Belize, Finally

September 20, 2023 by Nicole Harrison in Belize, Guatemala

This was the third time that Jason and I had tried to go to Belize (we can blame the events of 2020). In fact, if this third time didn’t work, we had agreed that we had to give it several years before trying again, since the trip was clearly cursed. When we decided on Belize with some of our friends, we were hopeful that the addition of several people would be enough of a change that the trip would actually happen - and it worked. Our timing, which took advantage of Labor Day, was both great and problematic - there were almost no other tourists, but it was also the most hot and sweaty that we had ever been. It was a great trip though, and I’m so glad we finally got to experience the country with some of our close friends.

None of us knew a lot about Belize, and it was fun to learn about the country as we went. First, it’s very sparsely populated - there are only 400,000 people in the country, and almost a quarter of those are in Belize City, which we didn’t visit. Most of the time we were driving, we saw only very small towns, and even the larger towns where we stayed felt pretty empty. When tourist season is in full swing, the country must feel like it’s bursting at the seams of the limited city infrastructure.

The roads are mostly in good shape, but the most memorable part of driving was the varied use of speed bumps - they were everywhere, sometimes seemed to be placed at random, and were all different sizes, so you never quite knew how significant they would be to get over. This resulted in the best speed control I’ve ever seen - everyone slowed way down for every speed bump. Sometimes there was one large one, sometimes a set of smaller ones, and sometimes just slightly elevated rumble strips, but predicting which it would be in any upcoming location was pretty impossible. We were also driving in a Kia Carnival, and the people in the back were especially subjected to any lack of care on the bumps.

We started our trip in San Ignacio, a town near the border of Guatemala. It’s the classic kicking off point to take a day trip into Guatemala to visit the ruins of Tikal, which is exactly what we did on our first full day of the trip.

Our guide walked us through the border crossing into Guatemala, and then we got in a van with a few other Americans (including a friend who happened to be in Guatemala and met us there for the tour) and drove a couple of hours to Tikal. On the way, he told us about Guatemala, which is about 60% Mayan and has more than 20 languages. The soil is not well suited to agriculture, so Guatemala raises a lot of cows (many of them Brahman cows, which are bred to handle heat well).

Tikal, a Mayan city, is fascinating and shockingly large. Only about 20% of the city has been uncovered, and in a few hours, we only explored about 20% of that. To prevent looting and improper handling of the site, Guatemala is doing all of the excavation themselves. It’s a very slow process - as soon as buildings are dug out, they have to be covered and supported immediately so they don’t collapse.

A LiDAR scan from a few years ago exposed the full size of the complex and clarified that hundreds of thousands of people lived there. Based on these numbers, the city may have been abandoned simply because of overpopulation and the issues that arise with it, not because of any crazy war or extinction event.

Tikal is in a rainforest, but not on a water source - the complex was built to collect rain water in reservoirs, which were then purified with volcanic rock. Another unexpected thing we learned was that several of the buildings had multiple layers - a Mayan building covering a Teotihuacan building, for example.

Taking a look at the part of Tikal we’d be exploring (photo/Jason Rafal)

A couple of the temples had stairs built against them so we could climb to the top. The views were amazing - jungle as far as the eye could see, with temple tops peeking above the trees.

Our happy and sweaty group of friends (photo/Jason Rafal)

Treetops and temple tops from a high point in Tikal. — Temples 1, 2, and 3 peeking above the trees (photo/Jason Rafal)

A large Mayan temple with people visible at the top. — The imposing Temple 1 (photo/Jason Rafal)

A large carved stone mask with green moss growing over some of the pale stone. — An incredible giant mask carving (photo/Jason Rafal)

The trunk of a large tree, with many leaves in the background and another plant winding up the branches. — The trees and plants at Tikal are awe-inspiring (photo/Jason Rafal)

The ruins were amazing, but the animals were the highlight for me (as usual). We saw lots of spider monkeys, two types of toucans (and some other birds as well), and white-nosed coatis, which are an adorable raccoon-anteater situation.

An adorable spider monkey (photo/Jason Rafal)

A spider monkey hanging by one arm and its tail from a tree branch. — A spider monkey…hanging out (photo/Jason Rafal)

A Collared Aracari with some food in its beak (photo/Jason Rafal)

The well-known Keel-billed Toucan (photo/Jason Rafal)

A black, dinosaur looking bird with a red wattle. — A Crested Guan that looks just like a dinosaur (photo/Jason Rafal)

An extraordinarily well camouflaged bird sitting on a tree branch. — An impossibly well camouflaged Northern Potoo bird that might actually be a muppet (photo/Jason Rafal)

A coati walking across the path. — One of the very chill coatis (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two coatis with their tails in the air sniffing the ground. — I love the coatis (photo/Jason Rafal)

A coati walking toward a temple. — A coati strolling toward one of the temples (photo/Jason Rafal)

A butterfly on a tree trunk drinking from a bead of sap. — A butterfly (or moth?) drinking tree sap (photo Jason Rafal)

A tiny lizard on a mossy tree trunk. — Just a little guy (photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent the day after our Tikal trip exploring the small town of San Ignacio. Belize and Guatemala both had very cute and sweet street dogs, and we met a lot of them as we strolled around town, shopped, and ate.

A brown and white dog stands on gravel beside a road and looks at the camera. — One of the cute roadside dogs (photo/Jason Rafal)

An equally cute and friendly street cat (photo/Jason Rafal)

The Green Iguana Conservation Project was conveniently located across the street from the house where we stayed, so it was an easy choice for an activity. Our guide, who was excellent despite initially apologizing for only being an iguana caretaker and not one of the formal guides, told us about the project’s program to incubate, hatch, and release endangered green iguanas into the wild. They also provide a sanctuary for iguanas who have injuries or other issues that prevent them from living in the wild. We got to feed and even hold a couple of the iguanas.

A male iguana in a small hut, looking regal. — A majestic male iguana (photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason's hand holding out a large leaf to an iguana while it chows down. — Noming on a leaf (photo/Jason Rafal)

Four iguanas laying in a row. — Some of the adult iguanas relaxing (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two baby iguanas stacked on top of each other on a stick. — A stack of young iguanas (photo/Jason Rafal)

A tiny female iguana with a genetic abnormality that gave her a beautiful blue tint (photo/Jason Rafal)

A black iguana sitting among the plants on a rock wall. — A sneaky black iguana (photo/Jason Rafal)

Apparently this is our year of seeing orb weavers (photo/Jason Rafal)

Our last activity in San Ignacio was the beautiful Belize Botanic Garden. It had wonderful plants and a lot of animals - we’d definitely recommend it (though our overloaded car had a little bit of trouble on the dirt road getting there). I would also recommend going during a cooler season if possible - 90 degrees and 90% humidity was an intense time to explore a rainforest.

A toucan sitting in a tree with a nut in its beak. — Another toucan, this one with a nut in its mouth (photo/Jason Rafal)

All of the air plants (photo/Jason Rafal)

One of the caretakers at the botanic garden pointed out some howler monkeys in some of the trees, which we really appreciated because we wouldn’t have seen them otherwise. We first saw a male, and then another whole family, including a young and adorable baby monkey.

A howler monkey lounging in the branches of a tree. — A relaxing howler monkey (photo/Jason Rafal)

A mother and baby howler monkey looking down from the tree branches. — A mother and baby howler monkey staring at us (photo/Jason Rafal)

A small black and green butterfly landing on a beautiful tropical flower. — There were so many beautiful flowers (and butterflies) (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two leaf cutter ants carrying leaves across a log. — The always-mesmerizing leaf cutter ants (photo/Jason Rafal)

An iguana sitting on a tree trunk. — Another black iguana in the botanic garden (photo/Jason Rafal)

From San Ignacio, we headed to Placencia on the Caribbean Sea. We rented a very bougie beach house on the water with a beautiful pool, and we spent a majority of our time relaxing and hanging out. Our house was about halfway down the long peninsula, and we made the 20 minute drive a couple of times for activities and meals. It’s a very cute area, with lots of bars and restaurants, and was as empty as everywhere else we’d been.

Looking out over a pool and beach toward the sea. — The beautiful view from our rented house (photo/Jason Rafal)

A view down the peninsula with period piers jutting into the water. — The view up the peninsula from our house (photo/Jason Rafal)

A brightly painted bus between a row of palm trees and a gravel construction area. — Some fun painted buses (photo/Jason Rafal)

On one of our days on the beach, we went on a snorkeling tour. We got into a little motorboat and drove for almost an hour out to sea - every time we passed an island, we thought that’s where we’d stop, but we just kept going.

We eventually stopped at Silk Caye, a tiny island in the middle of nowhere consisting entirely of sand, a couple of palm trees, a BBQ and a handful of picnic tables, and a bathroom shack. It’s a protected marine reserve in Belize’s barrier reef, and the snorkeling was amazing. We swam around the island, which was completely encompassed by beautiful corals and fish. Looking out away from the island, the light turquoise water stretched into nothingness, which made me a little nervous, but it was also awe-inspriring in its vastness and how small it made me feel.

Several fish swimming through coral. — Some of the coral and fish we saw while snorkeling (photo/Jason Rafal)

Schools of several types of fish swimming above the coral. — There were a lot of fish (photo/Jason Rafal)

After a BBQ lunch, we went over to one of the nearby fishing boats, where our guide said there might be Nerf sharks looking for fish pieces. Some of us were a little nervous to get in the water, but it was worth it when we did - there were close to a dozen Nerf sharks, ranging from 3-6 feet long, just swimming around under the boat, ignoring us. A surprise turtle also appeared right next to us, with a couple of little fish swimming against its belly. I’ve never swam with such large animals, and it was very cool.

A nurse shark and several fish swim through the water. — One of the Nerf sharks we were swimming with (photo/Jason Rafal)

A turtle swimming low over the grass-covered sand. — The turtle was everyone’s favorite (photo/Jason Rafal)

Swimming with the turtle (spot the shark in the back) (photo/Jason Rafal)

On our way back from snorkeling, we stopped at Ray Caye Resort, where we got to use a very fun water slide into the ocean and relax in the pool with a beer. It was delightful, and also when we started realizing how insanely sunburned we were.

A pelican flying low over the water in front of an island. — A pelican matching the water (photo/Jason Rafal)

On the way back we saw dolphins, which was a great way to top off the day. I was expecting the snorkeling to be good, but I continue to be impressed by the wildlife I see in Central America, in the water or on land.

There were nightly storms while we were in Placencia, and one night we went out onto the pier to watch one for a while. A lightning storm across the water is amazing - it made me feel so small, but in such a comforting way.

A lighting strike across dark water, with clouds and stars overhead. — An awesome picture from the storm (photo/Jason Rafal)

We had a wonderful trip to Belize, and it was so great to be able to share it with some of our closest friends. Our travels to Central America continue to be amazing, and maybe we’ll try out a whole trip in Guatemala next time.

Two hammocks hanging beside a pool, with palm trees and the ocean in the background. — Our beach house vibe (photo/Jason Rafal)

A Last-Minute Trip to Mexico City

July 27, 2023 by Nicole Harrison in Mexico

We called Mexico City our bonus trip for the year. Jason was between jobs for a few weeks, so we booked a last-minute trip to take advantage of his time off. We both had vaguely wanted to go, but we didn’t actually know much about the city, so we were excited to experience it.

A metal wall with barbed wire along the top, with each segment painted with a mural and trees and a scooter in front. — Art and murals everywhere you look (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two people riding a motorcycle past a row of tents selling food. — A typical scene of vendors with a mural in the background (photo/Jason Rafal)

People standing around a food stall, making and buying food. — Street fruit (photo/Jason Rafal)

A building with a large mural of a woman's head and shoulders, with stained glass on most of the windows. — They went all-out on building decoration (photo/Jason Rafal)

Mexico City is in a bizarre location. The lore says that when the Aztecs were looking for the right place to build their capital city, a prophecy said that wherever they saw an eagle with a snake in its mouth land on a cactus, they should build there. They ended up seeing the sign on an island in the middle of a swampy high-mountain lake, which was kind of terrible luck, but true to the prophecy, they started building the city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City.

Now home to a staggering 21 million people, the city feels special in both climate and history. It’s at almost 7400 feet elevation, so it takes a lot more effort to move, but unlike the high mountain desert where I grew up, the city is lush and green from the swamp it’s built on and the remarkably consistent climate (there’s a rainy season and a dry season, but the highs top out between 65 and 85 degrees year round). The city is full of beautiful parks with massive trees, and beautiful architecture from many different eras. There are benches everywhere for people to just hang out and enjoy the parks, which is lovely, and they were certainly being used.

A man pushing a loaded hand cart and a woman walking in front of a fountain with a statue of David in the center. — The David statue in Plaza Río de Janeiro (photo/Jason Rafal)

A large sign that says "CDMX" in front of a lake with large apartment buildings in the background. — CDMX against a cloudy sky (photo/Jason Rafal)

A view of a park with a lake on one side, giant panda statue on the other, large buildings in the distance, and a scruffy bird flying through the foreground. — The bird makes this look so otherworldly (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two adults and a child climbing up the bottom of a large tree. — An ambitious endeavor (photo/Jason Rafal)

A brightly-lit two-level carousel in a forested park. — A beautiful carousel in Chapultepec Park (photo/Jason Rafal)

When we were wandering around Chapultepec Park, a thunderstorm quickly rolled in, and we took shelter under the covered storage units that the street vendors used for their wares. It rained hard for about 20 minutes, but there was beautiful light peaking through the storm.

Three metal garage doors with murals painted on them - one with butterflies, one with a sea turtle, and one with a cactus. — There was a mural on every storage unit door (photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking across toward a sheltered row of garage doors with murals on them, with a climbing structure in the foreground. — Waiting out the rain (I’m in front of the axolotl) (photo/Jason Rafal)

People hiding under a picnic table, with cups of juice still on top of the table. — Another method for hiding from the rain (photo/Jason Rafal)

Three pillars with eagles on them and a statue with two people in the middle. — The dramatic Altar a la Patria (photo/Jason Rafal)

We had heard this was the case, but the food in Mexico City is amazing. There’s everything from street food, to traditional Mexican restaurants, to fine dining creative fusion. One of our favorite restaurants we tried was Mexican-Middle Eastern-African fusion.

A man ordering at the counter of a beautiful bakery. — The amazing Panaderia Rosetta (photo/Jason Rafal)

The cross section of a layered fruit tart. — We have no idea how they cut this…or maybe you’re forced to eat the whole thing? (photo/Jason Rafal)

An elaborate tower of food starting with a corn cake, then stewed meat, a green sauce, and mint piled on top. — One of the beautiful and delicious dishes at Masala y Maiz (photo/Jason Rafal)

The city also has amazing museums. We first went to the anthropology museum, which is in a beautiful complex and has a variety of artifacts and information spanning from the beginning of humanity through the development of the area. There were a lot of outdoor exhibits, which I loved, but the highlight was probably the rather graphic and detailed dioramas.

View through the courtyard of the anthropology museum, with a pond, buildings on each side, and a covered giant fountain in the center. — The courtyard at the Museo Nacional de Antropología (photo/Jason Rafal)

A path toward a stone building with palm trees on both sides and a stone wall on the right. — The outdoor parts of this museum were some of my favorites (photo/Jason Rafal)

A diorama of a sabertooth tiger pinning down a human and preparing to bite down on its head. — The dioramas were quite dramatic (photo/Jason Rafal)

A diorama of humans taking the organs out of a dead human. — …they were also a bit gory (photo/Jason Rafal)

A carved statue of a person with fangs staring upward. — I think this is Tlāloc, Aztec god of rain (photo/Jason Rafal)

We also visited the Templo Mayor, which was the main temple of the city and had been demolished when the Spanish started tearing everything down and rebuilding. It’s now an excavation site that you can walk through, and there are also indoor exhibits of items that have been found (there were lots of skulls and art pieces).

Rows of carved stone skulls on a wall. — So. Many. Skulls. (photo/Jason Rafal)

An assortment of skulls, stone carvings, and other artifacts. — One of the time capsule-like exhibits (photo/Jason Rafal)

A tree with bark like an asparagus stalk and branches with small, spiky leaves at the top. — A very cool tree in the ruins (photo/Jason Rafal)

Chapultepec Castle is on a hill in the massive Chapultepec Park, and the views are wonderful. Built around 1800, the site and the castle had various uses over the years. It’s now a museum where many of the rooms are set up for viewing, and visitors can also ascend the grand staircases to walk in the beautiful gardens and decks on top of the castle.

Looking down a long room with a black and white checkered floor, elaborately designed ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling stained glass depicting columns and women on one side. — This stained glass was crazy (photo/Jason Rafal)

A tower in the middle of a garden. — The beautiful rooftop gardens at the castle (photo/Jason Rafal)

A statue of a lion with one paw resting on top of the other and its head resting on top. — A mopey guardian lion (photo/Jason Rafal)

A painting of a person falling toward the earth with abstract horses and a castle behind them. — A rather intense ceiling painting in the castle (photo/Jason Rafal)

Jason and Nicole taking a self-portrait in a mirror in the museum with a model ship behind them. — Self portrait with a model ship (photo/Jason Rafal)

A red and gold carriage with a statue of a cherub on the front. — There were at least 6 cherubs on this carriage (photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole leaning off a balcony and looking over the treetops of the park toward downtown Mexico City in the distance. — The view from the castle balcony over Chapultepec Park (photo/Jason Rafal)

A very different museum that we visited was the Frida Kahlo house, where the artist lived for much of her life. A fascinating woman with absolutely terrible luck, Frida did amazing work, and the blue house and garden she inherited from her parents is amazing. Definitely look her up and learn more about her life, it’s a wild ride.

A large ceramic vase and plants in front of a dark blue wall with a red-rimmed window with green shutters. — A wall in Frida Kahlo’s beautiful garden (photo/Jason Rafal)

We also walked a little around the Coyoacan neighborhood where Frida’s house is. It’s a lovely neighborhood that felt older or more established than where we were staying. There were lots of restaurants, shops, and street vendors.

A water-stained old clock tower with a cloudy sky in the background. — The 16th century Parroquia San Juan Bautista (photo/Jason Rafal)

A fountain with a statue of two coyotes in the middle. — The coyote fountain in the park in central Coyoacan (guess what the neighborhood is named for) (photo/Jason Rafal)

A sign that says "Ignacio Allende" with a tiny painted coyote on top. — I love the little indicators of which neighborhood you’re in (photo/Jason Rafal)

One of the nights we went to see the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, which is performed at the beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes. We don’t have photos of the performance, but it ended up quiet different from what we expected. There was dancing. There was singing. There were dueling harps. There were people wearing giant heads. There was a comedic devil dragon. There was a ballet featuring the death throes of a deer. There was dancing with audience members. There were four false endings. It was an experience.

An elaborate building facade that says "Palacio de Bellas Artes" with an ombre tiled dome in the background. — The beautiful performing arts center (photo/Jason Rafal)

A stage with a background screen showing mountains and sky with a mural in an arch over the top. — The equally impressive stage curtain (photo/Jason Rafal)

A man in traditional clothing and a headdress surveys a crowd of people in front of the palace. — The scene in Zocalo, the central plaza (photo/Jason Rafal)

We also visited the artisan market, where we were some of the few tourists visiting on a weekday afternoon. Many of the pieces are made in studios at the market, which was very cool to see.

Looking up at a second-floor studio where guitars are hanging in a row. — A peek up into the guitar studio (photo/Jason Rafal)

We always love seeing the animals in cities, and Mexico City was particularly fun because there were tons of dogs, and tons of dog walkers, all over the place. The dog walkers would meet up in the parks, and the dogs they worked with were all very chill and well trained. We often saw them sitting in a semi circle or walking calmly in a row.

A man walking on a path through a park with 8 dogs on leashes. — A frequent park scene (photo/Jason Rafal)

Several dogs lying down in a semicircle in a park. — I was amazed at how well-trained the dogs were (photo/Jason Rafal)

A small, wrinkly white and brown spotted bulldog lying in the sidewalk with its legs stretched out behind it. — A particularly ridiculous and cute pup on the sidewalk (photo/Jason Rafal)

A dog sitting on a stool behind a street vendor and looking at the camera. — A very polite street cart dog (photo/Jason Rafal)

A blonde spaniel sticking its head out of a second-story window. — A cranky dog barking out the window at us (photo/Jason Rafal)

We didn’t see any cats at first, but we started seeing more as the trip went on, especially when we visited a community garden and educational center in Roma.

A cat sitting on the counter of a dry cleaning shop. — A dutiful shop cat (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two cats on a bench with their eyes closed, one sitting and one curled up. — Sleepy kitties (photo/Jason Rafal)

A cat lying on a tin roof with large leaves in the background. — Another sleepy kitty (photo/Jason Rafal)

A kitten with blue eyes through chicken wire. — A little kitten with gorgeous eyes in a pen with its siblings (photo/Jason Rafal)

It was a wonderful trip, and we have a lot of great things to say about the city. We’re happy to have a direct flight there and definitely plan to be back.

A mural with angel wings and a heart against a rainbow background that says "Love is Love..!" — There were so many rainbows <3 (photo/Jason Rafal)

A garbage truck piled high with a picture of Yoshi on the open door. — A Yoshi garbage truck (photo/Jason Rafal)

A yellow wall and clocktower of an old building. — A university near the city center (photo/Jason Rafal)

A bus with people looking out the window at the camera. — Portrait of a bus (photo/Jason Rafal)

A mural of a squirrel and a rabbit riding a pumpkin and holding a small wooden sword and a paddle with a sign that says "Huerto Roma" while an opossum stretches toward the pumpkin. — I loved this mural (photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking down a shaded street with a stone-walled building with ferns on the windowsill on. one side. — One of the beautiful streets in Roma Norte (photo/Jason Rafal)

Sloths and Monkeys and Lizards, Oh My!

April 26, 2018 by Nicole Harrison in Costa Rica

On Thursday we woke up early to go to the Manuel Antonio National Park for a guided tour. It had rained hard the night before, and in a possibly related turn of fortune, we got very lucky with animal sightings. We saw several sloths, a couple of which were moving; fantastically camouflaged helmet lizards; a similarly well camouflaged bird, a couple beautiful species of spider; a honey bear (that one was just a tiny blob of fur sleeping between two branches); dozens of overly friendly capuchin monkeys; a porcupine, which a capuchin poked; a howler monkey swinging between trees; a agouti, related to capybaras, that looked like a mix between a rat and a rabbit but with a certain prey animal quality; a very small deer and its fawn; a tiny frog; and several lizards. Our guide, who had interned at the San Diego Zoo, was amazing at spotting animals hiding in the trees. We would have only seen about a quarter of the animals without him. He spoke great English, knew an enormous amount about the small national park, and had an easy rapport with the other guides; as we passed other groups, the guides would point out animals to our guide, and he would do the same for them.

A slow-moving sloth (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A helmet lizard (Photo/Jason Rafal)

An adorable agouti (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A mother and baby sloth (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A posing capuchin (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A porcupine curled up in a tree (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After our tour, Ally, Emilie, Jason, and I went on the Cathedral Point loop to look at some views of the ocean. Then we went and changed into our swimsuits and actually jumped in.

A note about the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica: it is beautiful, light green, and very warm. A note about me: having spent very little time in the ocean while growing up, I really don’t know how best to handle it, and there is a lot of flailing and swallowed water when I am spending time there. The others were quite proficient at ocean, but I am rather bad at it. I got caught in a wave twice, which was a bit alarming for me, but I feel like I’m getting better. I definitely had fun once I caught my breath.

A lounging capuchin (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We ordered a couple of ripe mangoes from a street vendor - they were amazing (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After swimming we made dinner plans with Anne and Marc and headed to get - wait for it - coffee. At the coffee shop, we sat and watched the late afternoon sun shine over the ocean, then watched a thunderstorm move toward us. It wasn’t until right before the wall of water reached us that we realized we might have trouble getting back to the resort. It would be quick, we told ourselves. Half an hour of downpour later, we realized we might just have to suck it up and walk the five minutes back in the rain. We made a call and headed back, then got raincoats so we could head the other way to dinner. Of course, as soon as we started heading to dinner, the rain slowed.

The view from our hotel room window (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Friday morning we took a kayaking and snorkeling trip, and we had the tour all to ourselves, which was lovely. Our guide showed us how to paddle most effectively and then loaded us up into two-person open kayaks. We paddled around a bird nesting ground, between the rocky shore and an island, and over to a snorkeling spot at the other side of the small bay. We never actually went to land, but instead to a buoy with a place to tie kayaks near an outcropping of rocks in the middle of the water. Our guide stayed in his kayak to manage our kayaks and be around if we needed rescuing, and we put on our gear and jumped in.

Starting off (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The water was much murkier than the Caribbean, but we were still able to see several types of fish. Ally and Jason dived down with GoPros to try to capture them, which worked surprisingly well.

Jumping in with the fishes (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A variety of fish (Photo/Jason Rafal)

More fish (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Anne in the water (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After returning to our kayaks and “gracefully” clambering aboard, our guide gave us some fresh pineapple for a snack and helped us get situated to paddle back.

Unloading from the kayaks (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After we got out of the water, our bus took us to a restaurant where we were served cansadas, a typical meal with delicious fried local fish. Our guide helped us arrange a ride to Quepos that afternoon for the Friday night market, and we headed back to our resort to relax for a while.

We got to the night market a few minutes before sunset and watched the color over the water. The night market was small (Quepos only has about 4000 residents) but had a great selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, breads, and handicrafts.

A boat coming in during high tide (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Sunset on the ocean (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Giant zucchini (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Stalls at the night market (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A street in Quepos (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Saturday afternoon we had a transfer back to San Jose. In the morning, we all split up and did our own thing. Jason and I walked down to the beach before breakfast, where I waded in and we watched a couple of very excited dogs dog a hole in the sand. We also saw a family of capuchins crossing the street using the power lines. We were waiting where we expected the hotel shuttle to come pick us up, but it never came, so we got to experience the public bus, which was very nice. The elaborate foam coin compartmentalizer for providing change made me question how many coins Costa Rica actually has.

An airplane that a rich expat brought to Manuel Antonio and built a bar in (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A capuchin and her baby (Photo/Jason Rafal)

I don’t understand why all of the animals in this sign are realistic, but the child has an absurdly large head (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A happy beach dog (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A less happy beach dog (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One beach dog yelling at another to dig more (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After we got back and went to breakfast, we went to the butterfly gardens in the animal refuge, which is managed by the same company as our hotel. The butterfly garden was small but beautiful, and there were tons of colorful butterflies fluttering around (I still think they should be called flutterbys). The garden had a second floor level with wooden chairs and benches that was shaded, which provided a very nice respite from the heat while watching all the butterflies.

A very large caterpillar (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A posing butterfly (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A very dramatic lizard-type animal (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After butterflies, in a completely unexpected turn of events, we went to get coffee. We went to Emilio’s, where we sat and watched the amazing view one last time. Costa Rica doesn’t really have a coffee shop culture - people usually seem to eat a meal around having coffee. To feel better about taking up a table just to have coffee, we also ordered a croissant and pain de chocolat, which both came warmed. It felt a bit European. After coffee, we headed back to the hotel to check out.

Espresso in paradise (Photo/Jason Rafal)

In between checking out and leaving for San Jose, we got lunch at a little fast casual falafel restaurant owned by an Israeli woman. The food was delicious, and they had a very good mango ginger smoothie as well. After eating, we met up with Anne and Marc at the other coffee shop, where the Rafals got more coffee. I had a frozen lemonade blended with mint. Many of the mint drinks here have been blended, which means you can get a wonderful amount of mint in the drink without being annoyed by the full leaves sticking everywhere.

After lunch we were picked up and began the three hour drive back to San Jose, where we had dinner and prepared for our trips home. I definitely could have stayed longer.

The Days of Stereotypical Costa Rican Activities

April 20, 2018 by Nicole Harrison in Costa Rica

On Tuesday, Emilie, Ally, Jason and I went zip lining. We were picked up at our resort and driven to the zip line company, which was a major operation. Buses of people seemed to be arriving constantly, and we were shuttled through to get helmets and harnesses. One of the employees even helped me strap our borrowed GoPro to my helmet.

After we waited in line for a while to get our safety talk, we climbed into open gondola lifts and flew through the air to the top of the mountain, where we disembarked and tried out a tiny baby zip line before moving onto the 400+ meter large ones. Emilie and I were rather nervous, but we all managed to step up on the platform and set off.

Emilie waits her turn (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Ready to set off (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

My general impression of zip lining is that, similar to water parks and very popular bars, it’s fun but not worth all of the waiting around that you have to do. I will say, however, that the view from the five big zip lines was pretty amazing, and I’m very glad we went. You could see the Arenal Volcano itself, which was very clear that day. You could also see the lake that was created after the last time arenal erupted - there was a town there, but they had enough warning to fully evacuate, and after the eruption they created a lake over the area. La Fortuna, on the other side of the volcano, is so named because it was mostly unaffected by the eruption.

There were many pictures of people checking whether the GoPro was on (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

More GoPro checking (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Lake Arenal (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Arenal Volcano (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

The rest of the view was of the vast, green, layered forest that carpeted the mountainous area. One of the zip lines actually went through the canopy, which was also very cool.

Zipping through the canopy (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

After our ziplining adventure, we headed into the town of La Fortuna to get some coffee and lunch. It’s a small town, but there was some very good food.

A beautiful iced latte (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Graffiti on our way to lunch (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Wednesday, we took a bus transfer to Manuel Antonio. An hour into the ride, we joined up with a rafting company to take a two-hour raft trip down the Balsa river. Every day, the dams at the head of the river are opened for a couple of hours, and that’s when all the rafting companies take tours - there were three or four rafting companies altogether.

It very quickly became evident that river rat culture is the same everywhere. The guides teased each other and splashed us as the rafts passed each other. Our guide, a La Fortuna native, told us that he had done this for 15 years (after telling Anne that it was his second time out to scare her). The guide told us that it would be class two and three rapids, so we weren’t expecting too much excitement.

Rafting the Balsa River (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Some gentler rapids (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Some less gentle rapids (Photo/Jason Rafal)

When we hit a bumpy patch and our guide fell out of the boat about 15 minutes in, we realized we may have been wrong. He fell out in the first third of a rapid stretch, then pulled himself up and had enough time to shout “get down!”, our signal for huddling into the bottom of the boat, before he almost fell out again. Getting down was very necessary because no one was steering for a good chunk of time, but we made it out of that stretch without additional incident.

A few minutes later there was more excitement. We were not oriented correctly through another rapid stretch and found ourselves pushed into a large rock in the middle of the rapids by the strong current. Our guide immediately started trying to push us off of the rock, and climbed out onto the rock for more leverage when that didn’t work, but another raft slid into us and under the front of our raft, pinning us. Suddenly, flipping the raft and pinning Jason against a large rock while we did so seemed like a legitimate possibility. Noting the situation, the rescue guides, who were in one-person inflatable kayaks, came over to help our guide, and eventually they were able to slowly wedge the boats apart to free us.

Some slight concern at getting stuck (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Waiting to get free (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our guide took us to the side of the river and, taking a deep breath, remarked that we were having an exciting trip today. He also showed us his river tattoo - his scraped and slightly bloody arm from falling out of the boat.

The rest of the trip was a bit less eventful, as the big rapids were mostly in the beginning of the trip. When we got to a very calm part of the river, our guide invited us to get out and float down for a while. It was beautiful and very peaceful, even with other boats around.

After we got back in, we saw a variety of wildlife, including iguanas, lizards, cormorants, blue and white egrets, a few other species of birds, a sloth, and some long-nosed bats.

The smaller rescue kayaks were loaded up with some fresh pineapple and watermelons, and we paddled to a rocky river shore and ate the fresh fruit while watching and occasionally feeding the family of cows that was there.

The guides cut up fruit on the bottom of a raft (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Feeding the resident cows (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After we finished rafting, we changed and climbed back into the bus for an hour-long ride to lunch through hills of farmland. The food was what’s called typical in Costa Rica: black beans, rice, salad, French fries, meat, and plantains. We were starving, but I’m fairly sure it was also delicious.

We also got to see and order professional pictures from rafting. We all started laughing immediately because everyone looked like they were having fun except Anne, who actually looked very angry…in almost every picture.

The rapids started immediately (Photo/Costa Rica Films)

Anne was less than amused (Photo/Costa Rica Films)

Reassurance after some rapids (Photo/Costa Rica Films)

Water everywhere (Photo/Costa Rica Films)

Our guide jumped during many photos (Photo/Costa Rica Films)

After lunch, we skirted San Jose and headed to the coast for the last four hours of driving. We were able to see the sun set over the Pacific Ocean as we started driving down the coast toward Manuel Antonio.

Vamos A La Playa

April 18, 2018 by Nicole Harrison in Costa Rica

On Monday, Ally, Emilie, Jason, and I went on a hiking tour. Along with the people picked up from four other resorts, we stuffed a 15-person bus and went to a hiking trail beside the Cerro Chato and Arenal volcanoes, where we put the provided lunches in our backpacks and started our big loop for the day.

Starting the hike with a hanging bridge with a 5-person maximum (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We began by walking through the forest and saw some wildlife and plants, along with stops with volcano views. I was a little worried that all of our 8-mile hike would be slow and over fairly flat ground, but I was enjoying seeing the animals and learning about the plants. We came across a colony of leafcutter ants who were carrying leaves that were three times their size across the path in neat rows. Our guide, Nano, also picked up an ant and showed us how it could hold an entire leaf if it needed to.

Emilie sniffs a citronella leaf (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The insane strength of a leafcutter ant (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We also hiked by a massive tree that had a vine hanging from it, and we were invited to play out our Tarzan dreams. Ally and Jason both gave it a try, and Emilie and I were content to watch and take pictures. I was just blown away by the width and height of the tree - it had obviously been there a very long time.

Jason swinging around in the trees (Photo/Nicole Harrison)

Arenal Volcano (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Jungle flower (Photo/Jason Rafal)

As we were hiking, we saw some spider monkeys climbing around high up in the trees. We took a few minutes to watch a take pictures, and then started moving on. Within a couple of minutes, though, we heard the monkeys start chasing each other around and making irritated noises, and because seeing a monkey spat is one of the lures of visiting Costa Rica, we backtracked to watch. It looked like some sort of territorial issue, and there was much chasing between trees and yelling. One of the monkeys had a baby clinging to its back as it jumped around.

A spider monkey doing…something (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A baby spider monkey clings to its mother as she moves from tree to tree (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After a couple more hours hiking through the jungle, during which time we stopped while our guide explained how to get out to three tourists who, concerningly, didn’t appear to speak a lot of Spanish or carry any water, we came out of the forest into a lava field. This was pretty reminiscent of avalanche fields in Colorado - a wide area where all the trees have been wiped out that’s filled with large rocks. These ones, unsurprisingly, were all lava rocks.

We hiked along the lava field to a lovely stream, where we stopped for lunch. It was beautiful, and a great place to stop in the shade for a bit. There were surprisingly few bugs, considering that we were in the jungle. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for him, Jason lured them all away.

Lunchtime at the creek (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After lunch, the hiking got more strenuous. I am used to Colorado hikes, which generally go up rather steeply for a while and then back down to the parking lot. Instead of a direct up a down, this hike went up and down dozens of times. It was also steeper, slicker, and had fewer rocks to brace against. For the very steep slopes, there were ropes tied to trees that we had to use to pull ourselves up the slopes and brace ourselves going down. Our guide would help everyone up or down from a steep ledge and then take off into the forest to get ahead of us before the next one, whooping and making Donald Duck noises as he went. Whenever we had all gathered and were ready to go on, he would say “vamos a la playa!” and take off. This confused us at first because we were nowhere near a beach, but everyone bought in after the first five times and started saying it themselves.

Some more technical hiking (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Eventually, we exited the forest and walked through a working farm. At the farm, we saw horses, adorable pigs, a big spider, and tiny adorable organic pineapples. There was also a field of Brahman bulls that our guide fed leaves to. Interestingly, the farm was also some sort of tourist attraction. We walked across a couple of hanging bridges and then to natural pool with a waterfall. Our guide had extolled the virtues of the waterfall, and said the best way to view it was from behind the water. When we got there, we saw that one would have to jump into the pool and swim around to the back side of the waterfall, which our guide immediately did. Tentatively, a few other people in our group stripped down to undergarments and waded in. Of our immediate group, only Ally did, and the rest of us felt a little better about chickening out when she confirmed how cold it was.

A posing pig at the farm (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A large and frightening banana spider (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nano standing on the other side of the waterfall (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After everyone got out of the water and dressed, we walked to another resort, the Arenal observatory lodge. It felt like we were trespassing as we visited the very small museum about the Arenal volcano and its surrounding area and used the bathrooms there to change into swimsuits. After changing, we were directed to the panoramic deck, where we hung out in the fading afternoon sunlight and admired views of the volcano, the lake, and a weird fake tree that the lodge stuck pieces of watermelon to so that birds would entertain the onlookers. We also saw some adorable animals called coatis, which I unfortunately do not have a picture of. And then, in a move that won over the Rafals entirely, we were fed coffee and cookies before getting back into our van, Grace, to drive to a hot springs.

The view of Lake Arenal from the deck (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The watermelon tree (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We finished the day at a public hot springs, where we sat in the river, got volcanic mud masks, and had Fresca mixed with Cacique Guaro poured into our mouths by our guide. The entire experience was amazing and surreal. We parked right on the road and got into the water under a bridge, and the entire river was the temperature of a slightly cool hot tub. As we hung out, drinking and soaking, many other groups showed up. By the time it was fully dark and we were leaving, the spot had gone from being shared by a couple of groups to a rather crowded party. As people got there, they would prop up some flashlights to create light, open the alcohol they brought, and find themselves a place to wade in. It was a very satisfying end to a very full day.

The hot springs before it got dark and crowded (Photo/Ally White)

Mud masks in the hot springs (Photo/Ally White)

#RafalRica Begins

April 14, 2018 by Nicole Harrison in Costa Rica

In April, we (Jason, me, Emilie, Ally, Marc, and Anne) went on a trip to Costa Rica to celebrate Anne’s 65th birthday. None of us had been to Costa Rica before, and with the help of a local travel company, we had planned a week full of typical Costa Rican activities.

We all arrived in San Jose on Saturday evening and stayed at Hotel Grano de Oro, which is a Victorian house in the city that was transformed into a boutique hotel in the early 1990s. The hotel is amazing - there are many open-air courtyards throughout, and the halls are lined with old wallpaper, mirrors, paintings, clocks, and other art. There was a great sense of not knowing whether I was inside or outside as I walked from the lobby to our room, and we even had a personal fountain outside our window. The restaurant is also very good. Overall, would highly recommend.

A hotel hallway (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A hotel courtyard (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The nighttime view from the roof deck (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A traditional tico breakfast (Photo/Jason Rafal)

On Sunday, our driver and guide, Tommy, picked us up in the morning and we started the long drive to La Fortuna, where we would spend the first part of our trip. Along the way, he told us fun facts about Costa Rica and generally got us excited about being in the country. One of the first things we learned was the phrase Pura Vida, which is a catch-all phrase used across the country to express pleasantries. Our guide said that the phrase was a marketing campaign used by a president in the 80s that was wildly successful and spread throughout Costa Rica culture. It appears to have originated from a 1950s Mexican movie, but Costa Rica adopted the phrase as its own.

Similarly to many other countries I’ve been to, traffic laws in Costa Rica are used more like loose guidelines, and people tend to just make the driving choices that make the most sense to them at the time. Our driver used his hazards like blinkers to show when he was slowing down for a stopped car. They also use horns similarly to how they did in Vietnam - one longer blast to scold, a couple of light taps to tell someone you were passing them. Most of the bridges were one lane, so the person who got there first would go and the people coming the other way would have to wait.

Passing on mountain roads (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We were driving on Easter, which was also Election Day, and there were flags everywhere - on houses, tied to cars, being carried around - to show candidate loyalty. We passed many voting stations by the side of the road.

Voting registration stations (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We had a few stops on our way to the hotel in La Fortuna; the first was Doka Estate for a coffee tour. At Doka, we combined with other groups and followed a young woman around the farm as she walked us through how the coffee beans are harvested, sorted, de-skinned, dried, and stored. The Rafals know a fair bit about coffee, but I was struck by the sheer amount of labor that goes into coffee preparation. A lot of it is still done by hand at Doka. Similarly to picking grapes in France, laborers are invited to the farm and given food and board every year to work picking the coffee fruits. Doka roasts and also sells green beans.

Lovely tropical scenary at Doka (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Our guide shows us different states of coffee beans (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Machinery that de-skins coffee (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Costa Rica has an interesting coffee culture. Until recently, they exported all of their good coffee and kept the low-quality beans to sell domestically. In the past few years there has been a movement to keep some of Costa Rica’s good quality coffee in the country. The coffee we were served at resorts, which was primarily Britt, was pretty good.

Bags of resting coffee beans (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Dried green coffee beans (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Ally helps Doka rotate the drying coffee beans (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After finishing the tour and sampling some different coffees and chocolates, we loaded back into our van and headed to La Paz Waterfall Garden. This time, Tommy stayed with us and gave us the tour. La Paz is an amazing park with several large waterfalls, butterfly and hummingbird gardens, and a sort of zoo of rescued birds and wild animals. Tommy walked us through the butterfly garden; a rescued bird area, where we met a very patient toucan who was posing for pictures; an area with capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, and sloths; and a hummingbird garden, where a descriptive sign advertised the 20 or so types of hummingbirds and we struggled to identify two or three.

A posing parakeet (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A gorgeously colored rainbow-billed toucan (Photo/Jason Rafal)

A butterfly rests on a flower (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We enjoyed a buffet lunch in an open, indoor-outdoor cafeteria before visiting some wild cats (ocelots, jaguars, and an adorable margay) and looking around a traditional Costa Rican farmhouse and yard, where we also sampled traditional sugar cane tea (which tastes like…sugar cane), cornbread that had a pudding-like consistency, and the cheese that we would find to be most prevalent in Costa Rica, which is firm and squeaky and doesn’t melt easily.

A margay, which, at about the size of a domestic cat, is more wild cat than big cat (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After that, we started climbing down the hill and viewing the large waterfalls on the property. The maintenance of the trails was really impressive - it was mostly concrete steps, ramps, and railings that had been molded to look like tree branches. The trails were often steep, but well managed. The waterfalls were stunning, and each had at least a couple of vantage points from which to view them.

The whole group (despite the perspective, I am not the tallest) (Photo/Tommy)

A large jungle waterfall (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Three waterfalls from one vantage point (Photo/Jason Rafal)

The entire property is meant to be toured from the top of the hill down, and then a shuttle returns you to the top to exit. As we waited for the shuttle next to a narrow, twisty mountain road, we watched the cars and trucks making the alarming turn and they went up and down the road. At one point, a pickup truck towing a car with a rope came by, with one person in the driver’s seat and another one running up the hill behind them so he wouldn’t weigh down the car. They held up the cars in both directions for a couple minutes while trying to negotiate the turn.

The car towing having some effect on traffic (Photo/Jason Rafal)

After the waterfall garden, we drove through the forest on twisty mountain roads with hairpin turns before the landscape flattened out into rich farmland. In the afternoon, we arrived at our resort, which had beautiful views of arenal volcano from every room. We didn’t hear until later that a minority of people visiting the area actually get to see the volcano clearly; we were lucky enough to get three at least partially clear days.

The view of Arenal from our resort (Photo/Jason Rafal)