Day 3 or Team Taino was an amazing adventure! At the recommendation of our hosts, we booked a tour with Adrian Garcia. Adrian is a professional surfer who also has a budding tour business. He prepared a personalized tour for us that was full of laughter, camaraderie, and sites that will never be forgotten!

Cueva El Viento is a beautiful cave located on the eastern side of Isabela. It was about an hour's drive that at one point turned into twists and turns up and down a beautiful one lane road through the mountains. After reaching our destination, signing in and getting a little info about the area, we began or hike to the cave.
Not only was Adrian a great hiker he was very knowledgeable about the nature around us - trees, birds, insects, etc. This was an extra treat we didn't know we were getting! Along the hike we stopped to admire special trees 
 
(like the two "hugging trees"), flowers and seeds, birds and butterflies, and much more.  At the end of our hike, we found ourselves on a platform that led down into Cueva El Viento.

After a quick snack and admiring a Puerto Rican Black Boa (Yes! A beautiful snake!) we began our decent into the cave.

With flashlights and Adrian, we began what would be the trek of a lifetime. For over an hour we walked around this ancient cave admiring in awe stalactites, stalagmites, openings, bats, insects and other incredible formations. "Incredible", is the word that was repeated over and over again.

The hike back to the car was full of chatter and excitement not only about what we had seen but also about our accomplishment. 

We ended our tour with a delicious authentic Puerto Rican lunch  at a local BBQ (a Taino word!) restaurant, where we enjoyed everything from roast pork to stewed goat. Delicioso!

Our journey today did not reveal petroglyphs or direct connections to the Taino, but it taught us so much about the landscape of Puerto Rico, both then and now, and the connections that can be made. It also showed us more about the wonderful people of Puerto Rico! Adrian was not just an awesome tour guide but a kind hearted and more importantly inspiring person. He shared with us his own personal stories of childhood, his heritage, and his journey to happiness. Lastly, it taught us all that we have more courage than we thought we did and we are ready to flex that muscle even more!

I smell coffee so it's time to go. I also smell the scent of adventure in the air....time to go grab it!