4mund's Blog

War Aries II

4mund — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:15:56 +0000

I tried to think of a title and came up with this..not exactly what I wanted…Just so you know Michelle’s birthday is March 28th and Usherla’s, April 9th..Gosh…Who would have thought 2 Arians would drive each other NUTS????

Them two were so much fun to watch…it became hilarious where we could joke with them about this. For those who grew up watching the Golden Girls..that is exactly how it was in the hotel, car, caves, and during meals!

The only, I repeat, ONLY time they got along was while SNORKELING!!!!!!!!! Usherla was so sweet to be nice to Michelle and let her get comfy in the 30 ft deep..I was so touched to see they finally came to their senses!!!! All joking aside, it was pure friendship!

It’s true when people say you have too many in a group traveling, often the dynamics becomes whack….We didn’t have crazy dynamics, all of us are different in different ways… I was quiet and observant and trying to be sure we know what the heck we are doing all week! Nicole was up for anything that I even teased her we were going to see the Rhesus monkeys where it isn’t safe to go! She said SURE…oh boy! Michelle was so easy and ready to leave at 7 am (me too!!!) and Usherla was the one that only wanted the BEACH! We had to tell her lllloookkk we going to try everything and not just the BEACH!

I couldn’t have asked for better traveling buddies..this made it all even more fun and wonderful! Can’t wait for the next trip!

Hasta La Vista!

~Darian

Critters

4mund — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:19:06 +0000

Still to this day, I do not know why my love for critters has since disappeared. I still remember vividly catching fireflies, lady bugs, etc. Fast forward…Now! If I can help it, I do not permit those critters come close! I am SO trying to rediscover the love for them just so that my daughter could appreciate them as much as I did growing up. I don’t want to be one of those moms who freaks out with their child’s findings Nicole

BATS!

Tan? Us….POC?

4mund — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:05:52 +0000

Well of course! I’ve already been approached twice being said, “I didn’t know black people get a sunburn.” Well yes we do! We have to take care of our skin too. Girls submit photos! If you have any! We thought we were smart by lotioning the front of ourselves, totally forgot the back!

Ohh well, I had to post this because I do not want a third person asking or saying, “excuse me-pardon my ignorance I did not know people of color get burnt.” Humm so now its out in the open…we sure do and I imagine, it feels the same too! (smirk) Darn it! Was touchy touchy, itchy itchy, peely peely, now scaby scaby…awaiting on my color to return…..hummm make sense?

Love ya, Usherla

Unique PR

4mund — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:59:46 +0000

What was so special about PR? Hospitality. Just one word. We completely felt welcomed. From the time we arrived to the time we departed. You’ll find more about this throughout the blogs. HEY, best of all we got to be ourselves (hint: I cud wear PINK shoes everyday)

So it goes without saying, things did go smooth. We got off with a great start! Do you remember what was on TV Monday night, July 27th? The Bachelorette!!!!!!! Dari n I were just not living without it that day! It was the season’s final!!! BIG MUST! We were able to get the tv closed captioned, sigh! I still feel that relief! Thanks to MICH!! (grin) Mich was able to changed the captioned from spanish to English. Just how hard was that? But when you are excited..you not thinking everything CLEAR! So of course, BIG Hooray! The show was TRUE DRAMA. You want DRAMA, this was it! I mean HELLO! She picked ED?! Eric? Whatever the name was…We were not going to miss Jillian’s pick and of course we were rooting on Kipton! Silly pick,ED?! My poor Kipton! Boohoo but that means he’s still AVAILABLE! Smirk! Too Darn CUTE! The personality to DIE for! FUN FUN outdoorsy!!!!

HUMMMMM, so PR started wif DAT!!!! Girls Remember?! Poor NIC n Mich but thanks to their patience.

Fondly,

Usherla

This is What Happens When You Are lost :)

4mund — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:44:25 +0000

Self Explanatory……………….

ATV

4mund — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:18:09 +0000

Who would have thought driving the ATV would be SO much fun! It was like being at the candy shop for the very first time :) Admittedly, at first I had jitters but Darian was all set to go! Our tour guide, Raul made it even more thrilling by challenging us to drive through many bumpy hills and muddy ponds *grr* Nevetheless, the view was absolutely breathtaking! This is a higly recommended and must do adventure!-Nicole

Raul, you rock!

Jorge -- second tour guide

Parque de las Cavernes del Rio Camuy

michelle328 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:51:36 +0000

The caves!!! As many times as I have gone to PR, I still cant believe I was never taken to see the caves.. Whew.. The trolley down to the bottom was beautiful. The Outdoor caves was breathtaking. Once we started going in it started getting really creepy! Cold wet, slippery and eerrrriee!

But it was worth the 40 minute trek we took going all the way to the bottom which was 490 feet deep. Before going in the cave the guide had advised us that we might see spiders and roaches/waterbugs and if we did to just say Hi!!! But I dont think I heard him say BATS!!! Towards the end there was a dark crevice with bats flying all over. Imagine my reaction! I froze for a few seconds! When you get to the end you can see a bright hole way up top with water dripping in and the sunlight coming through. Breathtaking! Enjoy the video!

~Michelle~

Them Cows :(

4mund — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:11:23 +0000

We decided to go to Jobos beach because on the Travel Channel they talked about hidden treasures of PR..Jobos was one of them where they have bar on the beach and nearby you go to this place call Pozo de Jacinto? I spell this right? If not, I’ll fix it!! Anyhow that place in Pozo is where there is a bridge near the ocean where it is dangerous to walk…legend says years ago cows went there and fell between the bridge into the ocean so people go by just to scream “Bring back them cows”!!!!! When we got to Jobos Beach, we couldn’t find Pozo….we gave upppppppppppppppppppp and decided to enjoy the crazy waves and view of the ocean.

If you get a chance to find the place, let us know!

~Darian

Pina Coladas…

4mund — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:02:55 +0000

Did you know PR was known for their pina coladas? If you go to the Caribe Hilton hotel in San Juan, that is where the ORIGINAL Pina Colada was made. Heres a little history of how it all started and the recipe!!

Birth Of The Piña Colada

When actress Joan Crawford tasted the piña colada at what was then the Beachcombers Bar in the Caribe Hilton, Calle Los Rosales (tel. 787/721-0303), she claimed it was “better than slapping Bette Davis in the face.”

This famous drink is the creation of bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero, now long gone, who was hired by the Hilton in 1954. He spent 3 months mixing, tasting, and discarding hundreds of combinations until he felt he had the right blend. Thus, the frothy piña colada was born. It’s been estimated that some 100 million of them have been sipped around the world since that fateful time.

Monchito never patented his formula and didn’t mind sharing it with the world. Still served at the Hilton, here is his not-so-secret recipe:

2 ounces light rum

1 ounce coconut cream

1 ounce heavy cream

6 ounces fresh pineapple

1/2 cup crushed ice

Pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry for garnish

Pour rum, coconut cream, cream, and pineapple juice in blender. Add ice. Blend for 15 seconds. Pour into a 12-ounce glass. Add garnishes.

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Monchito never patented his formula and didn’t mind sharing it with the world. Still served at the Hilton, here is his not-so-secret recipe:

2 ounces light rum

1 ounce coconut cream

1 ounce heavy cream

6 ounces fresh pineapple

1/2 cup crushed ice

Pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry for garnish

Pour rum, coconut cream, cream, and pineapple juice in blender. Add ice. Blend for 15 seconds. Pour into a 12-ounce glass. Add garnishes.

Many people go to the Hilton Caribe daily just to get their drink. They are also celebrating their 50th year and I asked the bartender what did they do to celebrate…go figure, not a darn thing!!Guess that didn’t need to celebrate in grand fashion because people go there all day long aannywayyy!! Check out the hotel and the beach. Beautiful place!

~Darian & Michelle

The Forts…

4mund — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:51:27 +0000

I figgy I better tell everyone right now this…. Noooooooooooooooooooooooo we didn’t see the forts like we should in Old San Juan!!!! Everyone keeps asking us that and we know and know and know we should have went. We did so many things that seeing the forts didn’t even happen. We APOLOGIZE!

All the more reasons to go back to PR one day!

~Darian