Day of Illumination

This morning, we slept in.  Everyone agreed it was much needed!  At 10:30 AM, we set out some breakfast items and snacks for the kids to eat.

At 11, the students delivered their Puerto Rico presentations in the lobby.  They all did a really nice job! 

The bus took us to Luquillo Beach.  We stopped at a restaurant for another bite at the Kioscos de Luquillo. The food was excellent!  There was mofongo and arepas. 

After eating, we headed back to the bus to visit the beach.We arrived at the beach and walked down to the water.  As we were walking, we saw beautiful palm trees and other tropical plants.  At the beach, the students spend a couple of hours playing in the water and sand.  While there was a little bit of cloud cover, the scenery at Luquillo was very beautiful.

Around 5:30 PM, we boarded our bus to head to the Bioluminescent Bay (Bio Bay) tour with Glass Bottom PR.  They have that name because their kayaks have glass bottoms to more easily see the luminescent effect.  We had a short drive through beautiful buildings and mountains. 

To get to the Bio Bay, we had to kayak there.  Two people would be in one kayak.  We were told it was best to row together and taught how to move our kayak around.  We were also told that we could not bring anything with us, including phones, as this was a protected area.  Instead, they would take photos of us and put it on their Facebook page.  Once the guides finished their instructions, we took a group photo.

Pair by pair, we each got into a kayak.  Kayaking was not as easy as it looked!  Many of us ran into each other or turned too much.  Eventually, however, all of us got the hang of it.  We were taken around some boats in the bay to a small canal.  The area was surrounded by mangrove trees with huge roots!  This made our path very narrow, so we often ran into the trees.  Were were told to try to keep a single file line, but it was difficult, as we were moving against the current.  Our guides often had to yell out instructions and even take our kayak's along with theirs to get us through.  They were really funny, though, and helpful.

Another interesting aspect was that the tour was at night.  This was the only way to see the bio-luminescence.  So, moving through the narrow canal with almost no light made it even more challenging.  After about a half of a mile, we made it out into the protected bay area.  Our guides put our boats into a line and explained what we were about to see.

Our guide explained that the micro-organisms and jelly fish in the bay produce a luminescent light as a defensive mechanism.  The micro-organisms are incredibly small, such that they can't be seen with the naked eye, individually.  What they do is gather together to produce a large light effect, to make themselves look bigger.  While this seems like a strange defense, it allows other micro-organisms to get away.  They put themselves in danger to protect the others!  How brave!

Next, our guides covered all of our boats with a tarp to eliminate as much light as possible.  The darker it is, the easier it is to see the luminescent effect.  With the tarp over us, we put our hands into the water and moved them around.  This disturbed the micro-organisms, and so they began to glow!  As you moved your hand around, the water sparkled a light blue.  It was amazing.  Some of the students were even able to grab a glowing jelly fish!  They do not sting, and are extremely light to the touch.

After 20 or 30 minutes, we made our way back through the canal.  We were all better at kayaking by this point, and so the return trip was much easier.  We made it back to the bay opening and got out of the water for some snacks before getting back onto our bus.  As our day was over, our bus headed back to the hotel.

By the time we got back, it was really late.  We ordered some pizza for a quick, late dinner, and then went to bed.  Tomorrow, we are headed to the city of Ponce!