Learning to be Flexible

One thing we've learned living in Puerto Rico is that you have to be flexible. 

I suppose one should learn the art (or skill?) of flexibility anywhere one lives, but for whatever reason living on a Caribbean island takes a bit of getting used to! Plans don't always go according to...plans. For example, if you schedule a day trip and the website says the facility is open, don't believe it. And vice versa. 

As has been said so often in the past, trust but verify!

Hitting the trail! That us, Lyndon and Julie, at Bosque Estatal de Cambalache.

Every week or so we try to get out and about on a hiking/beach day trip adventure. So many places to choose from around the island, but we're starting off with the ones closer to our home in Vega Baja. We picked one about 40 minutes away called the Indian Caves, or Cueva del Indio near Arecibo (NW part of PR).

But we did our research first. Most of the travel sites we viewed said it was closed. So we changed our plans - We are flexible! - and picked a state park to hike in then went to a beach near Arecibo. 

The place we visited was Bosque Estatal de Cambalache. Beautiful grounds, but on a Thursday, hardly anyone was there. Which was fine by us. The facilities were closed, but the trails were open. 

There's about 5 miles of trails to hike. We took the main circuit around the park/forest ("bosque") which was about 3.5 miles. Not too rugged, but it did give us a nice workout. 

Bring water, of course, and bug spray - it was quite humid and parts of the path were a bit muddy. The scenery is pleasant, but since it's not on the ocean itself, it lacked the spectacular views of our last hike at Cerro Gordo. Still, a great wat to keep in shape. We brought our lunch and had a picnic afterwards.

At the beach...Playa Caza y Pesca. A sea turtle sanctuary.

Our reward after an hour of half of sweaty hiking is to hit the beach and swim a bit, relax, and try not to get sunburnt. Along the northwest coast is a great drive, kind of like the Pacific Coast Highway in spots. Great views and plenty of beaches. We stopped at Playa Caza y Pesca for a bit. Some good surfing waves, but not great for wading. The riptide is pretty strong and you have to actually swim if you want to get in the water. Which I (Lyndon) did, but boy am I out of shape. Five minutes and I was done!

Another view of Playa Caza y Pesca. Warm water and great waves.

We forgot to bring a container of water to wash the sand off our feet when we got back to the car, so lesson learned. Day trips can be a challenge for lazybones or those who struggle with health issues. You have to plan, drive, get messy, clean up...and most of all be flexible. 

As we started our drive home, we passed Cueva del Indio, the place we were originally going to go to but thought was closed. Well, it looked open to us as we drove by! Which means we have our next hike and beach trip already planned out.

A Trail in Bosque Estatal de Cambalache.

What path are you heading down at the moment? Any good trails - literally or metaphorically? Comment below or drop us a line about some of your favorite adventures, hikes, or beach days.