Next Stop: Costa Rica

    I flew into Juan Santamaría International Airport and took a long bus ride to Jaco where I would be staying in a hostel for the next two weeks whilst enjoying the beach. I had been going to a lot of places and doing so much so I wanted to simply relax for a little bit. I spent most of my time in Jaco heading to the beach, enjoying the nightlife, and relaxing.

Jaco Beach

    Jaco Beach was absolutely stunning, the perfect sight for rest and relaxation. I had made some new friends with some other young travelers staying at the hostel I was at and spent a lot of time just hanging out with them. A couple of them taught me some very basic surfing, although I wasn't very good at it at all. The nightlife in Jaco was amazing, and it was even better to go bar hopping and such with my new group of friends.

A scarlet macaw found in the trees at Carara National Park

    One other nice thing I did in Jaco was visit Carara National Park to view the beautiful rain forest and wildlife inhabiting Costa Rica. Without a busy schedule, I was able to spend a few days hiking and enjoying the park. Bird watching is very popular there so I got to see such beauties as scarlet macaws, orange-chinned parakeets, black-throated trogons, and many more! I also saw crocodiles, poison arrow frogs, and some rare glimpses of monkeys.

    I got around the area mostly by bus because of how much cheaper it was compared to taxi fares, and it allowed me to visit a bunch of other beaches along the coastline such as hermosa, Esterillos, and Bejuco Beach. All the beaches were pleasant places to relax and gather myself for the rest of the trip. Overall, I had a nice time during my two weeks in Jaco, Costa Rica and I enjoyed the change in pace compared to the rest of the trip.

Two More Weeks in Guatemala

    At the end of my stay in Guatemala City, I took a long cab ride all the way to Antigua Guatemala, where I would stay at Selina Antigua for the next two weeks of my trip. For my first day in Antigua, I went on a self guided walking tour that explored the various sites of ancients ruins still present in the city. Some of the highlights of this tour included the Church of Candelaria, the Church of Santo Domingo, the Convent of the Capuchins, the San Jose Cathedral, and the San Jeronimo Convent.

The fountain in the middle of the San Jeronimo Convent ruins

    One of my favorite qualities of Antigua was how charming and friendly the entire city seemed, and so I spent a great deal of time walking around shops and markets for souvenirs and just interacting with the locals. Most times I had to barter for better prices, but the vendors were all very friendly and welcoming. I picked up a few pieces of the beautiful jade jewelry found there as gifts for my mother and sisters. 

    Another cool place I visited inside the city was ChocoMuseo, a chocolate museum with plenty of history and activities. I took part in a mini chocolate workshop that allowed me to curate my very own piece of chocolate from hand!

One of the frequent eruptions on Volcán de Fuego

    The most spectacular highlight of my entire time here had to be the overnight trek up Volcán de Fuego, an active volcano. On the first day, our group started hiking at about 9:00 AM, and we stopped around 1 to take a break for lunch. During the hike, we passed through four distinct zones: farmland, cloud forest, alpine tree forest, and of course, volcanic. I rented a walking stick before the hike from recommendations based on how difficult it was. After hiking a bit more, we settled at the knife-ridge to watch the sunset, which was absolutely breathtaking with the glowing lava spewing out. The next morning, I woke up at 4 AM to summit Acatenango, too. It was such a great opportunity, I couldn't resist. We had breakfast afterwards and headed back down the volcano. It was truly one of the most amazing things I've ever seen or done in my whole life.