On my birthday I like to do things out of the ordinary. They don’t have to be big, but just something different. So we took a short day trip and I called it my “La Vida es un Carnaval Day” AKA Life is a Carnival. I would just play games, eat junky food, take rides and have fun all day long.
I don’t eat junk food much, but on my birthday Britton surprised me by sharing an ice cream cone with me for breakfast! 🙂
To start the carnival trip, we stopped at the Mayaguez Resort and Casino. I had heard about the amazing swimming pool and wanted to see it for myself. It was definitely impressive. It had a lazy river as well as waterfalls and multiple slides. It was more like a waterpark than a pool! I want to go and spend a day there sometime.
Pool with cascades and lazy river area
At the Mayaguez Resort and Casino pool area
Next we checked out the casino area and I played a little roulette. I am not much for gambling, but once in a blue moon like on my carnival birthday it can be fun.
I actually won a little money even!
Next up, we went down to La Parguera in Lajas. We walked around the touristy area and had a couple of drinks that I rarely have like a heavy-calorie yummy piña colada! The famous drink of Puerto Rico!
Fun at La Parguera
A gorgeous day after a super heavy rain!
Playtime with rides and games in La Parguera. Who says you have to grow up?
Later that night we decided to take the bioluminescent boat tour. It was $10 per ticket. We knew it probably wouldn’t be the best because of the nearly full moon, but thought what the heck, let’s try it! It was a nice boatload of people. On the lower deck there was music and a little viewing window into the water, but we decided to go to the upper deck. It was so refreshing to feel the wind blowing on us as the moon lit the way through the little mangrove islands as it reached the bio-bay. When we stopped they had a couple of divers jump in and agitate the waters. Sure enough there was a light glow surrounding them as they kicked and swirled. I couldn’t get a great picture, but it really was magical. I have heard that other bio-bay tours are a little more intense, but it was pretty cool for a spur of the moment thing.
A little blurry, but you can see the boat that we took and the moon
Here’s a short video of our time in La Parguera
Overall it was a fantastic carnival day! La vida es una hermosura; hay que vivirla.
Once again happy birthday Cassie!
I love those old timey arcade machines. I’m pretty sure that the chicken machine was already old when I first visited La Parguera as a child. That picture nostalgia’d me hard.
And I just love the casual juxtaposition of the kiddie horse ride with the Gasolina rum punch advert right on top. “Here’s 20 bucks in quarters kid. Stay here while mommy and her new friend Juan talk boring grown up stuff at the bar. Don’t ruin this for me!”
Also, I just realized that Britton is now so tan that the simple act of wearing long pants by the pool makes him look like one of my many cousins from Juncos or Las Piedras. Make him practice phrases like “Mera papeh que pajó?” to confuse the hell out of the locals.