El Yunque is a rain forrest in Puerto Rico and when we visited recently, that's where we went.
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| With our guide Nelson. |
It's on 28,000 acres of land, the highest point being 1975 above sea level. It has over 200 species of trees, however less than 70 are indigineous.
To develop the Park to what it is today, the federal government bought up land in the surrounding areas from residents, but three families refused to sell and they are the only people still living there.
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| This tiny 'waterfall' is 86 feet high |
There is an observation tower from which you can see much of Puerto Rico, but we were there on an overcast day.
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| It's 91 steps to the top. |
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View from the top.
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In September 2017,
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. The memorable event to outsiders however is prehaps the picture of President Trump throwing paper towels to some devastated survivors😡.
However the damage on the ground was real as 2,975 people died, most roads in Yunque had to be reconstructed and even now, many hiking trails and picnic areas are still closed and many bamboo trees are just springing back.
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| The river below is named after the nearby town |
During Maria, its waters rose almost to the height of the road!
After we finished exploring the forrest we headed back to San Juan.
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| The streets of Old San Juan are cobblestone and the architecture Spanish. |
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| Columbus fort |
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| Columbus' statue |
