Santiago de Querétaro- Pearl of the Bajío

Travel Days: Sep 24 – 25 Santiago de Querétaro is the capitol of the state of Querétaro, in the middle of the country just a few hours away from Mexico City. It is one of the safest cities in all of Mexico, if not the safest, and its historic center is recognized as a UNESCO…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 19

Wed Aug 23 Today we woke up to heavy rain so we decided to forego our plans to hike Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens. We had a relaxing morning and did some laundry. We decided to try coconut milk in our coffee- it added a nice velvety creaminess with a hint of nutty…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 17

Monday Aug 21 We had an early start with a pancake and fruit breakfast (made by our adorable B&B host!) at 6:45. Then we were off on our first excursion of the day: hiking and birdwatching at the Curi-Cancha Reserve. In this area of Monteverde, the three main parks are Children’s Eternal Rainforest, Monteverde Reserve,…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 16

Sun Aug 20 The terrors of last night seemed like a distant memory, a nightmare quickly fading away. I woke feeling refreshed and joyful, thankful that we didn’t stay the night in Calle Insectario.  We went down for breakfast around 8:30: fresh scrambled eggs, toast and fruit. It was so comforting to be cared for…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 14

Fri Aug 18 Today our water shut off! Thankfully it happened just after we finished making a pot of coffee. After talking to our host, we learned that a pipe had burst and the whole town of La Fortuna didn’t have water, but they were working on it. He gave us a gallon of water…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 13

Thur Aug 17 We packed up our stuff, had a very nice breakfast at our hotel. We shared a Tico burrito (gallo pinto, cheese, tomato sauce, eggs) and an American breakfast burrito (eggs, potatoes, bacon). We also had a passionfruit and strawberry smoothie. After checkout, we went to the market across the street to get…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 12

Wed Aug 16 I was feeling much better today. Things were looking up. I made a breakfast of all the food we had to use up: scrambled eggs with chayote, green beans with onion and garlic, black beans and rice (hah look at me making my own gallo pinto!) and leftover mango salsa. It was…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 11

Tues Aug 15 Today is my 30th birthday! And I wasn’t feeling great. Yesterday’s medical ordeal left James and I both exhausted and worn. I felt so much better than yesterday, but still had some pain and discomfort. Javier came around 8am to retrieve the bikes and we said our goodbyes. He wished me a…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 10

Mon Aug 14 Our day began with James attempting to break the bike lock per Javier’s instructions as there was no extra key. In the end Javier ended up coming over around 9am to break the bike lock himself with the appropriate tools. So we just had one lock for both our bikes. Soon after,…

Costa Rica Travel Diary: Day 9

Sun Aug 13 Today was a rest day with nothing on the schedule. We even slept in (to about 7:30). Originally, we had intended to bike to Playa Negra for a beach day and go for lunch in Los Pargos but around 10am began a torrential downpour. It was a fantastic storm with heavy rain,…