Day Trip to Guanica

The best part about having friends all over the world its that I always have somewhere new to visit.  A few weeks ago, Greg moved to a new volunteer project after finishing his position at El Verde.  Now he lives close to Guanica, a city on the southern Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico.  On Sunday, Sheffin, Courtenay, Chris, Rachel and I rented a van and met Greg and his new group for a day at the beach.  

Sunday morning we left the station, stopped at Walgreens to grab some road snacks, then hit the highway.  After not getting behind a steering wheel for about two months, it felt amazing to drive that van.  We headed south through the mountains.  The last time we left on a road trip, it was already dark outside.  This morning the sun shined without a cloud in the sky, and we could see the central mountains around us.  As we made our way south, the landscape transitioned from rainforest to dry forest.  I'm always in awe how even across short distances, ecosystems can change so quickly.

We made it to Guayanilla in a little more than two hours and met Greg at his house.  He hopped in our van and we followed the whale crew to the beach in Guanica.  The beach here is a lot different than the one in Luquillo on the north side.  It was stunning to see both palm trees and cacti on the same beach.  The water was clear and beautiful, just how I remember the Caribbean from my trip to Belize.  Greg and I brought our snorkel gear and explored the sea grass beds close to shore.  When the waves rolled though the grasses, the blades undulated like they were blowing in the wind.  It felt so tranquil and almost hypnotic.

Even though the habitat seems so simple, just blades of grass in the sand, it teemed with a variety of tangs, wrasses, parrot fish, urchins, anemones, and a couple of sea stars.  Snorkeling confirmed that I belong in tropical coastal ecology.  I love the transition from mangrove to sea grass to coral reef, three vastly different ecosystems that are so integral to each other.  With each work experience, I try to inch my way closer.  Someday I'll get there.

It was late in the afternoon and we were getting ready to leave... right when the rain clouds started rolling in.  Perfect timing!  Greg's new boss was nice enough to host us at their house for dinner.  We all stopped at the store and picked up burgers to throw on the grill.  We ended up hanging out at the house a lot longer than we expected.  I think Greg was happy they didn't have to get back to work as early as the boss let on, and it was fun to meet some new people and see how different field operations work.

Finally, it was time to head back home.  We said our goodbyes to Greg and set out towards El Verde.  I think we all needed this trip.  Even though it was just for the day, its always recharging to get away from station life for a bit.  And, of course, it was great to see Greg again.  We barely spoke on the way back to the station, but we were all in agreement about our trip.  Chris summed it up best: It was a day of unadulterated excellence.

Chris, Sheff, me, and Greg on a gorgeous day in Guanica