We set out on the Bioluminescent Night Kayaking trip in San Juan after docking at the pier in Puerto Rico that evening. Driving by all the housing projects and condos, I came to the realization of how well I have it in New York, living my life in such ease and luxury compared to other people. My latest worries circle around ever owning my own beautiful home, while in the interim living in splendor, and here others are barely scraping by, having trouble paying the rent in their project of an apartment. And this is all they know. There were bars up to the roof on the balconies and windows of every home that we passed. I was amazed and shocked at once. The bus trip on the way to the kayaks was an awakening, but there were some spectacular views and sights that will forever be ingrained in my mind with feelings of total serenity and escapism.
We came to an area where the road became extremely narrow and winding. Immediately to one side was the Caribbean sea, with palms swaying and waves crashing on white sandy beaches that seemed to overflow onto the tiny two lane road. Directly on the opposite side were lush green vines and tropical forests with the ocassional snack shack serving up fried plantains and fritters. It gave me that off-the-beaten-path, miles from ordinary sort of feeling, you know, the deserted virgin island. It screamed 'Corona'...
We arrived at the bay about 2 hours later. It was around 9 in the evening and dark, but there was a surprisingly warm breeze blowing through the air. We grouped up into partners for double kayaks and I teamed up with a lady named Jann from Tampa, who was on the cruise with her son and his wife along with the in-laws. She was a bold, cheerful woman with short white hair, who seemed very naturey and adventurous; we got along great. Although it had been some time since in a kayak for both of us, we sinked up our paddling rhythm immediately. I was in th back seat which meant I was to steer, and as Jann kept up her paddling, I would drag my stick in the water to determine directions or double paddle on one side to move us away from obstacles.
Among our excursion group was an italian couple, a french couple and a german couple, along with Jann's son and wife. Everyone felt bad for the Germans, who missed the entire mini-lesson before the ride due to language barriers, and were sent out to the open sea to fend for themselves (or by chance, decifer our flailing arm movements and loud voices when they started moving in the wrong direction.)
I felt like an explorer set out on a tropical safari, as we paddled through the narrow waterways with a blanket of stars above us and a half moon in the sky to guide the way. There were sounds of our paddles splashing the water with every stroke to compliment the light hum of saccadas and an ocassional snapping of a tree branch which seemed to echo through the narrow creeks. The thick roots from the trees on our sides protruded out into the water, and their heavy vines created a delightful canopy of dangling leaves all around us. The only thing that freaked me out about this, was the mention of sleeping iguanas on the tree branches above, and I prayed that none felt too relaxed to loosen their grip on their beds of bark.
Just as we were beginning to aclamate ourselves to these small wonders making up our environment, a new breathtaking component was quickly added to our sensories. As I watched my paddle dip into the shallow waters a sudden glow erupted from underneath, following as it made its way to the surface! It was like someone had poured the content of a glow stick in the water and the substance was being splashed around to disipate. It immediately reminded me of one of my most favorite movies "The Beach" with Leonardo DeCaprio who plays a young traveler stumbling upon an exotic and deserted tropical beach. There is a scene where he and the girl, Francoise, go night swimming in a lagoon. With every kick of their feet and stroke of their arms, the plankton and the phosphorus, when agitated, brings about the most stunning light deep from within the waters. This is exactly what I was experiencing in the present.
We eventually emerged from the narrow water ways to see a stretch of an open lagoon before us. Complete with mangroves casing the waters edge, the view was spectacular. You could see where other kayakers had been by the trail of glowing water behind them. I dipped my hand in the water and brought up a cupful to let trickle down my forearm and elbow. As it ran, I could see streaks of glowing plankton, which came and went like tiny bursts of lightening. I was in amazement.
The ride back in the opposite direction was much easier, as there was a current that moved us along at a fast speed. Before we knew it, we were back to where we started and ready to do the whole adventure again, although I'm sure my sore arm muscles would have objected. After changing out of wet clothes and grabbing some snacks we were headed back to the shelter of our luxurious cruise ship to be lulled asleep by the slight, gentle rock of the waves beneath.
