Puerto Rico is a predominated part of the United States but it has so many differences by itself. It is an island located between the Caribbean and North Atlantic Ocean. Beyond sea sides and beaches, it has ranges of mountains that elevate as high as 4390 feet. In the middle of the island, there are dry lands with cactus. The distinct features of the landscape in Puerto Rico give it a biodiversity that is far way beyond the range I expected.
On the second day of the trip, we visited the El Yunque National Forest in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is a well preserved area with a number of trails from where the beauty of flora and fauna can be appreciated. I was picturing trudging through muddy soils and getting bites from tropical insects like what happened to me in Malaysian rainforest, but the elevation of the El Yunque forest made the entire trip refreshing and enjoyable. Constant and ample rainfall in the forest insures the growth of tropical plants all year round and the existence of several waterfalls. After walking down the trails for about twenty minutes, we came to a prevalent sight of a waterfall and small ponds. In the forest, I did not see many signs introducing the types of trees, but did see many boards to remind people to ponder upon the importance of nature preservation. It was a wonderful picture of people and the nature living in harmony. Though there was a large volume of people swimming and having fun in the pool, they were unanimous about keeping the area clean after enjoying what nature has to offer.
One most commonly found fauna in the forest is coqui. It is a type of neotropical frog known to Puerto Rico. These frogs are well protected in Puerto Rico, but face extinction in other tropical regions. A Puerto Rican salesperson shared about how she was used to hear coqui croaking while sleeping. After she moved to Chicago, she could not fall asleep in silent nights without hearing coqui croaking, so her mother had to put the phone near the yard and let her hear coqui sound before she went to sleep. Coqui has be an important part of Puerto Rican life. The story of the salesperson amazed me by thinking about how close Puerto Ricans are living with the nature.
Three days later, we went back to Fajardo from Mayaguez and lived in Casa Cubuy Ecolodge hidden on the other side of the El Yunque National Forest. It was disappointing that the ecolodge was not as grand as a resort I imagined, but the view from the porch in my room was a surprise in disguise. Ranges of mountains surrounded the ecolodge, everything was almost still, and the effect of the dimming sunlight made the scene look like one from a painting. At night, we walked down a less constructed track. I sat down to lean on a big rock at the bottom of the waterfall and quietly meditated on the beauty of the starry night sky while listening to the cacophony of coquis. The beauty of the scene is indescribable until one truly experiences it oneself. I lifted up my phone camera and tried to keep record of what I was seeing and hearing, while it was an incredible photo, the camera was not able to capture its true beauty. I was wondering how many places like this are left in the world to let us truly appreciate the beauty of nature. The work of man is incomparable to that of the nature. Sleeping with coqui croaking and water gushing down rocks is a rare enjoyment that can’t be found in many parts of the world. With the speed of urbanization, more and more people are looking for natural and undeveloped sites to keep away from man-made noises. The ecolodge is a demonstration of green tourism that the future tourism is diverting to.
