Now I live in Puerto Rico

A LOT has happened in the past week, which has hugely increased my happiness in being here in Puerto Rico. Along with Loren and Sarah visiting me came freedom, because we rented a car! We explored historic sites, amazing beaches, food, pina coladas, people, it was a trip in a trip for real.
Loren and Sarah actually got to explore many places that I hadn't been to yet, which was awesome for me because they tested some waters for me. They found a woooonderful beach near me called Palmas del Mar. It supposedly has some of the best gold courses in the world, whatever. It has some amazing beaches, with a line of hotels whose pools you can just hop into. Before that though, we cruised around some beaches between San Juan and my town, Punta Santiago, along the east coast. We found my new spot, Luquillo beach, specifically La Pared (the "wall") because of a big cement wall that lines the beach. We also accidentally found (the best way to find) a great restaurante right on the beach in Luquillo that whoever visits me will definitely get a trip to. I'm starting to get my surf on in Luquillo, since its an easy beach for beginners (I've been a beginner surfer now for 10 years! will I ever get better?. . . )


Loren, Sarah and I had some great adventures. One of the best was when Sarah and I couldn't find our hotel in old San Juan, so after looking for 30 minutes we asked a security guard. We soon found out that the book (Lets Go! Puerto Rico) had the hotel in the wrong spot on the map. The security guard took our book to 2 other security guards, they discussed for about 3 minutes, completely halting their security watching, then one security guard asked a taxi driver, while another asked a bum. The bum spoke great English, and directed us. It was a funny sight.
Other adventures include getting lost and getting found. Between our only having maps of the whole island and no local maps, and the TERRIIIIIBBBBLLLEEEE Puerto Rico street Signage, we got lost quite a bit. Between many "U" turns and stopping at gas stations for questions, we usually made it, but in longer than we expected. It seems to me like people twist the street signs around for fun, so that you can't tell which direction your supposed to go. The highways and roads constantly merge into each other, but it will only tell you one of the two, so you are constantly unsure if you are in the right place. It was seriously Maddening.
Oh yea and the Bio Bay! I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet, but there is a wonderful American (Bostonian) couple named Bob and Keisha who have a have a hang gliding company and they take friends out in Kayaks to the biolumencent bay in Fajardo, the eastern most tip of the island. The bay has dinoflaggulates, organisms that glow when the water is moved. It's a magical experience to kayak in the water with them. Usually its best to go on a night with no moon, but my guests were here during a full moon. It ended up being fine, be cause there was cloud covering the moon. We kayaked in the dark through a small mangrove canal, which lets out into a larger bay. Once in the bay, every time you dip the kayak in the water the water glows around you. Every time you splash the water, wherever the splash lands it glows, mezmorizing ! Bob also showed us that if you are quiet then hit the kayak, you will scare the fish in the water below you, and they will scurry away leaving glowing trails behind them.

In terms of monkeys, I have still not figured out a research question that I find suitable. Researching has been going well because through the process I've gained some insight to rhesus macaque behaviors. Now that Sarah and Loren are gone things will go back to normal. Next weekend, though, there is a hang-gliding event that Keisha and Bob are putting on, where we will volunteer and make change boxes for "For Paws" at a time, the program that Keisha has started to save street dogs. She gets them vetted and then finds them adoption agencies in the Contintnal US.
Whew, things going well in the Carribbean, enjoy!