Fenlason - Pineda: Honeymoon - Day 4

View out the window at breakfast at Hacienda Don José.

See the wave line??

A BIG bowl of BACON!

Proof that he'll eat it.

Breakfast should ALWAYS be followed by ice cream.

Chillin' on the balcony. I'd never do this with actual kids, Michael Jackson.

"Respect the cycle of life. Keep your distance."

More chillin'.

Watch the magic.

I can turn into a Guatemalan!

POOF!!

One of the many pools. And the "concha."

More flora. They try to make it so nice that you don't want to leave the confines of the hotel, but the WHOLE island is soooo beautiful, one has to see as much as possible.

He's so spoiled.

Only now do I realize how much the Bird of Paradise flower looks like a GIRAFFE!

Ponce. I guess we were just magically transported there, because I have NO photos of the trip itself.

Grandma's Kitchen.

I guess this is Grandma.

Sangria!

I'm not sure why there's a Mexican sombrero with the Puerto Rican maracas. But . . . maracas were created and first used by the Tainos of Puerto Rico as a percussion instrument.

Maracas are made from the fruit of the higuera tree, common throughout Puerto Rico. The fruit must be round and small to work best. After taking out the pulp of the fruit through two holes that are bored through the dried shell, small pebbles are introduced into it. Then a handle is fitted to the dry fruit shell. Unequal amount of pebbles are used in a pair that make up the maracas, to produce their distinctive sound.

In salsa music the maracas have become one of the most important percussion instruments because they add a driving pulse in the high frequency spectrum. Perhaps their importance to salsa is like the role of hihat and snare drum in pop and rock music.

And you thought they originated in Mexico!