Thursday, November 20, 2008

Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya- to Puerto Rico!

Answers to frequently asked questions

How did Levi do?
With some good entertainment ideas from mom and Sarah, Levi did great on the plane. He slept 1/2 of each leg, including 4 hours of our 6 hour flight on the way back. He was a good sport and took his naps in restaurants, ferries, the car, and in the backpack.

Who went with you?
It was Jerry, Levi, me, and my old roommate Jen. We visited my sister Carrie, husband Chris, and kids Lucy and Theo.

What did you do?
Ate a lot of food. Went snorkeling. Visited the tiny island of Vieques. Jumped off cliffs in the rain forest. Went to an art museum. Tourist shopped with the cruise boat people. Swam in a bio-luminescent bay at night.

Did you need a passport?
No. Puerto Rico is in a lot of ways just like another state, but without full voting rights. They vote in the primaries but not the general election. Anyone born in Puerto Rico is a US citizen. They have a non-voting representative in Congress.

Some happenings on the trip:
Carrie found a dollar on the bottom of the ocean while snorkeling.
Jen asked the waitress what 'pan de agua' was, exactly. The waitress replied, "It's a water bread." Huh.
Lucy sang the saddest, most dirgeful "I am a child of God" you will ever hear, then cleared her throat and spit on Jen.
Jerry overheard the following question by a man in a souvenir shop: "Are these prices in dollars or Mexican?"
Vivian encountered a bee swarm and had to run away flailing. She got stung twice.
Somebody's kid threw up in the car, and for once it wasn't a Gregory.
Vivian and Carrie made up a super-cool snorkeling hand signal to mean "look out for that jellyfish over there", and then we actually got to use it!
Levi introduced Theo to the concept of 'ball'.

Some stats:

Spotted while snorkeling- a ray, 5 jellyfish, a pirate treasure chest that may or may not have been purposely planted by the Tourism Board, starfish, urchins, coral, and multi-colored fish.
Baths taken per day by Levi or Theo- 6. Baths taken together-0 Cousin who was opposed to sharing personal space: Levi
On a scale of 1-10 how cool it was to swim at night in a bioluminescent bay- 10. How cool we told Chris it was (who stayed home with the ninos)- 5ish.
Average daily temperature: 85 Average daily water temperature: 78
Percentage of time Theo was wearing more than a diaper- 2%
Percentage of time Theo was wearing less than a diaper- 10%
Most people crammed in the 7 passenger rental van- 9
Silliest restaurant name: Tie between Belly Buttons and Bananas

10 comments:

  1. Your pictures are awesome enough that I have forgiven you for not stopping in Fort Lauderdale.

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  2. Oh wow! Those pictures are great!! You guys must have had A LOT of fun :) ...I'm so jealous!!!

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  3. I LOVE the dirgeful singing followed by spit. Favorite part of the post, hands down. Great pics and the commentary really makes it even better.

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  4. Oh man. I remember the first time Carrie let me eat. I took a picture, too.

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  5. I just realized that other people can see the ocean walking down my street but I can't because I'm not tall enough. Not fair!

    And if you (and Claire) would walk a little faster, we might get to the restaurants a little sooner! You CAN run- I saw it in the picture.

    Miss you guys.

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  6. totally cool. It took Taylor 1.5 hours to open a coconut at my sister's house in Hawaii. Also in the dark, and ashamed that he couldn't do it in the 1.5 seconds that the guy at the PCC could do it.

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  7. Wow! Your trip sounds awesome! And my boys will be totally jealous to hear you saw a real? treasure chest!

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  8. wait wait wait...
    jodi totally just threw me under the bus. lemme explain.
    the dude at the PCC had a fancy sharpened stick. i had a moss covered rock and later on a cement porch. i could totally open that baby faster with a good sharpened stick.

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  10. Oh sure- You'll go to Puerto Rico with friends but not Cost Rica!! We see where we stand with you guys!! :)

    Your trip looks like a blast. Wish we could have been there!! Instead we'll just enjoy the balmy Wisconsin winter. Today's high- 11 degrees.
    -Tamara

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