Day 3-037
8 hrs, 2 .1 kms

Rio San Juan is supposed to be a quick revisit of the quiet coastal town where I spent the night back in 2006. Not expecting anything special here. But wandering through the peaceful streets, I spot a little hidden boat dock hidden under a lush grove a trees. Looks like a nice little spot for a parkbench concert/video clip.

As I play I notice occasionally groups of tourists coming and getting on a boat and then riding off down a mangrove lined river. I guess it wouldn't hurt to find out what that trip costs, wherever it goes...

Turns out there are a couple of tourists waiting for a group to form, and it just costs a couple of dollars. Sounds good. I pay my fare and hop aboard, along with 2 German tourists and a family of Dominican-Americans living in New York.

Yeah... I must say, a boat ride through a mangrove swamp is long overdue ... just because I can't hike through a swamp doesn't mean I can't experience one...

Suddenly the secluded feel ends, and the river reaches the open water, as the boat captain skillfully avoids the coral reefs and manages the waves. We continue on along a rugged cliff coast, punctuated occasionally by a fancy summer home overlooking the water.

Another crowded boat of tourists is heading the other way.

"Hey! It's Dominicans immigrating to the USA!" the Dominican jokes.

"Or maybe Americans immigrating to the Dominican Republic?"

We continue on into a small sea cave where the captain manages to do a couple spins without hitting any of the walls... then back along the coast where we spot a row of statues and white busts along the edge of the cliff.

"Those represent the natives who lived here before the Spanish arrived" our guide tells us.

We reach a secluded beach where we're told we can swim for an hour or so. It's a stunningly beautiful spot, turquoise waters... smooth sand... tucked between the rugged cliffs.

Yeah, I'd diggin' doing the "tourist thing" for a change...