You know how, once in a rare while, you see something you just can't believe?  Something that seems unreal --- or something you would see on an alien planet --- but it turns out that you're still here, on Earth, trying to figure out how this is possible.  And, I'm not talking about the whims of crazy people, like the girls who go on Flava Flav's Flavor of Love . . . but something unimagineably incredible.   The Fajardo bioluminescent lagoon is just that sort of thing. 

We saw the majesty of the mangrove trees in Las Cabezas de San Juan in the daylight, but in the night, they created caves and arches around us as we moved quietly through them in our kayaks.  Under the mangrove trees, the waters glistened with the pull of our oars and our arms twinkled fluorescent blue and green when we moved them in the lagoon.  Imagine the lights in a chlorinated aqua pool; now, transfer those lights into a deep black lake with the moon shining above you and the sound of lapping water surrounding you.  The luminescence of the moon was outshadowed by that in the bay because microscopic dinoflagellates used light to repel their predators and those survival instincts brought us beauty.

Unfortunately, the bioluminescent lagoon in Fajardo is one of the few remaining bioluminescent bays in the world because light pollution diminishes the intensity of the bioluminescence and petroleum from boats kills the dinoflagellates.  It is also a sight that cannot be fully captured by photographs or videography.  We felt privileged to enjoy this wonder both in Fajardo and Vieques and hope that if you are in Puerto Rico, you make the trip to experience this alien beauty.

The Details

We stayed at the lovely Passion Fruit Bed and Breakfast, $154/night for a two bedroom suite, that we shared with my brother, Shiva.  The bed and breakfast was beautiful and spacious with many public areas, including a large pool and a bar.  Because of voting day, most restaurants were closed in Fajardo while we were there, and we were happy that the bar made wonderful passion fruit pina coladas and Dominoes delivered to the bed and breakfast.  Breakfast was fantastic, with oatmeal, eggs, and fruit, every morning.  Recommended.