Day 7 in Puerto Rico

Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day thus no blog. Aaron went for a morning and afternoon surf, we all took a midday nap, swam at the pool, and watched the stock market collapse back home. Today was quite different and would have to rank as the best day of our trip thus far as we arrive at the halfway point of our trip. Aaron had been watching a forecasted swell that was supposed to show up today. The waves were small here this morning, but the surf reports said it would be much bigger up North. We figured this would be a great morning to go exploring the coastline just 30 minutes to our North that we had heard so much about. Needless to say it lived up to our expectations and we plan on heading back up there every day this week as the waves are supposed to get much bigger tomorrow. We ended up at a beach called Jobos that Aaron had heard about and the waves were great and the water the was the turquoise blue we had expected when we came here. It seems that because of all of the rain we got before we arrived and the rivers here in Rincon the water has not had the clarity here that one would expect. But up North they lack the rivers and the water was gorgeous. Sean and Mary Ann played on the beach while Aaron boogie boarded. After he got out of the water he went up to the top of a rock formation near where they surfed, where there was a blowhole sending waves shooting up into the sky to videotape this feat of nature. Then he videoed a couple guys riding waves before we left even though the waves seemed to be bigger when we first arrived. The wave was interesting because the surfers dropped in right next to this big rock formation jutting out into the sea and you couldn't see the surfers until they took off on the wave and headed down the line for 50-100 yards. This beach ranks among one of the most beautiful we have ever seen and we are planning on coming back every day until we leave for San Juan on Saturday as it is just 30 minutes from our hotel. On the way home we stopped at a beach called Crashboat beach where the water was amazingly clear. We are planning on coming back here tomorrow to snorkel. Enjoy the video of our days adventure. Time for our midday nap and an afternoon swim at the pool before we do it all again.

Saludos (Greetings) de Puerto Rico
Fernandes Family

A trip to the caribbean

Today we made a trek down to the Caribbean side of the island to explore. Aaron didn't surf this morning because the waves were too small but he plans on catching some good waves this next week as we are expecting a new swell to hit the North and Northwest sides of the island. We are probably going to explore some surf spots 30 minutes to an hour up North in Isabella and Aguadilla during the afternoon on Tuesday or Wednesday after he surfs his local spot near the hotel in the morning, to see what the beaches are like up there. We weren't that impressed with the Caribbean side of the island but did find a nice resort and had a nice lunch before we headed back home. We are finding that of all the areas we have seen, our location here in Rincon is clearly the nicest as far as beaches, amenities, etc. Now we are getting ready to watch the Chargers beat the Raiders, and then we will most likely will be heading back to the pool for a sunset swim. We went to the grocery store last night to stock up on food and are taking full advantage of the cheap tropical fruit here. Papayas and mangos are 50 cents a pound and we found a local fruit called Rambutan (the red spiny fruit in the picture) that tastes like a lychee fruit. In the last few days we have had two incidents where the locals have shown an unexpected friendliness to us that has reinstilled our faith in humanity. Yesterday in the grocery store a local woman noticed Mary Ann was holding Sean in the grocery store line and she helped her by putting all of her grocery items on the checkout counter, and today a man riding his mountain bike noticed our car pulled over as we were looking at our map and did a u turn on his bike to give us detailled instructions to find a good swimming spot nearby. These are the kind of lessons about other cultures ,that you simply don't get by jumping on a tour bus and doing the tourist stuff, that really make us appreciate our travels and the people that we meet along the way. And these are the memories that we will take home with us of the beauty of Puerto Rico. Till our next blog we love everyone back home and can't wait to see you and share our stories with you.

Day 4 video

Enjoy the video of some moments during the last day here.

Day 4 in Puerto Rico

Its Saturday afternoon here in Puerto Rico and today really felt like we were on vacation. Aaron did his usual jaunt to go boogie boarding at 6 in the morning and continues to be amazed at the 84 degree water. The waves were smaller today but again the locals were very nice to Aaron and he was surprised to see how many US transplants there were who spoke English as their primary language in the water. For some reason Sean is sleeping here until 7 or later in the morning which lets Mary Ann get some much needed sleep in time that wasn't occurring back home. The rest of the day was spent playing at the pool and the beach with a 2 hour nap thrown in during the middle of the day for Sean and Aaron. One thing that is really cool about this hotel is that they have decorated it with artifacts from all over the world such as the peacock chair which you will see in the picture of Sean. Last night we went to a local restaurant and Mary Ann tried a local dish called Mofongo which is stuffed plantain (cooking banana). The mofongo she tried was stuffed with chicken and she liked it fairly well but thought it was a bit salty. Last night, like every day here, we were treated to some lightning and thunder, which we will put up in the next few hours. We are keeping a close eye on Sean, as every local finds the need to come up to us and tell us how cute he is like he is an alien. Looks like more of the same tomorrow and Aaron is looking at some big waves coming for all of next week which he is excited about. Once again greetings from paradise.

The Fernandes Family

Another day in paradise

Our third day in Puerto Rico was very relaxing. Aaron went boogie boarding in the morning and caught some of his best waves all year. The locals were saying they were some of the best waves since August. Apparently no one was expecting waves today but we got lucky because of this tropical depression that just passed over the island which has a short window and will probably be on the decrease tomorrow. After he got back from surfing, we went down to the swimming pool and Aaron played with Sean while Mary Ann went for a dip in the ocean. After lunch and Sean's nap we headed back to the beach Aaron went to in the morning so we could watch the surfers. The waves weren't as good as in the morning but they were still fun, and we talked to some Puerto Rican boogie boarders visiting from the East Coast for a wedding who grew up near here that had just gotten out of the water. One interesting thing here is that unlike back in the mainland, boogie boarders here are the majority and highly respected. There is no stigma associated with boogie boarding like back home where we are seen as inferior to surfers so that was a nice change for Aaron. The hospitality among the locals here is something we have experienced in few places in the world and that has us wanting to come back in the future. Aaron took a little video of the boogie boarders and the waves were decent, but they were much better in the morning. Then, we went into the main plaza in town to look at a few shops, but the 90 degree sweltering heat was stifling so we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and hopefully another amazing sunset. Aaron watched Sean while Mary Ann went for another swim in the ocean in the afternoon. Tonight I have the video camera ready in case we have another phenomenal sunset like yesterday and I will blog that later today. We might even get some lightning like we did last night and it looks like some light afternoon showers so if the weather puts on a show I will make sure to document that also. Keep checking back.

El Coqui

Every night since we have been here in Puerto Rico we have noticed a harmony of sounds as night falls that is reminiscent of very loud crickets or even birds. The sounds come from a tree frog that only lives in Puerto Rico named a Coqui. Watch the video to hear the beautiful sounds of the Coqui that sing us to sleep each night here in the Caribbean.

first couple days in Puerto Rico

Well we arrived here in Puerto Rico after a full day of traveling (8 hours total travel time with a layover in Newark) and we are having a blast! Sean did great on the airplane and is having so much fun playing in the swimming pool and ocean and seeing all of the sights here in the tropics. We love it here and have found the people to be very friendly and the service excellent at both of the hotels we have stayed at so far. The Puerto Ricans are all so astounded to see a little blond-haired, blue eyed kid and are treating Sean like a movie star with comments from pretty much everyone from our hotel maids to people walking down the street. This tropical paradise reminds us of a mix between Mexico and Hawaii. The weather has been balmy at about 85 degrees and the ocean temperature is 84 degrees. The first day here we got thunder and lightning with a deluge of rain for about 4 hours so that was exciting. Yesterday we stayed put at the hotel and went in the pool and the ocean and enjoyed a day of rest after our full day of travel. Today we took a day trip to visit the Arecibo observatory which has the largest satellite dish in the world. This satellite is smack dab in the middle of the jungle and is used to sense the frequency of stars to search for UFO's and Extraterrestrials. You might have seen this in the James Bond movie "The Golden Eye" or "Contact". Next we ventured to a very scenic beach on the North Coast in Arecibo and enjoyed some beach time. Aaron went boogie boarding and met some friendly locals while Mary Ann played with Sean on the beach and in the water. We ended up back at the hotel just in time for an awe inspiring sunset and are now sitting down for dinner in our hotel room and probably a glass of wine as the night comes to an end. We are really enjoying the quality family time together and find that each time we travel it really puts into perspective how big the world is, how beautiful it's people are, and how lucky we are to have such great friends and family at home. We really are lucky to be able to enjoy our vacation in such a beautiful and friendly location and are soaking up as much culture as possible. We will keep you posted as our trip continues and wish everyone the best back home.

With love,
The Fernandes Family

Sean and the Slide

Sean will go down almost any slide by himself now, he likes to do down on his tummy.

Here's Mr. Silly

Just some video I took because he was acting silly. He was doing tough guy but he didn't really do it for the camera.

Trucks and Mud

Lately it seems that Sean is getting a couple outfit changes a day. He seems to always find a way to be right in the middle of the dirt. Here he is after an afternoon of helping Dad.

a crossdresser?

You be the judge

wavy curls

Sean's hair is starting to get long. In the back he has some curls going on...

Sean was left alone for a couple minutes....

Trip to Aunt Molly's house

Sean and I went to Molly's house today for some swimming and just hanging out. Summer went so fast, we figured last time we saw each other was Sean's birthday! Louie's birthday was today and so he and his mom were their, and Emma and Tyler had a half day at school, so they were with us as well! I asked Molly how Sean has changed, she said "he's cuter!"

New Music Class

We started a new music class for the fall. Sean has all of his playgroup friends in this one...

Sean and I went to the Model Train Museum!

Balboa Park has a train museum where train enthusiasts can show off their trains and the environments they have made for them. Sean loved looking at the trains go through the city streets, tunnels, bridges etc. And at the end their was a room with train toys so he could play, what a great day!



Outside of the train museum was a street performer. She was playing an instrument I've never seen, but super cool, and great sound.

Sean is allergic to Amoxicillian

Poor Sean broke out in a terrible rash. Penicillin is not a friend to him, or to me, we are both allergic.

The wreched Storage Unit is gone!!!

Our neighbors put a storage unit on their driveway because they are horders and ran out of room. It has been their since Sean was 4 weeks old. It finally was moved away because one of our neighbors did some research and discovered that you must have access to your garage, and since this thing wouldn't allow them to open their garage, they would be fined until it was moved. Now they have 2 permanent sheds by their front door. Obviously they don't care about house appreciation.

Danielle's visit

My friend Danielle has moved to Riverside!! She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and used to live in Ann Arbor Michigan. Her husband, kid Owen and her came down for a night.