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Costa Rica with Deb.

It was incredible to have Alicia's mom, Deb, in Costa Rica for almost two weeks! We met her in San Jose and the next day made our way into the mountains. We had a fantastic time exploring Santa Elena and we were able to see monkeys, many species of hummingbirds, a sloth, tarantulas, a Quetzal and much more. Catching a glimpse of a Quetzal is a rare experience, and for months I had been hoping we would be so lucky. It was truly magnificent! Following our time in Santa Elena we headed to the coast and stayed in the wonderful town of Samara. One of the highlights there was an incredible whale watching tour. Having spent a month watching the migrating Humpbacks from afar at Lookout Inn, it was a whole other thing of beauty to watch them up close. They are fascinating creatures! We were a bit sad to leave the peacefulness of Samara for the busyness of Tamarindo, but we had a goal in mind. Alicia and Deb were registered for the Tamarindo Beach Half Marathon. It might have required getting up at 3am and starting the event at 4am, but it was so worth it. We ran they first hour in essentially total darkness, a bit nerve-wracking, but it provided great views of the moon. As it started to get lighter the jungle came to life and the howler monkeys cheered us along a course that had a lot more hills than we expected. We finished in good time, and mother was first in her age group by a half hour!! It was an incredible experience for both of us, and I am so proud of my mom! Her trip went by so fast, but we are so thankful for all the wonderful memories it provided!!

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After the finish of the Tamarindo Beach Half Marathon. We had a wonderful run. Starting at 4am was unique and very dark, but the howler monkeys cheered us along! We finished well and mom was first in her age group!!!

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Enjoying some fresh coconut water!

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We enjoyed an incredible adventure on a whale watching tour in Sámara! Not only did we see a lot of sea turtles, but a mother and baby humpback whale graced us with their presence for awhile. It was absolutely stunning to see these incredible creatures up close!

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Just a small glimpse of what we saw on some of our hikes.

If you look at the design on the right side of the butterfly you will see it’s attempt to mimic the eye of an owl, and if you look at the left side you will see it mimics a snake.

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Alicia's Mom, Deb, met us in San Jose and traveled around Costa Rica with us for almost two weeks! We saw tons of wildlife and spent many days on beautiful hikes like these!

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Hard to see from the pictures, but this beach is famous for the 'whale tail' of land that is exposed at low tide.

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Just a few minutes walk from where we stayed were some beautiful waterfalls and good swimming holes!

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We spent a few days at an awesome little hostel in the town of Uvita.

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Lookout Inn, Carate.

After we left Will & Shelby's in Managua, we traveled into Costa Rica to the capital city, San Jose. We spent a quick night there and then headed south to the Osa Peninsula, near the Panamanian border. After another short night in the town of Puerto Jimenez, we traveled a narrow dirt road for a couple hours in an old cattle truck and eventually arrived at Lookout Inn Lodge. We had committed to a month of volunteering here without knowing much, other than that we would be helping with meals and that the Trip Advisor reviews for this place were off the charts. After meeting the owner, Terry, and getting settled into our very own room (very exciting), we were given a kitchen rag and were soon helping prep a giant buffet dinner for the guests. The evening was a busy few hours, carrying trays of food up to the upstairs dining deck, chatting with all of the guests, and trying to figure out how to be helpful in our new work environment. As soon as the guests were finished eating, they made their way back to their cabins and we enjoyed dinner together as a staff. When we awoke the next morning we were greeted by an incredible view of the ocean from right outside our door. The lodge is perched way up on a hill in the jungle, so the views are amazing, getting better and better as you climb the stairs to each level. It's in a very remote location with only a few other eco lodges nearby, so the beaches are empty for miles and the sounds of the jungle and ocean are just about all you hear! Our days at Lookout were similar to our first evening. Starting early in the morning getting everything prepped and set up for breakfast, bringing all the food out for the buffet, and then cleaning it all up afterwards. Lots of dishes in between, then the same process for lunch, then some more dishes. In the afternoons we helped to check-in news guests, Alicia did many random cleaning projects, and Chris did the bartending. Then it was more bartending for 'happy hour' and the rest of the staff would return to prep and cook another massive buffet. Then the food and plates up and down the stairs until our work day was finished and we were able to sit down to enjoy our quiet meal and maybe even a cold Costa Rican beer. We did enjoy a few hours of free time each day and took advantage of the fantastic beaches, nearby trails, and abundance of hammocks. We were blown away at the wildlife we could see nearby, especially the amount of animals that came right up to the lodge! We regularly saw 4 species of monkeys, an anteater, coatis (racoon-like thing), humpback whales, scarlett macaws, a massive snake, toucans, and more on a daily basis. We were pretty spoiled! Our time at Lookout was certainly a lot of work, but absolutely worth it. We're so grateful to have been in such a beautiful place with more wildlife around than we've ever seen before and for the time spent with the staff and the guests at the lodge.

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An awesome hike to nearby waterfalls, but Alicia’s Chacos are starting to show a bit of wear.

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Some of the staff we worked with and the main floor of the lodge.

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We saw a crazy amount of wildlife without having to even leave the lodge!

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4 different species of monkeys would come by almost every day!

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Some incredible sunsets and scenery from Lookout.

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Managua.

We arrived in Managua after a rare short bus ride and were soon greeted by our wonderful friends Will and Shelby! It was a week we had been looking forward to since we all realized months earlier that we'd be traveling through Nicaragua around the same time they'd be moving to the capital city, Managua. They have been planning for the past couple years to teach abroad somewhere, and eventually decided to pursue an opportunity at a wonderful private school in Managua. It was such a treat to be in a home with air conditioning and hot water and many things we have been living without, but the real joy was spending time with our friends. We had a blast seeing their new home and new school, meeting some of their new friends and co-workers, and exploring their new home country. We knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross paths with our friends while traveling and we're so glad we didn't pass it up. Huge thanks to both Will and Shelby for being incredible hosts and allowing us to invade their space that they had only lived in for about a week! Also extremely grateful they made so much time to hang out with us while they were in the midst of an exhausting week of teacher training. You two are the absolute best and we are so excited for your next couple years in Nicaragua!

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First day of school (training) picture for Mr. Buker and Mrs. Buker as they head off to prepare their classrooms and get ready for the year! So excited for you two and your new adventures teaching in Managua! [Hotel Welby, Managua, Nicaragua]