Last Day in Puerto Rico

February 11, 2017February 13, 2017 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Oh, friends. I’m so sad to have to go.

Yesterday (Friday) was our last full day, and compared to the other crazy tourist days, we decided to slow it down and just enjoy the pool and beach.

So that’s just what we did. And unfortunately for both of us pasty fools, the sunburns we’d avoided for the full trip finally caught up with us. 😞

We started our day at the rooftop pool at our hotel:

Bobby is practicing his nascent photography skills. I have a hard time with pictures and can be really critical of how I look on camera (I far prefer to be BEHIND the camera!) but I stepped outside my comfort zone on this trip, and I’ve got to say, I like the result! 😉
Already feeling a little lobstery, we paused to reapply sunscreen and then made our way to the beach, where we set up with an umbrella and two lounge chairs.

We feasted on empanadas and cherry limeade from a beachside stand (DELICIOUS), and Bobby finished his book as I took turns reading and running into the pleasantly cool waves.

(Along our trip, I picked up And The Mountains Echoed, the latest Khaled Hosseini book. Just finished it this morning on the plane back. SO GOOD. That, along with Persepolis, comprised my beach reading material. HIGHLY recommend both!)

In later afternoon, when sand started flying with an increase in the wind, we knew a storm was about to roll in, so we packed up quickly and headed back inside. And no sooner had we done so than the sky opened up, and it poured — the first time it rained for us in San Juan, the whole trip! (We did see rain in the rainforest, so I can’t say it was the first rain of our TRIP. But like… c’mon, rain is in the name.)

We hung out inside for a while, marveling at the quick rainstorm, and then reading some more. Then, we headed back to the rooftop deck for a cocktail!

While sky-high, we watched the rainclouds roll away:

After that, it was time for getting ready for dinner! We headed out to a heartily-recommended restaurant nearby called Ceviche House, and tried their namesake dish. And WOW. So good, I forgot to photograph it.

On our way home, we decided to stroll on the beach, and caught the brilliant moonrise. We stayed on the sparsely-populated beach for a few minutes, just quietly taking in the spectacular sky and standing shoeless in the warm water.

Though the trip was all too short, the ending was just about perfect. I mean, just look for yourself:

After that, it was all packing and final prep, and we headed out super early this morning.

WHAT A TRIP.

Now. Time to start planning the next adventure!

Until next time, friends. ¡Adiós, Puerto Rico!

Old & Bold San Juan

February 9, 2017February 9, 2017 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Friends!

It is late(ish) here, and I am beat. (Spending all day on your feet will do that to you!) Nevertheless, I’ll do my best to write up an account of today before I zonk.

This morning, we had plans to get up early and head to Old San Juan, the historical center of the city. After a liiiiittle bit later of a start than we intended (whoops, forgot to set any alarms!), we took a taxi over and started our day.

First up was El Paseo de La Princesa, a beautiful walkway to the sea.

I made a friend:

And we worked our way down the road to the Raíces fountain.

Guys, it was almost too pretty to look at.

We kept strolling past there, and began to follow the fort walls on a beautiful promenade around the bay.

Along the way, we dipped into the city gates (the last one still standing of the original 5!) and saw a bit of the city itself:

We strolled past a dilapidated old building with a boarded up door. Luckily, though, a few of the boards had fallen, and I got this picture:

Doesn’t it make you just want to buy it, just so you can fix it all up and turn it into a hotel? UGH. (So if anyone has a few million lying around… you know where to find me for a cool investment opportunity. 😜)

From there, we kept going on the Paseo El Morro until we got to THE FORT. And of course, the view from the fort was unparalleled.

Tired and a little sore by then, we found our way to St. Germain, a small restaurant we’d read about in the guidebook.

SO DELICIOUS.

Shortly thereafter, we hopped in ANOTHER taxi to take us to our tour of Casa Bacardí, the rum factory!

Though the tour was a little foolish (we went on the “historical tour,” which was essentially 30 minutes of Bacardi talking about how its founders were such geniuses), it was #worthit, if only for the included-with-price-of-admission cocktail and commemorative cup.

From there, we headed back into Old San Juan, where we explored the OTHER fort — Castillo San Cristobal. The views from here were just spectacular. Unlike El Morro, which we did earlier in the day, this fort allowed us to see panoramic views of the whole city. And plus, we learned that the fort was used as recently as WWII!

Check out this view:

If you’d believe it, after that it was time to eat again. (All this eating! It’s almost like we need it to live!)

We strolled back to a nearby plaza, where we found a nice restaurant and made ourselves comfortable as the sun set.

(He’s not picking his nose… just an unfortunate placement of his finger. I mean… Bobby! Stop picking your nose!)

After night fell and we finished our meal, we headed back to Paseo de la Princesa for one last nighttime look.

And now, it’s time for bed!

Tomorrow will be our last day in Puerto Rico (😭😭😭), so I’m not sure what the day will hold. Perhaps beach all day long? Maybe a bit of that rooftop pool? Maybe a street fair? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

Until then, goodnight!

Return to The Island Capital

February 8, 2017 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Hello, friends!

Greetings from another day in the Island of Enchantment.

Today, Bobby and I checked out of our country inn, and headed back into San Juan — but not before making the most of our final hours on the east coast.

After breakfast, we packed and read a bit more, then leisurely packed the car and set off. Along the way, we wandered to a beachside restaurant called Rincon Del Faro (Corner of the Lighthouse?), where we had our SECOND fruit-carved beverage — this time, piña colada, my favorite.

After lunch of fish sandwiches (and fried calamari!), we took a jaunt over to the beach.

Not to be sated by just any old beach, and with an extra 45 minutes to spare before we had to head back and return our rental car, I convinced Bobby from here to drive to Playa Luquillo. Guidebooks and other travelers uniformely said Luquillo had one of the best beaches in the whole island, so we figured we’d spend a few minutes strolling the beach and putting our feet in the water.

It was BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED

The palm trees. The cool water. The lack of crowds. The rainforest mountains looming in the background. PERFECTION.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to leave here. If I had had a hammock, I may NOT have left. But leave we eventually did, and we headed back in, exchanged our car, and hailed a taxi to our nearby hotel.

So for this stay, we were a bit tied: because we were using credit card rewards points, we had a number of ritzy high-rise hotels to choose from. We ended up selecting the San Juan Water & Beach Club Hotel, which — no joke — has a special theme.

The theme is just the color blue.

Blue lights in the hallway. Blue lights in your room. Blue lobby. Blue pool. Blue ocean. (Well, okay, I’ll give them those last two.)

So we checked into our blue room, and set about getting situated.

Good beach: ✔️

Blue lights: ✔️

ROOFTOP LOUNGE AND POOL?????? ✔️

We did some loafing and lounging (it IS a vacation, after all), and soon enough, it was time for dinner. Just a few steps from our hotel was an oceanview bar and grill, where we ate MORE fried calamari and tried the mango mojitos and octopus salad.

Except for the guests SMOKING IN FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR THE NO SMOKING SIGNS, the restaurant was tasty and the waiters were super friendly.

After that, it was time for a bit of nighttime beach sittin’ (the moon is super bright these days!), and then a bit more lazing around before bed.

Tragically, this evening saw the demise of Bobby’s laptop, which means I’m stuck to phone photos for the rest of the trip’s blog posts. In the interim, check out these pictures of pictures of today:

And with that, I’m off to sleep! Tomorrow, we see OLD SAN JUAN and tour the Bacardí factory. Will try to see if I can send samples via the computer to each of you. 😜

A Journey to The US’s Only Rainforest

February 7, 2017 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

HELLO, friends! Writing now with what little energy I have, after a CRAZY second day on the east coast of the island.

This morning was calm — the first thing Bobby and I did was head up to breakfast, which was simple but quite good.

We then took a minute to tend to the wild animals. And by wild animals, I mean this ferocious beast, named Caspar.

After breakfast, we took a walk around the property that the inn was on — and we came across a banana plant, which I decided to grab a banana from. It was delicious.

After that lazy start to the day, we hopped back in the car and headed towards our major activity for the day: EL YUNQUE, the only rainforest located in the United States. I’d never been to a rainforest, so I had very little sense of what to expect.

When we drove in, we stopped at the visitor’s center to get acclimated. And right away, it was clear: the air was THICKER here than elsewhere.

Once we had settled on our trail for the day (La Mina Trail), we made our way up the mountain and began.

IT WAS AMAZING. We took a well-worn path through the heart of the forest, which hugged the creek for several kilometers, until it dropped and turned into a beautiful waterfall with a swimming hole beneath. I jumped right in — and BRRRRR, it was chilly.

Because the trail was steep, I didn’t take any pictures on my phone. (I did, however, focus on my real camera for this hike!) Once I’m back to a place with more consistent internet, I’ll add in some visuals.

The whole venture out and back took us a few hours, so when we got back, we decided we’d have a few drinks at a roadside stand. But before we did that, we strolled up to this overlook to catch a few more glimpses of the mountains.

The view from the top of the tower:

Phew! All that walking was enough to make anyone thirsty for some cold coconut water.

Thoroughly spent, we drank our weight in coconuts and then hit the trail back towards the inn.

AND THEN YES, WE WENT FOR A SWIM.

We stayed poolside for a few hours until it got dark. Then, we grabbed a few things and headed out for dinner!

Bobby had heard of this great food truck near where we had gone on the bioluminescent bay tour last night, so we made that our #1 goal. And the joint, called Bistro Del Mar, did NOT disappoint.

Bobby’s dish, a chicken stuffed avocado with coconut rice.

My meal, a classic Puerto Rican food called mofongo. (That’s mashed plantains.)

I am still SO FULL and SO HAPPY.

It’s been a good day today. Tomorrow, we head back to San Juan, and perhaps spend some more time on the beach or touring Old San Juan. Later this week, we’ll be visiting the Bacardí rum factory.

Hard life, you know.

From The Beach to The Mountains in 1 Hour

February 6, 2017 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Waking up this morning felt like waking up to find that a good dream was real.

Bobby and I were headed out from The Dreamcatcher early to pick up our rental car and then drive out to the east coast of the island. But first, we ambled down the stairs to see what the chef was cooking — in this case, pancakes with almonds, fresh bananas, homemade tamarind and honey syrup, and fresh coconut-and-orange juice.

Just as good as it looks!

After that, it was time to hit the road!

We journeyed along the road closest to the beach, which was pretty quiet, and got to take in views of the beautiful El Yunque in the distance. And then, all of a sudden, in the not-so distance.

We stopped for lunch at a rooftop restaurant rated #1 on TripAdvisor, and were treated to an excellent lunch with a view.

And after that, it was time to check in to the hotel! Our inn is a small one located at the top of a mountain, and once we got there, the host let us know that we were some of the only guests they’d seen in days. They introduced us to their 3 dogs, which they said loved to go on walks with guests, and they encouraged us to let them walk with us when we wanted to go wander around.

And then we got to take in THE VIEWS.

And see THE POOL

I’m going to be completely honest with you: this afternoon, we did not make the most of this pool. (I know, I know.) Worse still, we took a NAP instead. But that was necessary, because of our evening plans.

Tonight, we ventured out, grabbed some kebabs from a street vendor for dinner, and sat by the beach… and THEN…

WE GOT TO SEE THE BIOLUMINESCENT BAY!

Guys. I don’t know how to describe this to you. I couldn’t take my cameras aside from my GoPro, so I will have to upload something later, if the footage even turns out.

BUT GUYS. We got the chance to see REAL LIVE GLOW-IN-THE-DARK ORGANISMS. Right in the water. RIGHT IN OUR HANDS.

We went on a guided tour with a tour group, and paddled out to sea in our little kayaks, 2 to a boat. The moon was rather full (which usually means decreased visibility), but we still soldiered on. We kayaked through a dark lagoon, all in a straight line, barely able to see in parts, with dense mangroves all around us. And just as we started flagging, the trees opened up and we sailed out into the Laguna Grande, where the sparkling, glowing organisms live.

Our tour guide, Javier, was a trained marine biologist, so he waxed poetic for a while about the phenomenon. Apparently, these organisms are plankton, which glow as a defense mechanism. They can be seen in very few places around the world — including a few places in Puerto Rico.

We passed around a bucket of an example of the organisms, and each of us saw the electric lights — kind of like twinkle lights, or fireflies. And then, we all pulled a large canopy over our heads to better block the moon, and ran our fingers through the water.

IT WAS SO COOL.

We stayed in this area for some time, playing around and exploring via kayak. And then, it was time to travel back through the mysterious Jungle Book-like mangroves, until we popped back out in the ocean, and wandered back to our car.

Guys. It was so neat. The world is a very, very cool place.

Here’s one look as we prepared to get on the boats:

On the way back to the hotel, we made a quick pitstop for snacks and juices. Here are our spoils:

SOURSOP! Peach! Tamarind! Guayaba! I LOVE JUICE.

Tomorrow, we’ll be taking it extra slow. (Like, “naps by the pool” slow.) You won’t want to miss any of the action. 😜

I love Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico, You Lovely Island

February 5, 2017February 5, 2017 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Hello, friends! I’m back! And just in time to go away again… but this time, I’m taking you with me.

And because it’s chilly and grey up north, let’s head further south. Maybe somewhere tropical. Perhaps a place where we can go to the beach? Or to the mountains? Or visit a rainforest? But let’s not spend too much, and let’s not leave the US.

DONE. Because this week, I’m coming at you from Puerto Rico, US territory since 1898. AND I AM SO EXCITED.

About a year and a half ago, my boyfriend Bobby and I traveled through the San Juan airport en route to another destination. As we were descending into the airport, Bobby and I took a few quick looks out the window, and both agreed that San Juan was too beautiful, and we should try to visit if we could ever get the chance.

Months passed, and every so often, I would come across an ad that screamed JOIN US IN PUERTO RICO. I stumbled across pictures on Instagram of sparkling lagoons and bright blue waters with mountains in the background, with little captions reading, “FAJARDO, PUERTO RICO.” On one of my favorite travel blogs one December day, I saw a stunning guesthouse in San Juan called The Dreamcatcher, which, to my shock when I looked it up, was affordable.

Still, it was a pipe dream — tickets and hotels and food all add up quickly, and there was never time in my schedule.

That is, until Bobby and I were taking a closer look at our schedules this year. Bobby’s still in school, so we were plotting out what our calendars would look like… when he mentioned he’d likely have a week in February after he finished an exam. “We should take a trip!” he said. “Use some of those points I have from my credit card.”

Half-jokingly, I mentioned we should go to Puerto Rico, because I had just seen these ads on the Metro that were advertising “cheap” flights to San Juan.

We started browsing destinations and adding up figures… and lo and behold, those “cheap” San Juan flights really were cheap.

And the more we looked, the more excited we got. And things started to fall into place: hotels booked through points and work bonuses. Flights handled from our travel fund.

And that is why on February 5th, we woke up at an unnecessarily early hour to catch a plane, and then another plane… and by lunchtime, this was our view.

We’re HERE! From the airport, we went straight to our hotel — and yes, this is the very same guesthouse I saw a year ago on that blog. It’s called The Dreamcatcher, and they had ONE room available for our first night in town, so before we head out of San Juan to do some exploring, we’ve made this our home base.

The Dreamcatcher is SO BEAUTIFUL, guys. We walked in and were ushered into this fabulous living room waiting area, with fresh iced tea and Puerto Rican coffee and a gentle smell of incense. There were fountains. Outdoor showers. And… an outdoor… kitchen?

YES INDEED.

After a short while, our rooms were ready, and we rushed up the stairs to the suite. And THIS WAS THE VIEW.

A very happy Bobo takes in the sights in his fun shirt.

The PORCH with an outdoor shower (yes, fully private, and not something we have to share!), and TWO swinging seats.

After we’d had some time to settle in, we decided to take a good look at the map that the guesthouse owners had made for newbies in town. We found a sandwich joint nearby and headed that way for Cubanos.

Funny enough, the restaurant that we stopped into was none other than Kasalta. This bakery has the distinct honor of being the place where President Obama had lunch on his trip to Puerto Rico in 2011 (the island’s first presidential visit since 1961!). They take great pride in this fact, as evidenced by their giant banners… and the large plaque on one of their tables.

While we were waiting for our sandwiches (one Cubano and one of the “president’s choice!” sandwich), we got lucky, and the Obama table opened up. So naturally, we sat right down, and got the chance to sit where HISTORY HAD BEEN EATEN.

Plaque roughly reads, “On the 14th of June, 2011, President Barack Obama ate at this table.” Wow.

After lunch, it was time to take a walk towards the beach. The Dreamcatcher is only TWO blocks from a semi-public beach.

Not having worn swimsuits to the restaurant (I mean, we didn’t want to offend the memory of the president’s sandwich!), we just decided to walk the beach, shoes in hand.

IT WAS SO NICE.

In the background here, you can see the larger buildings of the “downtown” area of San Juan.

The beach was crowded but not terribly so. Most exciting was the abundance of unleashed (and VERY well-behaved) dogs.

After the nice beach walk, it was time for a nap. (Especially for those of us who woke up before 4 to catch a stupid plane….). Luckily, those hanging chairs were just the ticket…

After the nap, we didn’t plan for much, so we got to watch the sun set as other inn guests did yoga in the main common area outside our windows.

The view from our balcony, looking over at one of the windows, with the night sky in the background.

Then, once the sun had really set, we got a quick dinner (ceviche and a chimichanga) and strolled back to read and swing in the hammock and luxuriate in all this ridiculously warm weather.

(And also try not to go crazy with the coqui frogs singing their INCESSANT songs, all afternoon and night. It’s cute and definitely gives us that tropical vibe, but it’s also driving me batty.)

It’s kind of crazy to me to be taking a trip just for the sake of relaxation and fun. Usually, I’m ALL SYSTEMS GO, so this will be a test of my ability to let myself chill. We’ll see what comes of it! (:

Tomorrow, we’re heading off to the East Coast of Puerto Rico. We’re also taking an adventure there that I can’t even describe, but I will HOPEFULLY get good pictures to share. STAY TUNED!

Kelsey

Places I’ve Called Home

October 28, 2015 / Kelsey Ryan / 1 Comment

To the places I’ve been lucky enough to call home, if even just for a few months:

Oh, how thankful I am for you.

Thank you for connections and reconnections, for a point of comparison, for all-embracing acceptance.

Thank you for grounding me. Thank you for warmth and love and foundation.

Thank you for growth, for seasons, for failure, for success.

Thank you for rivers and belltowers and history and ruins. Thank you for the joy of hard work with my hands.

Thank you for narrow paths, for independence, for reduction, for direction. Thank you for hard-won proof that I am getting there.

Thank you for opportunity, for expectations, for introductions.

Thank you for horizons of big possibilities, and greater things ahead, for stretching and stepping up, in all its forms. Thank you for daily surprises. Thank you for being home right now, for the foreseeable future.

With each move, I trade a bit of myself for each location I leave. And I’m better for it.

Labor Dog Weekend

September 6, 2015 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Being an adult is pretty good: making your own decisions, allowing yourself to make spontaneous decisions to visit carnivals, eating ice cream for dinner because YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME…

But let me tell you: being an adult is just BETTER with dogs.

A few weeks ago, my roommate/best friend Miriam brought her dog up to D.C. to live with us. (Finally!) Her dog, Baloo, is a mini schnauzer, and is UNBEARABLY cute.

And this weekend, with a little extra time, several friends (including Baloo!) piled into the car and traveled on out to Sugarloaf Mountain, a short trip away from the District. Although li’l brudder got tired pretty quickly, we made it up to the summit!

Excuse the glamour shots of Boyfriend. He’s just too cute!

WHAT A GUY.

The summit was too nice.

Views from all angles not too bad!

But the best part was Baloo. When schnauzers get tired, they start to pant, and then get all smiley. LOOK AT HOW HAPPY HE IS.

Brothers, friends…

Okay, so remember when I said adulthood was better with dogs? Works the same with the view from the summit.

Pretty summit….

PRETTIER SUMMIT WITH DOG.

Traveling back down the mountain was much easier, but Baloo had a better time. (Those little legs!)

Young love…

Summer afternoons with happy puppy. Life is good.

Sugarloaf was a fantastic trip—a bit crowded because of the holiday weekend, but nothing a dog couldn’t cure.

Dogs are the cure for the sick, the sad, and the boring. As I’m typing this, little Baloo is falling asleep on my leg. Not a bad Labor Dog weekend, I’d say.

The Impossible Trip to Paradise

August 1, 2015October 28, 2015 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Ever been invited on a trip and thought, “No, there’s no way I can do that”?

This summer, I got the IMPOSSIBLE CHANCE to visit the British Virgin Islands, thanks to the incredible generosity of Bobby’s (my boyfriend’s) family. They were renting a boat (a catamaran!) for two weeks—and though they had people to fill all the rooms on the boat for the first week, there was space for a few extra people for the second week. All I had to do was find a way to pay my way, and the space was mine.

WHAT.

We had a year to decide. So Bobby and I talked. And we planned. And we budgeted. And we found some reasonably priced tickets…

And thus, the trip of a lifetime was reality.

—-

For months before the trip was to start, I researched like crazy. The British Virgin Islands are a grouping of several islands in the Caribbean, immediately east of Puerto Rico. The main islands, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and Anegada (da vida), are all relatively close to each other (within about an hour’s boat ride).

On our trip, we would set foot on three of the four main islands (leaving the farther away Anegada for another time), and many, many of the smaller ones. (For a map of our travels, check the bottom of this post!).

There was so much to pack. So much to decide on. (Should I get a two-piece bathing suit? How many towels should I have? Should I wear jeans on the plane? Can I bring my outrageously large sun hat? Are 3 pairs of sunglasses enough? Are 2 bottles of sunblock enough?) I wasn’t actually supposed to plan anything, as our itinerary was already planned for us by the BVI experts in Bobby’s family. But I could be prepared, couldn’t I?

And before we knew it, July rolled around… and Bobby and I were on a plane to the BVI. WHAT.

On Saturday, the 18th, we woke up at the crack o’ dawn, and made our way to the airport for our nonstop flight to Puerto Rico. 5 (surprisingly uneventful) hours later, and we were sitting at a gate, bound for the BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS.

THIS WAS NOT A DRILL. And it was about to get even weirder.

I had thought it was strange when I didn’t get a seat number, so when we found our gate, I wandered up to the desk with my backpack and my carry-on bag and my Bobby and asked for my boarding information.

“Yes, you’re in the right place. Place your bag here,” said the attendant, gesturing to a scale.

I stared blankly at her. Scale?

Yeah, it’s because our plane sat TEN. Including the pilot.

And WHAT A RIDE we had. Puddle-jumpers, is what they’re called. And all our luggage fit in the nose of the plane, and on the wings.

Our flight took about an hour, and then BAM, we were suddenly in the BVI. Just like that.

(And to answer my question from earlier, NO, do not wear jeans on that plane flight.)

When we got in to the airport, we took a taxi to the BVI capital city, Road Town, which was a 20 minute ride over hills and past clear ocean views. We were let off at our hotel/docking marina, called The Moorings.

AND THEN WE GOT TO GET ON THE BOAT

AND IT WAS ALMOST SUNSET

Bobo, sittin’ on the sunbathing deck on our boat.

My bedroom for a WHOLE WEEK!

The next morning, we headed out on the water! (And I didn’t even fall overboard!)

Boats are unreal, guys.

The final view from the marina as we set sail. (We didn’t actually set sail… we had a motorized catamaran. But nautical idioms are too fun to pass up.)

Bobo reluctantly takes us out on the open sea.

SCREAMING

Our beautiful boat!

Eric (Bobby’s brother) takes in the view as we set sail for real.

THIS WAS REAL

Our first stop was just past DEAD MAN’S CHEST ISLAND (NOT joking; that’s the actual place—it’s the inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island). The rock formation that’s above is called The Indians, and had some awesome snorkeling (which I could do!) and scuba diving (which Bobby’s extended family could do).

From there, we went to Peter Island, and I got to go snorkeling FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

Here I am, too excited to handle it:

Snorkeling was SKDGJ{SDIUGH{SIUDG SO GOOD

(Bobby’s brother’s girlfriend had an underwater camera and this photo was so nice that I stole it.)

PIRATES.

The rest of the trip passed in a blur of beaches and books and card games and sun. I did drink a lot of piña coladas, but I usually asked for them to go easy on the rum. (Why spoil a perfectly good drink with something that tastes awful? All respect to rum drinkers; Belgium has a girl ruined for drinks.)

You’re not really supposed to feed the birds, but…

CHEESIN’ in this MAGICAL SUNSET

First night out on the water. Celebrating 24 hours off land!

When we got to Cooper Island the next day, we went back onto land. I made friends with this bird.

He’s almost more of a burd than a bird, to be honest.

MORE CHEESIN with the whole gang!

SDJGS{GH{SGSDOUHG

Another catamaran! Sunset? Sunrise? WHO KNOWS

SCREAMING. How can a place like this exist?

I liked Cooper Island.

We were big into photos on this trip.

A few days later (or the next day? Can’t remember what day things were!), we stopped by the famous Baths on the island of Virgin Gorda.

Usually, when we wanted to go ashore from the boat, we would get in the boat’s dinghy and motor on over to the dinghy dock that was inevitably on one side of the beach. But because of the way this beach works, there was nothing to which to tie our dinghy.

And so we had to swim to shore.

I GOT TO TAKE MY GOGGLES AND WATCH THE LITTLE FISHIES UNDER ME AS I SWAM TO SHORE

Bobo and I like the Baths. Didn’t feel very clean after them, but hey, that’s what it feels like to be in a giant saltwater bath with a bunch of strangers.

Our next stop after that was Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda, where we FINALLY SHOWERED. (There were showers on the boat, but they were about as large as a chimney.)

This was the free island resort shower, available to anyone who either 1) was staying at the resort or 2) was staying on a mooring ball overnight, and had paid the mooring fee.

LISTEN TO ME I SOUND SO SEAWORTHY

(I realize that I can’t BE seaworthy. I’m not a boat. BUT FOR A LITTLE WHILE, I WAS ON ONE.)

We spent all our nights on the boat, listening to music and telling stories. And after one night, we woke up to this little guy, who had jumped up on our boat. Tragically, he didn’t make it. But I SAW A SQUID.

We saw a lot of other fun guys, too:

Jellyfish…

A handsome pelican…

And my personal favorite….

MISTER TURTLE. One time, we saw THREE AT ONCE

After making our way around Virgin Gorda, we motored over to the north shore of Tortola, where we visited Cane Garden Bay.

Our fearless captain Pat (Bobby’s father’s cousin) stands on the end of the dock, tying up our dinghy.

We find Bobby things EVERYWHERE

Solar paneled boat!

Cane Garden Bay was uncomfortably picturesque.

Bobby and I did manage to take a few selfies, don’t you worry.

And on our last day out, we traveled to the island of Jost Van Dyke, where we saw a REAL PIRATE SHIP.

If it wasn’t for sure, could it maybe be one? I think so.

The last day was called for celebration, so we all took turns jumping off the top deck of the boat. I made sure to get a timelapse of a few:

While docked at Jost Van Dyke, Bobby and I kayaked to shore and back. (Because we can’t lose out on the chance at ocean kayaking and getting even MORE sunburned. WHEN WILL I GET TO DO THAT AGAIN?)

To commemorate the last day, we took a few all-group timed photos, and a few smaller “family” photos. But rather than show you one of the final versions, I’ll show you the one where we all look ~~so put together~~. (And you can see my uneven tan!)

Onto the next sunrise?

——–

And now I’m back, and not as sunburned as I could be (but still pretty sunburned), and trying to piece days together via photos.

To help you imagine, I made a map:

To see the full wild ride we took (in zoomable detail!), check out this interactive Google Maps map! (Note: we went in counterclockwise order from the green star, if you’re curious about that sort of thing.)

What a trip. I feel so incredibly lucky to have waltzed into a trip like this. I keep having to remind myself that I didn’t dream everything—this was real life.

Or was it?

The Devon Horse Show: Almost As Many Dogs as People

June 2, 2015August 5, 2015 / Kelsey Ryan / Leave a comment

Ah, unexpected fairs.

Last weekend, as my boyfriend and I were headed back up to Philadelphia to meet a few friends for a reunion, we stumbled upon the Devon Horse Show. As in, a horse show that also has a ferris wheel. And so naturally, we cancelled our other plans and promptly bought afternoon tickets to the show.

There were SO MANY DOGS. (And my love for dogs is second to none.)

Days like these are extra special, because you wake up without even knowing they’re happening. It’s almost like magic.