'The whole island is surrounded by water'

To prepare for my trip to Puerto Rico, I've watched hundreds of hours of Youtube videos.

Most of them can be categorized as:

-Influencer videos
-Documentary or informational videos
-Walking tour videos

The worst and least helpful are the influencer videos. These videos aim to waste your time by promoting the travelling host rather than the destination. They're overdubbed with loud, royalty-free music. We're implored to subscribe and to "smash" the like button. The indoor settings are usually expensive hotel rooms and cocktail bars, while the outdoor parts show the content creators engaged in extreme sports or various cultural indiscretions.

The best of the documentary-style videos tend to give a general overview of the destination, covering the history, geography, and culture. Some of these videos take a turn for the niche, focusing on only one aspect of the place, like street food, amusement parks or beaches. Then there are the banal "Top 10" videos made for viewers with atrophied attention spans. Most offensive among this category is a variation of the "Top ten". These are the videos that list the reasons why you shouldn't visit. This is where you'll find the privileged host complaining about impoverished  people, low thread-count sheets, tipping customs and poor cell service at the north pole.

The walking tour videos are normally the longest in duration, but seem most insightful. These videos feature a host walking the streets with running narration. They give a good impression of the atmosphere and character of the destination. Often these will show the host interacting with locals, chatting, shopping and enjoying attractions. I feel like these videos give the best impression of what it's like to be there.

This weekend I watched a walking tour video where the host unironically informs the viewer, "The whole island is surrounded by water". 

Good to know.

As far as practical preparations for the trip, I think I'm mostly ready.

Puerto Rico this week lifted the requirement for a negative covid-19 test for anyone who's fully vaccinated. The Puerto Rican government still requires visitors to complete a declaration of health status, so I've done that. They'll check in each day of our visit with an electronic health survey. Overall, the people and government of Puerto Rico seem to be taking the pandemic more seriously than here on the mainland. 

Getting Started

Today is the third day of February and I'm wearing a bright orange shirt. The color helps me cope with the gloom induced by the winter weather. I'm travelling next week to San Juan, Puerto Rico as a more direct remedy. Having never travelled before, I'm feeling a bit anxious. To help ease that anxiety, I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the place. I'll be travelling with four friends and we'll be rooming at a home that sleeps seven. I built a miniature of the home based on photographs from the Airbnb listing.

I obtained two field guides to take along. The first is Reef Creature Identification by Paul Humann and the other is The Amphibians and Reptiles of Puerto Rico by Juan Rivero. 

Tropical islands typically have a limited number of plant and animal species owing to their isolation. On the other hand, rainforests are known for their abundant biodiversity. The sea around the island is graced with coral reefs, which are often called the 'rainforests of the seas." So, I'm unsure what to expect.

While there are no guarantees, I do have a short list of plants and animals I'd like to encounter: tree ferns, wild orchids, mosses, coqui, Iguanas and sea turtles.

I'm particularly interested in the sea turtles. The waters around the island are frequented by greens and leatherbacks. Both species nest on Puerto Rico's beaches and the green sea turtle is commonly seen grazing on sea grass. To see these animals, I'll have to go snorkeling, which I've never tried before. The Airbnb host says that there's snorkeling equipment available for guests to use.  

This is also whale season in the Caribbean. They're usually observed off the west coast of the island. It's uncertain if I'll get to that side of the island, but I'm hopeful. 

I made reservations to visit El Yunque National Rainforest. This is where I hope to see the tree ferns that haven't changed much since the Cretaceous Period. 

Mammals are rare on most islands. Other than humans, Puerto Rico is home to seventeen different mammals. Eleven of them are bats.

Distressingly, Puerto Rico even has its own species of tarantula.