What am I doing with my Life?

I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing with my life. I often get really caught up with responsibilities and all the things that I feel I should be doing. This means I rarely get a chance to do something just for me and think about what I want to do and cultivate my interests. Travel gives me the opportunity to take a step out from my life and do the things I really want to do. 

I love to travel and explore new places and discover interests. After a relatively long travel hiatus (due to school and work- boring obligatory things for the most part) I have recently started to free up some time for my travels. After all, I might not have the money for it now, but I definitely will not have the time for it later! Plus I realized I was wasting my present on things I don't really want to do. 


Here's the (next) dream.

Puerto Rico

I would like to go to Puerto Rico in the next year or two (sooner the better!). I feel like for a short 10 day trip, like the one I am planning I would prefer to go alone or with one friend. I am more likely to move out of my comfort zone and try new things when I travel alone though. Moreover, I find travelling with people can be very stressful and I don't want to compromise my enjoyment of a trip.

The Real Reason I Travel Alone

Yup

For the purpose of this assignment, I just chose a time in June for my tentative trip after I graduate. 

The main reason I have been wanting to go to Puerto Rico is for this beautiful biological phenomenon that only exists a few places in the world. (Yes, I am a biologist). 

Bioilluminescent Bay

Laguna Grande in Puerto Rico is one of the best sites to see a bioilluminescent bay in the world. Basically, there are organisms that glow when they are stimulated....amazing. I would literally go to Puerto Rico just to see this. However, if I am going, there are a few archaeological sites I would like to see and culture I would love to experience!

Flight

I decided to book my plane ticket for June 1st, 2015 -June 10th, 2015. 

Here are the travel details!

The total cost of my round trip plane ticket was $364.26 CAD.
Can we just talk about how cheap this is? This makes this very feasible and easy for me to finance my next adventure!

Travel

To Puerto Rico ...

Leave from YYZ at 6:32am on June 1st. Get to MIA at 10:05am. 

~Waiting around. Having a snack. Buying magazines and walking around the airport. ~

Leave MIA at 12:15pm. Arrive in SJU at 2:42pm. 

On the way home:

Leave SJU at 1:55pm on June 10th. Arrive to JFK at 6:25pm.

Leave JFK at 8:10pm. Arrive to YYZ at 10:05pm.

Accommodation

I decided that I wanted to stay in San Juan in Puerto Rico and make day trips to see the sites (usually it would only require an hour of travel outside of the city). 

I do enjoy trying local foods and restaurants when I'm on vacation, but I also like visiting local markets and doing my own cooking- meaning I need a kitchen. This is one of the reasons I decided to find an apartment for my 10 day trip. 

I used one of my favourite travel sites (to find accommodation),  airbnb.ca to find a small apartment in the centre of San Juan. 

The apartment location

Cost of accommodation

The total cost of 9 nights in the apartment was $787.00 CAD. 

I first used airbnb last year on my trip to Europe and had a very good experience in the apartment I rented in the Czech Republic. I think as long as you check the reviews and pictures, you'll end up with a good experience. The other thing I really like about using airbnb is that you can directly contact the home owner and get their honest opinions about the best local sites, restaurants, hidden gems etc. 

Budget

Pre-paid before my trip...

Flight $364.26 CAD
Accommodation $787.00 CAD
Total: $1151.26 CAD



The remainder of my budget will be in USD because it's the currency for Puerto Rico.

Daily Spending Money (10 days x $50) = $500
Food (10 days x $30) = $300
Attractions $300
Transportation $300
Total: $1400 USD ~ $1552.20 CAD


Final Total : $2603.56 CAD

** Don't forget travel insurance!

note: my budget might be a bit of an overestimation, but I think it's always better to plan with a "just in case" mentality.

How I feel planning trips

10 Days in Puerto Rico

I don't like to travel with a fixed schedule. I like the freedom to wake up in the morning and explore my surroundings and plan my day as I go. Therefore, I am not going to write up a strict itinerary of every minute of every day in Puerto Rico. That being said, I do have a list of things I want to do while I'm there. 

1. Bioilluminescent Bay ~ Laguna Grande
Located in Fajardo (approximately 1 hour from San Juan)
Kayaking 

Bioilluminescent Bay

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

As I mentioned earlier in my blog, this is one of the main reasons that Puerto Rico is high up on my list of places to see. There are some night kayaking tours that go to bioilluminescent bays. I feel it would be very interesting and exciting for me to connect my studies to the real world- micro-organisms that are capable of fluorescing!


2. La Cuevo del Indio
Located in Arecibo (approximately 1.5 hours from San Juan)
Archaeological cave site 

Arecibo

I enjoy exploring the history when I visit different countries and taking some risks. Therefore I feel that I would definitely enjoy making a connection to archaeological sites and ruins. I like having things to see and do. I feel that the vacations that I liked the most involved getting my hands a little dirty. I think I'm definitely too restless of a person to enjoy sitting on a resort beach for a week.  

Cuevo del Indo

3. Old San Juan
Markets, old historical sites, food

According to tripadvisor, Old San Juan is a great place for city walk sightseeing, shopping, nightlife, dancing, and dining. I think it would be a really fun way to spend a day or potentially a few evenings. After seeing some of the beautiful sites of Puerto Rico, I think it would be lovely to spend some time in the capital city and get a feel for what Puerto Rican culture is.  

Casa Blanca

Casa Blanca

El Morro

Castle El Morro

4. Beach
Ocean Park Beach - San Juan

Waves of relaxation...

Water!

I don't really like the beach that much. But I always feel obligated to visit a beach at least once if I'm in a warm place with easily accessible beaches. From the pictures it's a very beautiful place and it seems like a nice place to relax. Especially because this particular beach is not a family beach so there won't be children hopping around all over. 



5. El Yunque National Forest 

El Yunque

Rainforest

I think walking through a rainforest would be an amazing experience and a great way to connect to nature. There are walking tours through the forest, but it's not necessary to have a guided tour because there are marked trails. I have been to one other rainforest before and it's a beautiful hike. Also, the species diversity in this type of climate is incredible to see! It would be such a great way to connect with nature.


Cost: free! (Or if you want a guided tour, there is a small donation)


6. Museum of Art of Puerto Rico

MAPR

I think art is a very important form of expression and that art can tell a lot of stories that may not be expressed otherwise. I feel that art is a very important part of experiencing another culture and seeing how Puerto Rican artists see themselves and the world past and present. 

From what I have seen of the exhibits online, the pieces are beautiful, vibrant, and interesting. I would love to walk through the gallery and see the world the way that these artists have seen it.  



7. Wildlife Museum- Museo de Vida Silvestre

Museo de Vida Silvestre

This museum is a wildlife/natural history museum. It has different biomes inside and a collection of animals based on ecosystems. This is definitely something that appeals to the biologist in me. I love animals and I think it's fascinating to see species diversity in different climates. 

Plus, the giant elephant in front of the museum is really cute! And I want to see it in person!


8. Save-A-Gato Cat Sanctuary
San Juan

Meow

Cats are my people. I would love to roam around a cat sanctuary for a day. Why would I not want to go to a cat filled land of wonder? 

Plus, I think it's a wonderful program that is volunteer powered. Volunteers feed and take care of all these cats that call the sanctuary home. From what I have researched, there is a trail (apx. 1.5 miles) through the park and lots of cats that roam freely.

Note to self: Remember to bring lots of allergy pills.



9. SoFo
South Fortaleza Street, San Juan
Food Festival

Food! Food! More Food!

Relatable

I would definitely consider myself to be a foodie, so visiting this restaurant filled street/ going through a food festival would be a great way to experience the culinary culture of Puerto Rico. Moreover, if I'm on vacation I'm not going to be eating something I can get here. I want to try the local delicacies!