This year for the first time (in my life ?), I spent my summer holidays in the mountains. And I discovered the joys of it! I am usually a beach person, summer doesn’t mean summer if I’m not at the beach. Now that I live near the ocean, it was a good reason to go explore the famous « Eastern Sierra ».
If you’re planning on taking a trip to Costa Rica, you’ve arrived at the right place: here are all my best spots ! I spent 6 months travelling there by myself and absolutely loved every second of my stay. When I left I knew almost nothing about this country and hadn’t planned anything. I followed my heart and my intuition and stumbled upon a bunch of great places to go to the beach, volunteer, hike or chill in cheap hostels.
PUERTO JIMENEZ. I wake up dancing to bachata and smile while brushing my teeth. The pastry where i am meeting my guide is open at dawn.
Sea turtles belong to the reptile group. They have lived in the ocean for 150 million years. They survived all the past climate crises. When early European explorers discovered the Pacific Islands, there were millions of turtles in the sea. Today, the 7 different species are all in danger.
When I was in Costa Rica, I volunteered in two different sea turtle camps. The first one (see this article) is situated on the Pacific coast in Playa Cabuyal. This camp is operated by an American non-profit (The Leatherback Trust). It doesn’t welcome people outside of the biologists and volunteers working on site. The second camp I went is situated on the Atlantic coast, near Tortuguero National Park. This one, called Estacion Las Tortugas, is open to the public, it is an environmental educational center raising awareness about this endangered species.
Have you ever heard about Alexander Von Humboldt ? If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you might have come across one of his beautiful landscape diagrams. They usually picture a whole ecosystem along with its scientific data with a great sense of visual synthesis.
NB: Leatherback turtles belong to the same group as the Prehistoric Archelon, a species that swam in the ocean 70 million years ago. While Archon measured 13 feet long, Leatherbacks can reach 10 feet and weigh up to 2.000 pounds.
We talk a lot about our body, not always well… We rarely listen to what it has to tell us. Yet it knows us very well. It sends us signs that we do not listen to. We have not yet learned how to understand its language.
The Cerro Chato (to the right of the tallest volcano Arenal on the picture) is one of the hikes you don’t want to miss if you travel to Costa Rica. In bonus, 4 little mantras for everyday life.
This blog is a fresh new start after many years of busy Parisian life that had exhausted me. It’s a space to observe and immerse yourself. A voluntary slowdown in order to explore alternative lifestyles and imagine how we can combine building and regenerating the environment.
There is a paradox that I can not explain myself… When we were children, we all observed the beings living around us with curiosity, tenderness and amazement. From insects to birds to giraffes. Learning to know about the world is to discover the diversity of living forms.
This is my first day at the Butterfly Conservatory, located in El Castillo, Costa Rica. I leave the volunteers’ house and climb up the dirt road with the Arenal volcano at my back. I arrive at the reception at 8 o’clock sharp.
Is saving endangered turtles your dream? I’ve done it. (Thank you Juliette, thank you Javi!) In February 2018, I had the chance to work for 6 weeks as a volunteer, along with the Leatherback Trust Foundation’s team of biologists.
Nestled in the hills overlooking Puerto Viejo is the Finca Inti. A lush and productive jungle, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, where I lived for 2 weeks with Tristan, his wife, their daughter, their 3 dogs and 2 cats.
I have been working as a volunteer in a sea turtle research camp for a month. Tonight I’m on the second shift with Javi, the Spanish coordinator.
