Morning hike at UPEACE

The Universidad para la Paz (University for Peace), about 20 kilometers southwest of San Jose, boasts a gorgeous natural reserve composed by a secondary forest and the last remnant of primary forest in Costa Rica's central valley. The area is protected and is home to mammals such as monkeys and deer, reptiles, and more than 300 species of birds. The forest also hosts approximately 100 varieties of trees and a whole lot of beautiful butterflies, including my favorite, the blue morpho.

We recently went with our Canadian friends the Derksens for a hike around the reserve. It was a dry morning, perfect for getting outside, and we had a wonderful time. Near the end of our hike was an obstacle course area. The girls had fun scaling the climbing wall, especially.

It was a bit hazy when I took this photo, but this looks down into the valley where we live. If you click on the photo to make it bigger, you can see a large green and brown patch in the middle of the picture with trees curving around it. Right above that is a cluster trees (where we live) and some large, cream-colored buildings, one of which is home to Dan's office.

We were all very hungry after our hike and stopped at Zompopa's—my favorite soda (traditional Costa Rican eatery)—for some chifrijo (oh, so good!), fried cheese dice, nachos, and yummy fruit drinks. The place was decked out in red, white and blue for Costa Rica's Independence Day (September 15), and you may be able to see a streamer and a bell in the bottom of the photo.

An afternoon swim followed our meal, and by the end of the day we were all good and tired. A great day to be in Costa Rica!