One of the more thrilling experiences of my first couple weeks was flying in the cockpit of one of those tiny puddle jumper planes.

The wind was unusually strong while I was in Puerto Rico and caused a few complications on a couple of my travel days. Due to stormy seas, the ferries were coincidentally canceled on both days that I planned to travel, leaving me with only two options: extend my stay on the island or head for the funky little airport and try to catch a ride on one of the Cesna planes that operate daily flights between the islands.

I got lucky the first time because I was only one person and they happened to have room in the cockpit of the plane. Since I didn’t exceed the weight limit and didn’t have too much luggage, I caught the first flight off the island.

Then, exactly one week later, I found myself stranded again. This time, I had to pay top dollar (compared to the previous $20 flight) for a flight to San Juan from the island of Vieques. Both rides were pretty thrilling, in part because I was scared to fly in a plane that looked like it would get tossed by the wind, and in part because I was excited about the thrill of the unexpected.

Needless to say, the view was spectacular. Flying over the Caribbean Sea was amazing as I enjoyed unobstructed panoramas of the turquoise clear waters, reefs and submerged sand banks.

Considering that the flight was mere minutes compared to hours on the ferry, I would recommend this mode of transportation to anyone considering a vacation in the Spanish Virgin Islands.

February 10, 2006