December 31 – San Juan, Puerto Rico

December 31, 2015 San Juan Puerto Rico
We sailed in a little late so I got to watch as we came past El Morro. I signed up for the El Yunque Rain Forest Hike. There were 17 of us. We took a bus for 45 minutes to the park where we picked up our guide and then drove another 20 minutes to the starting point for the hike. The rain forest has concrete and stone paths and stairs that were built in the 1930’s by the CCC. Our guide, Enrique, pointed out a lot of interesting plants and lizards as we hiked. The first part was downhill until we reached a waterfall where you could swim. Since the stop was only for 15 minutes and there were boulders to climb over to get to the pool, none of us swam. After the waterfall, the hike was mainly uphill. We hiked about 2 miles. It was beautiful and we had no rain. I would recommend this excursion.
Tonight is our last Gala night with Surf and Turf on the menu. We found New Year’s hat on the table.
Beginning at 11pm, every bar had music playing and noisemakers. Right before midnight, champagne was passed out and the countdown was done. In the main showroom balloons were dropped. Many more people than I expected attended the festivities.

Tomorrow we will be in Samana, Dominican Republic.