took place a couple days after we left and we had family calling to make sure we were OK given our music and traveling proclivities. We were safe. Our hearts go out to everyone who was not and who has been affected by this tragedy. Although the lights have dimmed for many, the light of the city will still burn bright, as will the memory of everyone whose heart has been touched by the fallen. May we all one day find the wisdom in our hearts to heal all that is broken.

You can donate to support survivors of gun violence and toward prevention at the Brady Center
and directly to the victims at this GOFUNDME account

One of the most awe-inspiring places to visit is Ocean Beach in San Diego. The people you can meet and observe are more colorful and unique than in most other beach towns, from the jewelry makers and anglers on the peer, to the homeless people and beachwalkers on their lunch breaks.  After you have checked out the farmer's market and dined at one of the fabulous dog-friendly restaurants (Nico's and Newport liquor have some of the best burritos in the area), head down to the beach for the real entertainment. You don't have to pay money, just wait until dusk and gather at the beach to hear the drum circle pounding out rhythmic beats. Incandescent lights of fire and batons and hula hoops swirling around in the night let off an ethereal glow. Little kids gather to burst giant bubbles made by a bubble maker, which incidentally also look like the blog thing from Donnie Darko when photographed at night. Men and women gather on their mats for yoga and paired acrobatics, people challenge themselves by balancing on tightropes hung from trees.  With the backdrop of the sun setting, it is an amazing sight to behold and experience.

If you can get a spot, I strongly recommend staying at the Ocean Beach Hotel right off the water. They have this beautiful garden patio that is so lovely. The staff has always been friendly and accommodating when we have stayed.

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We like to do things the hard way. Not out of masochism usually, more out of procrastination and laziness that can lead to some unexpected, sometimes thrilling, sometimes annoying results. 

On our recent trip we ventured into Escalante National Park to explore the Grand Staircase. By the the time we got to the area it was late afternoon.  We discovered there were no cell services for hours so we did not have a map of the location, the gas station was out of maps, and our atlas was so beat up that Utah and Nevada were mysteriously missing and thus no help to us. Fortunately googlemaps was still able to show us offline how to get into the area since we pre-mapped the location. We drove down this desolate orange clay dirt road into the desert for an hour before we reached the end and saw a hiking post and a small sign indicating we reached our destination. 

We asked some other people getting out of their cars too if this was the way to Peek-A-Boo and Spooky gulch and they indicated we were in the right place, so we grabbed our backpacks and headed in. We hiked a mile before we reached the start of the hiking trail.  The sign said we each needed 2 bottles of water, food, and a map. We had 1.5 bottles, some food, and no map, and Chris' shoes were not made for hiking. We hadn't eaten dinner either. But, we were here, we were on a tight schedule, so we threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a go.  

We had second thoughts when got the mountain edge overlooking the desert and had no idea where we were headed. But we spotted someone who pointed us in the general direction and started following the pyramid piles of rocks to mark the trail. We talked to someone who advised us to avoid a baby rattlesnake, and another couple who advised us to avoid Spooky and Peek-a-Book because of the water, 12 foot drop, narrow passage, and darkness looming. They pointed us toward Dry-fork instead.  

It was only another mile or-so away when we reached the labyrinthian columns of sandstone, it was getting close to sunset. Bats were flying through the slot canyons overhead. The view of the stone as the fading light streamed over head was breathtaking. I am sure the passageway was an inspiration for the creators of Labyrinth "things aren't always what they seem in this place."

We eventually traversed our way out and headed back up the trail and up the mountain in the last fading moments of sunlight.  While in the passage, bats kept flying near, over, and around us. We managed to find the trail back pretty easily to the mountain, but once there it was dark, which meant we had to climb back up the rocks in the dark looking for footholds.  We had to use the light from our phone to help us. Kinda scary. We made it up the dome staircase and to the dessert but now had no idea where we were. We saw lights in the distance from someone's camp site and just walked toward that and eventually found our way out.

By this time we were hungry and exhausted, but learned the whole town shut down by 9pm and there was no place left to eat that was open and since an art festival was in town, there were no available rooms to rent. We drove all the way across Utah and into Goodland, Colorado before we could find an available room 5 hours later, bless Vanna at Candlewood Suites for giving us the last room. at a super affordable rate. 

So, if you plan on visiting Escalante, bring a map, eat first, go early, wear comfy shoes, consider bringing waders or some type of water resistant pants for traversing waist-high water, book your room in advance, bring an awesome camera with a tripod, bring lots of water, and check the weather for rain or the canyons could flood and kill you.