• Christie Mitchell
Mar – Dec 2022

RTW 2022

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” (Winnie-the-Pooh) Read more
  • Headed to Cozumel

    April 12, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We left Playa de Carmen today and headed to Cozumel. We took a 45 minute catamaran ferry ride from the mainland. Pretty rough waters - Jordan, poor thing, as much as she loves the ocean, struggles with sea sickness. Did okay on this trip though. It’s much “slower” and quieter pace of life over here than Playa.

    We’re staying in another Airbnb - it’s just a woman’s home, and she’s built 3 or 4 rooms in the back surrounding a small pool. Simple, but sufficient. “Tu casa Cozumel B&B”. The walk to the main center of town goes through neighborhoods - very different than what I’m used to. They take broken beer bottles and line the tops of the walls to keep people out - a local taxi driver told us they call it “Mexican barb wire”. Also we walked past a big tree with fruit on it — mangoes?? Not sure.
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  • Airbnb pool
    Jordan on the leftJordan with a turtle

    Tough day in paradise

    April 13, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Jordan went out SCUBA diving today and had a great time, and I stayed back at our Airbnb and hung out. A friend asked this morning if we had any problems with sickness … told her I was doing great. Then … around noon, my tummy started feeling pretty bad. Montezuma’s revenge … food poisoning … travelers diarrhea … not sure what it is, but it’s certainly not pleasant. So sticking close to “home” was smart for me today. Jordan seems to be spared (knock on wood) which is weird because we eat and drink just about the same things … but glad she’s doing fine so far.

    Swam in the pool some, planned our next country, made some reservations … and poo”d more times than I can count. It’s stopped tonight so hopeful I’m thru it, but damn, not fun.
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  • Beautiful water, fish eveeywhere

    April 14, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Our Airbnb host suggested we go to Buccanos beach club today. It was really nice and relaxing. Out on Cozumel they aren’t effected by the seaweed issue like Playa del Carmen because of how the currents come in, so we found some glorious clear turquoise waters there. Also the fish were everywhere! Such a beautiful
    day. Only a few days left in Mexico - trying to enjoy every last moment.
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  • Miguel getting us started
    Patty showing us the planBeautiful blue watersLOVE the sunsets!

    Snorkeling

    April 15, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    We went out on a 5 hr snorkeling adventure today. Of all days to forget the GoPro … 😩 So no pics of all that we saw. One of the people on the boat brought theirs and said they’d share pics with us (eventually) … so if it happens, will go back and add them to this post.

    It was fantastic though. We saw a couple beautiful stingrays and so many fish of all shapes and colors!! They surrounded us at times - they were almost more curious about us then us of them.

    They took us to five different snorkel spots, one of which had two ship wrecks. Really enjoyable day.
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  • Last day in Cozumel

    April 16, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Today was our last day in Cozumel. We went back to Buccanos Beach for a bit and then Jordan had a night dive! It was the first time I’ve gotten to see her prep and go. Fun to finally see it.

    While Jordan was in the water, I met a diver from Corsica, France. He told me he was an ICU nurse and couldn’t take the job anymore after going thru the pandemic. We talked for quite a while and he told me about all his friends and colleagues he had lost. Once they had gotten thru the worst of it, he up and quit, left for Mexico and has been here for 3 months. He’s training to be a SCUBA instructor - said he would never go back to nursing again. Neat to meet him, sad to hear his story.

    It’s going to be a bit till we’re back to the ocean - going to miss it - but new adventures await.
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  • Ferry Cozumel to Playa del Carmen
    ADO bus Playa del Carmen to Cancun

    Travel day

    April 17, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Not a real exciting day - travel days from one place to another are somewhat uneventful. Just a lot of work. Jordan convinced me to travel with backpacks, not suitcases - so we carry everything we need for 10 months on our backs. I’ve finally gotten used to the weight, but it’s taken awhile. Travel days tho, are sweaty days.

    We took a taxi, ferry and then bus to get from Cozumel to Cancun today. We fly out tomorrow and have a lengthy layover in Panama City on the way to Costa Rica! Excited for someplace new, but anxious as well. Change is hard.

    We will have been in Mexico 28 days tomorrow, and I have a lot of things I miss about home that I definitely took for granted: being able to flush used toilet paper (yeah, you can’t do that here - it’s gross); constant quality wifi access/unlimited data plans; free public restrooms (you pay in Mexico for access); a car at my finger tips; drinkable tap water; the feel of my own pillow under my head; English speaking tv shows/movies; ice!; soft bath towels; being able to make a phone call easily; home cooked meals and … regular sized bottles of toiletries. I hope when I get home I remember these things that were “different/difficult” and appreciate what I have a lot more.
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  • Panama City, Panama

    April 18, 2022 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    We flew out of Cancun this morning for Costa Rica and had a 17 hour (1:30pm-7:00am) layover in Panama City!! Instead of just staying in the airport and trying to sleep there, in our search for adventure, we went thru customs, rented a room close to the airport, and ventured out. It was an experience!

    Now, if I was made of money I would have paid the $30 for the 3 mile taxi ride to our “hotel”, another $30 to go downtown and $30 to go back … but … sadly, I’m not made of money. So we searched for cheaper options.

    We walked 1/2 mile away from the airport to find taxi prices drop 75%! Then discovered Panama City has a great metro system, so made our way to that for 50 cents a ride.

    It was crazy to watch the neighborhoods change as we got closer and closer to the city. Our hotel is located in what looks like a war zone. Literally looks like a bomb was dropped on it. Coming home, there was a fire Just burning alongside the road. ??? We’re about 3 miles from the airport. The actual place we stayed, fairly nice inside, but outside was literally very scary. Downtown, 30 min away, had areas that were gorgeous. But then areas you definitely shouldn’t be walking in.

    So our adventure in Panama City?? … not sure if I would do it again, but glad I saw the little we could see in the short amount of time we were here.
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  • Mountains are immense!
    Exhausted on our flightGovernemnt office building.Museo of JadeWe'll be traveling over those mts in a few days!Cool sculptureOne of their MANY parks in San JoseBig chunk of JadeMuseumInside the governemnt buildingWater fountainBench we napoed on.Our hostel in San JoseInside the hostelOur VERY large room

    Costa Rica, baby!

    April 19, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Oh my, what an absolutely exhausting day. We were up at 4am to catch an early flight to San Jose. Got in early but couldn’t check into our hostel till 2pm, so dropped our bags and explored the city some. Eventually we sat down on a bench in the park to rest, and I fell asleep on Jordan’s lap!! A first for me.

    We went to the Museo of Jade which was interesting, and got our bearings on the city and of course, the new currency!! Going from pesos to colones is a slight struggle.

    We’re staying in an old mansion that was converted to a hostel. The joy of traveling as two people, is I can book a private room most times for the price of two singles. So we end up in our own room a lot of the time.
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  • Building near our hostel
    Pretty park near our hostelMercado centralBins of spices"Lucky" statue people touched as they walked past

    Wasting time in San Jose

    April 20, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    So I’ve made a few mistakes this month in doing this trip - I keep putting us in cities for just a little too long than needed. We probably could have cut Mexico shorter by a week or so. San Jose definitely falls in that category. Probably one day would have done it, but yet we’re here 2 1/2 days … Whoops. The one thing I learned by being here, is there’s just not much to see or do in San Jose. 🥺 So we find ourselves just relaxing, catching up on sleep and waiting to move on.

    We did head down to the Mercado today which is a massive market for locals, not really tourists. I felt very out of place, but it was an experience to see.
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  • Biggest and Best juices ever
    There should be a lake hereSports stadiumQuiznos, KFC, McDonalds and Toyota.Rain today

    Last day in San Jose

    April 21, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Thankfully it’s our last day in San Jose. I looked up what to do here and found what looked to be a really nice park. So we went to it to walk around — it wasn’t so nice. The pics showed this beautiful lake, but the lake was completely dry.

    So we walked about 3 miles back to town. At one point, there was a Quiznos, KFC, McDonalds and Toyota dealership all on one corner. San Jose is very “Americanized”, which has been disappointing. Hard to even find authentic food of any kind. All US fast food here. 😳

    It rains everyday, usually in the late afternoon. Just pours. Will be interesting to see if that’s in the mountains too. They say there are 30 different microclimates in Costa Rica.

    So This town has probably been my least favorite so far. Tomorrow we head to the mountains/“jungle” … hopes are high.
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  • Crazy shuttle ride

    April 22, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We traveled from San Jose to La Fortuna - took a shared shuttle for the 5 hr trip thru the jungle/mountains. The motto here is “Pura Vida” - pure life, which they say is a way of calm, tranquil living. EXCEPT when they’re driving. They are insane - fast, jerky, outright scary. It’s been EVERY bus, Uber and taxi driver we’ve had yet. So … the 5 hr drive was … challenging. But we made it safe and sound.

    La Fortuna is what I pictured when I thought about coming to Costa Rica. (Compared to San Jose). There are jungles, you hear the tropical birds everywhere you walk, and it sits at the base of a “sleepy” volcano. Not dormant, just sleepy they say. Last time it erupted was 2010, and in 1968 it took out everything around it. There is authentic Costa Rican food here, too! So, we’re much happier so far.

    We rented a 2 bdrm Airbnb for the week - it’s in a residential area and is nice. They are all in a “compound” setup. Did our laundry, as they said they had “laundry facilities”. Everything on this trip is an experience - even the laundry. They only have a washer and it’s outside, and it’s a machine, but far from automated. You have to manually take it thru every cycle, controlling the water, when it agitates, drain it by hand, etc and then move the clothes to another area to spin them. And of course, line dry, which is hard when you’re in a rainforest and it rains every day. So we had to hang all the clothes inside to dry all night. BUT … we got it done.

    So we got settle in, we’re enjoying our evening watching our one English speaking channel on tv, feeling pretty comfortable … when a MASSIVE bug comes crawling into my bedroom. So big, I was scared to get too close to kill it. But I managed. It wasn’t the best thing to happen, right before turning off the lights for bed. 🐜 🐛 🥺😳😩

    Heading out to the jungles in the morning. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us.
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  • Mistico Hanging Bridges

    April 23, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We had the best time today at the Mistico Hanging Bridges! We did a 2 mile walk thru the Costa Rican jungle and over 16 different bridges. There was so much vegetation, flowers, and animal life to take in!!

    We saw these tiny red and blue frogs that were VERY loud - think crickets. A guide told us they are extremely poisonous and we’d die if we touched one. We also saw these tiny yellow vipers - again, just as venomous as a rattle snake. There was also a massive termite nest. The highlight tho was at the end of the trip about six capuchin monkeys playing right next to the path in the trees above us! We stayed and watched them for 15 minutes or so. A worker said that in the 10 years he had worked there he had never seen the monkeys this close. Felt very grateful for the experience.
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  • Not all diamonds

    April 24, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Well, we determined today that every day out can’t always be phenomenal. We went on a “nature walk” in search of sloths. I’ve really never been that interested in sloths, but now that they tell me they’re out there, I’m determined to find them! So we went out at 10:30am and walked for 90 min or so … only found 2 sloths. 😩 we ran into a guide and he told us we were there at the wrong time and to come back at 3:30 when it is cooler. We did that, walked it again for 90 min, but still no more sloths than the first time. It’s fairly uncomfortable searching for sloths in that they’re high up in the trees so you have to constantly be looking up.

    We did find 3-4 sloths, but the iguanas and lizards are everywhere. So prehistoric looking. Also found termite nests, ant hills and birds everywhere.

    Overall, kind of a bust as the park said we could see up to 40 sloths and we only saw a few. But, days can’t all be diamonds.

    We figure the “sleepy” volcano is doing more than sleeping. We saw it venting some steam today as we sat and ate dinner . 🤷‍♂️
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  • What a thrill!

    April 25, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    We went adventuring today at a whole new level! Went to Arenal Sky Adventures for a guided jungle hike, hanging bridges, tram ride and zip lining at a height I’ve NEVER seen before. We zip lined in Cancun in 2007 but that was child’s play compared to Costa Rica. They know how to zip. I truly was terrified and VERY bad at braking for myself, so thought for sure I was going to break both my legs at the end of each line.

    The animals we saw in the jungle were intense again. So. Many. Snakes. The guide said “everything that isn’t you in the jungle is basically trying to kill you. Don’t touch ANYTHING.” We took him seriously. Crazy venomous snakes everywhere. A REALLY long one was right next to the path. Walked right past him and the group behind us spotted him. Couldn’t believe it.

    Also, amusingly on our walk from town to our Airbnb (all of 1/3 of a mile) what did we spot but a mother sloth and her baby RIGHT next to the street where we walk everyday. Amazing. We searched for hours yesterday for sloth 🦥 and here’s one just sitting next to a residential area. Go figure.
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  • La Fortuna Waterfall

    April 26, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We went to the La Fortuna waterfall today. Honestly, growing up in Oregon kind of broke us for waterfalls - with Multnomah falls and such around. But this was very spectacular, and I don’t think I’ve ever swam at the base of a fall before. So it was awesome. It was chilly but comfortable once you got in.

    The hike down was fairly easy … 500 steps plus some trail portions. Getting back up though was a workout. I did a time lapse to show what it looked like.
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  • It IS definitely a rainforest

    April 27, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 77 °F

    Learned today that we are definitely in a serious rainforest. This has been the view all day so we spent the day hunkered down in the Airbnb, getting ready to move on tomorrow to a new city.

  • Liberia, Costa Rica

    April 28, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    Today was a travel day. We moved from La Fortuna in the mountains to Liberia which was in the NW corner of the country, closer to the coast. We took a shared shuttle again, and the drive was dangerous, but fairly pleasant. We are down more in pastureland now instead of jungles and it’s much hotter. 98 today. On the freeways there are stands where people sell fresh squeezed juices, and all the streets are lined to help the blind. US could learn from this.

    When we went to do zip lining I looked up the safety of it
    (Because the day we went, a teenager fell out of his harness. Lived but seriously injured. Not at our park, but still) … interestingly I found out the leading cause of death here is car accidents. Clearly. The combination of tourists driving slowly, locals who want to get places VERY quickly, and the REALLY narrow, curvy mountainous roads … well, I can see it. So apparently I risked my life 10 fold today making this drive compared to zip lining.

    The shuttle buses have a great system. They pick up at hotels and then meet in a centralized location, and then everyone switches vans to go onward. When we stopped for our break and to switch vans, there were monkeys and Macaws flying everywhere!! So happy. I had wanted to see parrots and hadn’t yet.

    And our hostel in Liberia is awesome!! We have a private room, with AC, outdoor kitchen and these beautiful hammocks in the shade to hang out in all for $25 a night. Going to make dinner in tonight for the first time. Pura Vida!
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  • Last Adventure day

    April 29, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We had our last adventure day in Costa Rica today. We went to Buena Vista Adventure Park which was a beautiful complex with every activity to do in one place.

    We started out zip lining - this time half as high, and much slower than last time. I was much more at ease, and much happier.

    After that, we rode horses for 45 min into the jungle towards a waterfall and hot springs. Couldn’t swim in the waterfall, but could in the hot springs! There were mud baths and five differing pools. After the hot springs, we headed for the longest jungle water slide in the world - 4500 meters. I passed, as reviews showed a lot of injuries in older people, but jordan went for it (3 times) and loved it.

    After that we watched a culture demonstration - native pottery making, Costa Rican coffee and food samples and then watched how they used to squish sugar cane to make brown sugar. Topped the day off with a great buffet lunch and we were pretty happy.

    While walking, they taught us about the parasite tree. It grows from bird droppings high in the canopy and then slowly grows downward and takes over the existing tree. I have a couple pics of one.

    Overall a great last day.
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  • “Brain eating amoeba” - Scary, but true

    April 29, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    After spending 2 hours swimming in the hot springs, we EXITED and saw this sign - it says do not put your head under water because of the risk of amoebic meningitis! Well, we had spent the whole time diving down, swimming under the water, with our heads in the falls … definitely had our heads “under the water”. We asked a worker what was up with that - and he shrugged it off and said we were fine.

    When we got back to our hostel I googled it and I found out some very scary info - ALL warm natural lakes, springs, ponds everywhere in the world (even the US) can and do contain this nasty “brain eating amoeba”. He’s microscopic and enters thru your nose and then takes up residence in your brain. In 7-10 days, you’re dead. Very few people survive. Yeah … it’s a real thing. Who knew?!? It is very rare, but they had 2 cases in 2020 in Costa Rica so not unheard of.

    We spent probably more time with our heads underwater than over, so … we’re both a tad nervous. Just because of the extended exposure time. Nothing we can do now about it but wait, but dang, talk about a poorly placed sign.
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  • Travel day …

    April 30, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    It was a boring travel day today in another shuttle - we left the mountainous area and headed back to San Jose for a few days. We’re staying near the airport instead of downtown - actually a cute little area. Not as touristy. I miss the mountains & trees already. Don’t miss all the animals that can kill me tho.

    We’re scheduled to fly to Paris thru London on Monday, but since we have a two hour layover in Houston … we needed an extra day to be covid tested. 🥹 Seems like no other country in the world is requiring it at this time, except the US. 🤷 I don’t even want to contemplate what we’ll have to do if either of us test positive. Fingers crossed.

    So hanging out at the hotel, listening to the rain. The locals say the rainy season has arrived a couple months early.
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  • Last day in Costa Rica

    May 1, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 75 °F

    It was our last full day in Costa Rica today - thankfully, we both tested negative for covid so are cleared to fly tomorrow. I was a bit nervous as 5 days ago, one afternoon, out of the blue I came down with a high fever. It only lasted 12 hrs and then left as quickly as it came with no other symptoms. Who knows? Credit it to something in this strange place. 🤷 But obviously I was concerned it could be covid, so really glad to finally find out it wasn’t.

    We spent the day lounging around the pool and finalizing all our plans for Paris. Can’t wait. I’ve never left North America - this will be a first!!
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  • 787 Dreamliner

    Heathrow airport is HUGE

    May 3, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    We made a brief stop in London. Enjoyed the 10 hr flight as we were on a 787 Dreamliner. What a massive, beautiful plane! Couldn’t have asked for better for the long haul.

    We had a self transfer of the bags to make our connection to Paris, meaning we had to go thru immigration, get our bags and exit and enter thru security again - I gave us 3 hours to do it and we needed every minute of that. Stressful, but made it. Paris, here we come!Read more

  • Paris!

    May 3, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We started at the airport in Costa Rica on May 2nd at 11:00am and touched down in Paris on May 3rd at 5:00pm. Taking out the 8 hr time change, we traveled 22 hrs to get here. It was definitely tiring, but also so exciting.

    We’re staying in our first official hostel - no private room this time. 8 bed dorm bunks with privacy screens - actually very nice set up. Some won’t allow me to stay, if it’s a “party hostel” — no one over 35 yrs old. But many do.

    So we arrived, took the metro to the hostel, dropped everything and headed to where else but the Eiffel Tower for the first night! So amazing! Can’t wait to see all the history and sites. It doesn’t get dark here until 9:00 so lots of time to explore every day.
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  • Ile de la Cite

    May 4, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    We had an exhausting day today - the adrenaline couldn’t hold the jet lag back any longer. But what a beautiful city Paris is!

    We’ve mastered the metro and are getting around pretty easily. (Adam would be proud). We headed to Ile de La Cite (a small island) and saw Notre Dame (the outside as it’s still being repaired from the fire in 2019), St Chapelle Cathedral, The Conciergerie (prison where Marie Antoinette was held), the Luxembourg Palace & gardens and finished it up with Musee d’Orsay. (Impressionist museum built in an old train station). It was a full day seeing places I’ve only seen on TV or in the movies. Crazy.

    Paris’s public water is some of the best in the world. It is natural spring water that is piped in everywhere. We saw a documentary on it at home. Jordan found one of the fountains. Have to say, it DID taste better!

    We went back to fall asleep early at 8:00 but we’re so messed up our bodies won’t let us fall asleep (probably because in our heads it’s only noon). Oh well, I’m sure we’ll adjust eventually!
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