Puerto Rico Escape

Bryce's BMES (biomedical engineering) conference = Elissa's pre-baby relaxation vacation!

That's right.  Bryce had a conference with everything paid for (for him) so we spent a little extra on a plane ticket for me so I could relax in the sun while he was at the conference.  (of course he had breaks between meetings and we stayed a few extra days to explore together).

The conference was at El Conquistador resort.  We mainly spent time at the beach and pools reading, talking, and taking naps.  I also enjoyed a couple [virgin] pina coladas, my favorite!  At the beach, the water was turquoise and clear with tons of coral reefs for snorkeling.  We didn't snorkel but there were a few small (2-3 feet long) sharks that would casually swim by.  Then I would not-so-casually get out of the water.

I tried to act like I wasn't pregnant by going out with everyone and trying to stay up late.  Usually I was in bed at a normal time except a couple nights.  One night we left the resort and ate at a little Puerto Rican local joint.  We got "mofongo", danced salsa with locals, and sang karaoke.  Another night, right outside our hotel room, there was a DJ at the main pool and tons of people were in their bathing suits dancing and playing volleyball in the pool.  I was completely zonked by midnight and convinced Bryce that he was too.  It was really fun spending time with everyone that Bryce works with at the lab.

I also have to mention that my biomedical engineer won 2nd place in his session for his talk!  It was the first talk that I have been able to watch.  He did a great job.  Here he is right before he started.

Here we are about to go to the banquet where we got his award.

After the conference, Bryce and I rented a car and explored El Yunque National Park Rainforest which was just 20 minutes away.  It rained a lot in the rainforest.

One evening, we did the biobay.  It was awesome!!  Totally worth it.  You basically kayak out to this lagoon and wait til it's completely dark, then you can see the tiny glowing organisms in the water when you move your paddle or hand in it.  It was crazy.

We had to go through this narrow channel to get to the lagoon.  It felt like we were in a Louisiana swamp with mangroves everywhere.

About a day before we flew out, we went to Old San Juan.  I LOVED it.  We walked around the historic, colorful streets, toured the Spanish fort, and tried to survive the heat in the middle of the day.  We wanted to stay longer but it was so hot.  We tried to stay cool with ice cold cokes and frozen yogurt, but ended up going back to the hotel and swimming in the pool before our flight the next day. 

We really loved PR.  It felt like Latin America, but almost everyone spoke English, there were conveniences like Walmart to grab groceries, they use the American dollar, and we felt safe the entire time even renting a car and going out on our own.  I definitely would go back.  I also definitely felt spoiled being able to tag along making it into a vacation.

June was full of traveling for us, and although it was awesome and fun and exciting, when we walked into the house after being gone, it was also awesome.  It's great to be back home, sleeping in our own bed, cooking our own dinner, and as much as it sounds crazy, getting back into the routine.  I guess being away makes you appreciate a lot of things, both the fun of being somewhere new and the fun of being home.

More pictures.