Couch Surfing!

There is a website called couchsurfing.org. It’s ingenious. Please check it out. It is a social network, sort of like facebook, that exists to benefit those that are traveling. The idea is that you are suppose to lend your “couch” out for free to those that are passing through when you can, and in return when you are traveling others will lend theirs out to you. It can also be used for other things. You can join “groups,” find travel buddies, or just meet people in places to chat or get help, etc. There are couch surfers in almost every city in the world it seems. While I was Utah, just this last November, I had a couch surfer contact me and stay the night at my apartment and it was an awesome experience. Couch surfers seem to always be positive and full of life. Whether it be staying at someone's place or allowing them to stay at yours, you can tell you you should choose just by looking at their profile. If they have a well filled out profile with lots of positive reviews/references then you can be sure that they would be great hosts or guests.

I woke up the next day still excited as ever. I decided I didn’t want to stay any longer in a hotel but rather begin another new adventure in “couchsurfing.” I had contacted some people earlier about couch surfing at their place in Mayaguez but the only one that really responded was Beth and Mar. They lived more up in the mountain so I rented a car and they invited me to couch surf at their place until I could find my own apartment.The drive up to their house was breathtaking, It was like driving through the Amazon. There was jungle everywhere so thick that you literally can't even take a single step into it. 

this is my first attempt at video editing and

 my resources were VERY limited. so don't judge

their back deck.

When I got there they were so welcoming and generous, I still can't thank them enough. The location of their house was incredible. It was up in the mountain, sort of in the middle of a tropical forest and I could see the ocean from the guestroom window. I could have stood on their back deck for hours  just staring out into jungle. It was very loud with various animal sounds, the most prominent coming from the Coqui frog. The Coqui frog is very famous here. It is tiny but makes an extremely loud, high-pitched sound that resembles the word "coqui." Every night I was there I would fall asleep listening to the beautiful, carribean animal melody that never quit and never got old.
I had such a great time and it was a fun adventure staying there. Beth, Mar and I ended up going to the beach, going out to eat, playing sports, watching movies and much more. they also gave me tours around campus and around Mayaguez and they helped me make a lot of new friends. I didn't expect to make friends with so many people the first week I was there. Thank you so much again Beth and Mar.
So what I am trying to get at is that all of you should just do something crazy...even try couch surfing one day ;)

 

One fun adventure I had was catching mice with Mar. Their house had quite a few so we decided one night that we were going to get rid of them all. We caught quite a lot. For Mar it was like Christmas. She checked the traps every 2 seconds and everytime she hear one trigger she would hurry over  with excitement to gander giddly at the dead mouse. In this picture you can see that the poor fellow died with the cheese still in his mouth.

Beth, Jessica and I at Playa Sucia. Don't miss  the lighthouse in the background...really cool place

This is Mofongo. Our friend Angel made it for us. It's the absolute best. It is very "Africany."

The view of Mayaguez from the mountains.