July '2006 we took a 2 week vacation to Puerto Rico, the last time Ariel had been on a plane was 2001, he was younger so I was a little nervous being that he’s older.

During our trip to Disney we sat in the bulkhead seat but being that I purchased the tickets through Expedia I chose the last seats in the plane but ended up having to sit near the wings. It was four of us so I sat with Ariel behind my husband and 13 year old son. Prior to boarding I did inform the attendant that we were flying with an autistic child just in case any problems would arise.

To my surprise Ariel was excited to get on the plane but became a bit nervous during take off, the whole entire time he had his ears covered. Here I thought OMG, how will I manage to keep this kid in his seat for 4 hours yet he only got up once to use the restroom so he was a little frightened but calm.

When we landed and as the plane slowed down the pilot announced that a large iguana was crossing the runway so the kids got a kick out of that.

As for Puerto Rico itself, what can I say? We had an amazing time! As soon as we arrived at my brother in laws house, we hit the beach. Ariel loved it! The next day we went horse back riding. Again, I was nervous about Ariel and really didn’t want to do it but when he saw everyone get on the horse he was to get on as well. We explained to those running the excursion that he was autistic and he rode side by side with one of the instructors while they held his lead. He loved it and did the entire thing which was about an hour long. We also went to El Yunque which is Puerto Rico’s National Rainforest.

The Forest contains rare wildlife including the Puerto Rican Parrot, which is one of the ten most endangered species of birds in the world. Its scientific name is Amazona vitatta. The Puerto Rican parrot is a small amazon parrot, about a foot in length, bright green, with red forehead, blue primary wing feathers, and flesh-colored bill and feet. Its primary habitat is the upper zones of the Luquillo Mountains. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of the parrots, other than Lola on the left.

We hiked a mountain trail for about a half hour which Ariel loved and his dad was bold enough to take a dip in the huge waterfalls. We hit many of Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches which Ariel loved and he even tried snorkeling. Ariel loves lighthouses so we visited some historical lighthouses in Puerto Rico many of which have been renovated. We did a lot of sightseeing and had a great time overall.

If ever you have the opportunity visit Puerto Rico it’s an island paradise!

El Yunque	Punta Guilarte Beach