Tonight we are leaving Puerto Rico after having been here for three days. When we came into port, the governor of Puerto Rico came on the ship to welcome us. Then I had to rush through the immigration line and go to the doctor. Of course I left my malaria pills at home and had to get a new prescription and get it filled. Luckily, there were about 10 other people who had to do the same thing and some of us got a cab together. Our hike through the rainforest was really interesting yesterday. We saw lots of different kinds of ferns that ranged from being about half an inch long to being the size of trees. There was a waterfall that some people swam in, but I guess we missed the “bring your bathing suit” memo so Kendall and I just looked around some more and took pictures. We also heard some birds and some tree frogs, but we couldn’t see either one. Our guide told us lots of really interesting things about the rainforest and about Puerto Rico in general. When we got back to the ship, we had a quick dinner and then we went to Caribbean University where the students had put together a reception for us. They greeted our busses with music and people in costumes and on stilts. Then the mayor of their city came to talk to us. Then we went outside where we watched some traditional dancing and ate some Puerto Rican appetizers. Yesterday afternoon Kendall and I went to Old San Juan with our friend Jeff. We were told that the walk wasn’t too far so we headed out. By the time we had walked 45 minutes in the heat we were ready for a cold drink. Luckily, there was a Coldstone. It was surprising to find one right when I needed some ice cream, but it was very nice to have a little bit of home. We walked around Old San Juan some more and saw some interesting architecture and cute shops. While we were in one store we found some pretty beaded bows and things. I decided to buy a patch or something in each country that we visit and attach them to some cloth to make a blanket of memories from my trip. I might also look into getting pictures printed on cloth to attach. This is kind of a project in the works, but I wanted to make something out of things I get in every port and this is the best idea I’ve had so far. Our bioluminescent bay trip was cancelled which was pretty sad since everybody that went said it was amazing. Today Kendall and I were smarter and took a taxi to El Morro. This is a fort that was built in the late 18th century to protect Puerto Rico. From the top there was an incredible view of the city and ocean. Then we tried to find a grocery store which took us a very long time. I had to mail a letter to some 6th graders in the States that I am doing a pen pal type thing with. So we lugged our bags of groceries to where the map said the post office was and wandered around until a man told us it had moved to some far away location and we would have to catch a trolley to get there. I saw a mailbox and decided it would be better just to go buy stamps at the Wallgreen’s nearby and drop my letter in. Kendall waited in a park with all of our bags while I ran into Wallgreen’s to buy the stamps. When I came out I saw her surrounded by hundreds of pigeons who were eyeing our grocery bags and quickly closing in. We grabbed our bags and I put the letter in the mailbox and then we set out on the fun adventure of trying to find a taxi. We ended up sharing a cab with a nice couple who were on a cruise ship close to ours, and by the time we got back, I was in desperate need of a shower. We are pulling out of port in about 30 minutes. We are at sea (in class) for the next seven days and then we get to Brazil a week from tomorrow!