The first excursion was exploring the beaches of the area. Our first stop was a beach just down the road from us: Playa Piñuela and its rocky shores. Although we thought that the beaches would not be crowded because it was Christmas day, it seemed as though many families used the day off to enjoy a picnic in the shade. Since the rocks weren’t what we anticipated, we moved on to Marino Ballena. This beach is named for the whale’s tail shaped beach that appears in low tides. Here, even more people were enjoying the last few hours of Christmas day. Once we set up our station on the beach, scarlet macaws flew overhead to greet us.

The next few days were spent chasing after waterfalls, the first being Catarata Uvita. Here, the waterfall was shaped like a water slide, so you could ride down its several foot drop if you dared (we didn’t manage the courage, though). The other waterfall we visited, Catarata Nauyaca, was tucked a few miles into a valley on a road that was only traversable by foot and horse (and truck, but at an additional fee). These waterfalls were larger and two-tiered, with the bottom basin being a refreshing swimming area after the tiring hike.

After visiting the Nauyaca waterfalls, we visited the young, surfer town of Dominical and caught the first sunset at Playa Tortuga across the way from Ojochal. The next day, we ventured more north to Quepos, where we took a snorkeling trip near Playa Biesanz and Playa Espadilla. With the help of our guide and his pockets full of pineapple and shrimp to feed the sea creatures, we saw (and swam with) schools of parrotfish, angelfish, and damselfish. After lunch that day, we headed into the nearby Manuel Antonio National Park. In addition to seeing the sea life that morning, the National Park was teeming with animals like sloths and monkeys. Just a few hours of wandering the paths of the park allowed us to see a great number of Costa Rica’s wildlife.

Our last day in Costa Rica was spent soaking up the sun, enjoying the pool, and zip lining through the forests near the Osa Mountain Village.  In addition to speeding down 9 zip lines and two platform plunges, we were able to swing out above the forest canopy on a Tarzan line. After our adventure, we managed to see one last sunset before our drive to the San José airport the next morning.

– Cassie

As we inspected the house and assigned rooms, we wondered how one could build such an elaborate house that was so remote and why this particular location. However, upon waking up the next morning, it was clear: we were greeted with an expansive panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and Pacific Ocean.

Diverging from our immediate surroundings, the house had manicured lawns that were teeming with banana, papaya, and other fruit trees. A walk through the grounds also showcased other lush, local flora that we couldn’t begin to name. The house wasn’t just a habitat for us humans either, but other animals, such as toucans, howler monkeys, and other birds, liked to greet us during breakfast. Around dinnertime, once the sun set, large moths, geckos, and spiders joined us as well.

When we weren’t out exploring during the week, the rest of our downtime was spent lounging by the pool. Already in the early morning hours, around 7am, the outside temperature was warm enough to seek solace in the tepid waters.

The area where we were staying was a welcome break from the impulses of the modern world as well. Save for the main road that followed the coastline, all other roads in the area were unpaved and nearly impassable without the right vehicle. The beaches were also well preserved and weren’t spoiled by the high-rise properties that are all too common in resort areas. The mountains were blanketed with lush forests and didn’t give way to large plantations and agriculture. After our week stay, it became very apparent why this area of Costa Rica was loved by both retirees and hippies alike.

-Cassie

We took our time to get used to the sunny days and visit some of the cities along our path. Between Mexico City and Guadalajara, the landscapes were quite stark and defined by some great rolling hills. Compared to our recent trip to Morocco, we didn’t find the countryside to be too remarkable or awe-inspiring. However, I also couldn’t complain because I was able to wander around without a jacket.

Our first destination after Zitacuáro was Morelia – a (relatively) smaller city with great colonial Spanish architecture. This was the first city out of many where Ced and I were able to see the Spanish influence in Mexico. Walking along the cobble stone streets made me feel as though I were transported to somewhere in southern Europe; it wasn’t what I was anticipating for Mexico.

After a long day of driving and a hiccup in our plans (our AirBnB reservation fell through), Ced and I arrived in Guadalajara. Although Guadalajara also belongs to one of the biggest cities in Mexico, it is nowhere on par with the expanse of Mexico City. Both that night and for a bit the following morning, Ced and I visited some of the historic buildings that still remain in the downtown area.

After Guadalajara and right before driving down the winding roads that lead towards the Pacific coast, we made a quick detour to see Tequila. That’s right, the main city/region where tequila is produced. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of Tequila, it was still very interesting to see how it is produced and distilled from the blue agave plant.

While driving towards Puerto Vallarta, we got to see how the landscapes changed from agave-studded and rocky hillsides to mountains with lush rain forests. One of my favorite parts of driving through Mexico was seeing how my surroundings slowly changed as we added more miles to the car.

Since we were fortunate enough to be traveling through Mexico in the winter, one sight that Ced and I didn’t want to miss was the Monarch butterfly winter hibernation areas. Like many other migratory species in North America (ex. my parents), the Monarch butterflies head south to find a mild habitat to roost for the winter. Up in the mountains west of Mexico City at approximately 3200 meters/10,000 feet happens to be a perfect climate for the butterflies.

Although seeing tree branches buckle under the weight of so many butterflies was an amazing experience, one can’t help but feel a twinge of despair when knowing that the migration populations are declining precipitously. Compared to twenty years ago, the current butterfly population has been reduced to a small percentage (a mere 5%)  due to stark  weather changes and human influences. We heard other people from our lodge discuss how the migratory patterns are changing and that there are significant uncertainties for these butterfly populations in the future. It was weird to think that an insect that I was accustomed to seeing every summer might not be around for future generations to enjoy.