Spelunking is Arecibo + boating to lunch

Puerto Rico day trip: Cueva Ventana + Lago dos Bocas

Elle:
Dear Diary,

As I continue on my quest to explore the island of Puerto Rico, I planned out a fun day trip to Cueva Ventana in Arecibo, and got my friend Lisa to join me...

I started the day by hauling my bum outta bed at 7am for a solid, albeit short, 15-mile solid bike ride on Big Bertha, my trusty road bike. Afterwards, I showered up and prepared for Lisa to pick me up to head out for our exciting day. We wanted to make it to the 10:30am tour for the sake of the heat and also crowded-ness And after a short-ish 40 minute drive from our home base of Dorado, we arrived at the spot. There it was, just on the side of the road. We walked over to a hut and signed up for the tour. I got a discount because I had a PR license. Woohoo, glad my Puerto Rican license is really paying off.

Lisa and I were instructed to walk up the hill to where the tour starts. The forest was uber lush and tropical. Oh, and really effing hot. As we started the tour, the guide told us all about the nature surrounding us. It was a little annoying at first though because they make everyone wear hardhats. I have to say, when you are in the caves, it's not such a crappy idea, really. More than a couple of people hit their head on the low rocks, so the hat wasn't so annoying then. The caves are truly spectacular. I felt like I was on the set of the Goonies, I swear. Freaking amazing. And when you get to the 'ventana', what a view! I'll go ahead and let the pics do the talking here.

The Cueva Ventana excursion was fantastic, interesting, stunning, and a little challenging at times. And by the time we were done and handing in our hard hats, we had built up a bit of an appetite.
So, as I'm known to do, I had researched the heck outta this trip, and I knew that we could drive ~10 minutes and arrive at Lago Dos Bocas for a lake-side lunch. Which of course we did. There is a parking area where you can park and wait for the 'boat man' to arrive, which he did, after a time, and then he ferried us (and some other folks) to the restaurant, Paisaje Escondido.  We all climbed out of the boat, up the (steep!) stairs, and got a table at the open air restaurant. Great menu, view, service and food. Lisa and I had a spectacular time.

I did a write up on TripAdvisor for the hike and the lunch, just as a reference.

Webb: Did they have Rocky Road ice cream?

Elle: What is wrong with you? Yeah, I get your 'Goonies' reference. Weirdo.