Aviones, Coqui Frogs, and Pissed Off Hawaiins...

At night, when I get that awesome moment to chill and maybe crack a cold one on my back porch, I get to listen to two of my favorite things in the world.

One is the sound of the planes passing by softly in the distance as they prepare to make the land into the San Juan Airport.  If you're thinking of the dry, ear-crushing, thunder-bursting steroetypical sound of a 747 zipping past think again.

Although San Juan Airport is less than a ten minute drive away, depending on the Tapon, (Tapon is Puerto Rican slang for traffic, it literally describes a cork in a bottle- a neat and accurate way of describing some traffic in San Juan). However, the sounds of the planes (Aviones) landing are actually gentle and soothing.  If I'm out on the front porch I can see them banking off in the distance and heading left as they prepare to land.

I don't know, what can I say, sometimes for me it's just the simplest of things...

And then of course is the real gem.

"Ko-Kee"

The sound of the Coqui Frogs chirping softly in all directions.

O.K., here's a great Fiction and Fact from the Lincoln Almanac...

The Coqui Frog is an awesome, beautifully singing frog that is specifically and only native to Puerto Rico. (Important Fact: I'm talking about this particuliar species of Coqui Frog.  There are lot of different species, many which live all over different parts of the Caribbean, but I'm talking about this particuliar species.  Okay, back to business...)

It's smaller than most people's thumbs and yet you can hear them at night just about everywhere in PR.

Also, the coqui frog, a tropical tree frog, produces a distinct two-note croak that sounds just like its name "ko-kee." The lower "ko" sound is a warning to other male frogs telling them to keep their distance. Only males listen and respond to "ko." The female coqui frogs listen to the higher-pitched "kee" note. When male frogs hear territorial calls from nearby male coqui frogs, they will drop the "kee" part of their call and concentrate on "ko" until individual frogs are spaced out to everyone's satisfaction. Then the coquis call to the female frogs with the higher-pitched "kee" notes. (Yeah, I'll go ahead and admit I jacked this info off the first website I could find. The rest of the Fiction and Fact from the Lincoln Almanac will be original, I promise).

One of my favorite stories about the Coqui frogs is that for the better part of their exhistence they only lived and survived in Puerto Rico. 

Then some jerkoff got the idea of Well, let's spread the love and see where else they could take them and see if they survive. Because everyone thinks like I do and wants to hear this...

Central America - Nope.  North America - Nope.  Canada - Of course no fucking way.

Just about everywhere they tried to relocate them was a failure.  And then there was Hawaii.

So someone brought them to Hawaii.  And with a little bit of struggle and single-minded will to invade and adapt- much like the white man before them- the Coqui Frogs soon got the hang of things and began to flourish.  

And this really pissed the Hawaiins off good.

I can hear them now. 

God damn Howlies!  First they come and invade our land.  Then they exploit us by using our name with products like sun tan lotion and cheesey surf gear- and now this?   You Motherfuckers!

Well, the Hawaiins might not of appreciated the sound of the Coqui frogs as much as the Puerto Ricans, but that's O.K. 

The majority of Hawaiins consider them a menace and pests and I guarantee if you enter a web search with the simple phrase Coqui Frog I bet you the first thing to pop up will be at least four or five Hawaiin websites bitching about these poor frogs and how to control the Ko-Keeing pests.

But not Puerto Ricans.

They fucking love em'.  And so do I.

And I'm pretty sure you will too.

Here, take a listen on the link below.  It's the best and most accurate link I could find.

And if you truly dig... well come on.

"Alohah you fuckin' Hawaiins!"

You're welcome anytime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7zTWe5Qrs