This was one of the main reasons we were excited for Puerto Rico. I’d seen numerous pins on Pinterest with these amazing pictures of people floating in the bay with the water glowing around them. We just had to see for ourselves. We had to book a tour and one night hotel stay on vieques because the small ferry to our rental place ended at 10:00p and we wouldn’t have made it back in time. We were staying in Fajardo which is where the large ferries to Vieques and Culebra depart from. The ferry terminal was a short walk from our small ferry dock. The ferry was one of few things that ended up better than I expected it to on this trip. I’d read horror stories about the lines and people missing the boat or getting bumped because residents get priority. Since we were traveling on Tres Reyes Magos I wasn’t sure if that would make for more of a crowd or less. (My girls by the way are delighted to have a new gift giving holiday to celebrate.)
I was certain we’d end up missing the ferry and having to haul butt to the Ceiba airport for a flight. The ferry cost us $12 roundtrip whereas a 10 minute flight would’ve been $240. To try and be prepared I scoped out the ferry line two days ahead of time. The Culebra line was around the block, but the Vieques line was maybe 20-30 people. That gave me a little more confidence. We ended up being able to get round trip tickets with plenty of time to spare.
In Vieques we were able to catch a cab at the ferry dock and head to the Tradewinds Guesthouse. People had recommended renting a car to explore the island, but by this point our sense of adventure was pretty much gone. Instead we opted to walk along the beach by the hotel. The girls were delighted that we found tons of sea glass. I’d made the mistake before we left on this trip of mentioning that another pin I’d seen said Puerto Rico had lots of beaches with sea glass. Later I realized the beach the pin referenced was clear on the west side of the island and that trip wasn’t happening. Sun Bay satiated their need for glass hunting. The beach was pretty gorgeous.
After baking for a couple hours we fit in dinner (or maybe more like late lunch) and a nap. Our night tour wasn’t until 9:00pm which may have well have been midnight in the world we live in. We were close enough to walk to Abe’s Tour Company. The streets were packed with people since it was a major Puerto Rican holiday. We took the tour van to a parking lot where we got to check out some more of the wild horses. They gave us our kayaking instructions and then loaded us back up for a ride on some bumpy roads to the beach.
Dan took Gabby for fear Lottie wouldn’t put enough weight in the front of his boat. I got Lottie, who’d fallen asleep on the second van ride. Getting in the water was a little traumatic for me. I have never been out on the water in pitch black darkness. It is a little jarring especially when you are being rushed along. I ended up whacking the pour man from the tour company in the head with my paddle. He insisted it happens every night. I am certain that’s a lie. I then ran into the couple next to me, but since they had two people paddling I say that’s on them for not getting out of my way. Once out of the crowded beach it was smooth sailing.
It was incredible to be in ocean water at night with no moon, but a million stars. And then we saw the glow in the water. The pictures on line are deceptive because they kind of exaggerate the blue glow. The actual sight is hard to describe and impossible to accurately photograph. It’s like someone glitter bombed the ocean. When the water splashes into the boat it’s as though diamonds are raining down. You see blue streaks when fish swim through. We kayaked out across the bay and then got “free time.” Some people paddled around by the mangroves and saw sharks and larger fish. We spent free time stuck together because one of our children who is not such a fan of the dark was even less a fan of being in a kayak in the ocean in the dark. The mention of sharks didn’t help either. Once we were on our way back she warmed up to the experience more and couldn’t stop touching the water to see the glowing droplets. It was truly an amazing experience.
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| So we kind of improvised. I was told a box of grass should be left out. This was the box we had available. |
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| Lottie wrote a note. She was dying to know how the camels and kings get from place to place. |
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| Checking out what the three kings brought them. |
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| The air conditioning was cranking on the ferry. |
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| Warming up on the upper deck before the rain. |
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| A view of our island rental from the ferry. |
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| Hanging out at the beach on Vieques. |
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| Sorting their sea glass. |
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| Checking out the wild horses. I thought horses weren't supposed to sit down. |
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| Posing in their life jackets. Lottie was dying to blow that whistle. |
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| This doesn't do any justice to the water. All that movement was actually bright blue in the middle of black water. |
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| The child on the right was not feeling this experience :( |
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| Glad they were smiling. The weather was nicer on the return trip, but the ride was way bumpier. |
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| Waiting for our shuttle to the bay. |
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