Mexico City 2026

We returned to Mexico to continue our travels 2 weeks in Mexico joining some of Pat's Business School friends visiting Mexico. Alejandra, from Mexico City arranged the tour. and others lent a hand with arrangements. In 2022, several of us, including Alejandra, met up in Greece at Paul & Agnes's gorgeous home in Kardamyli. Mark & Rosemary joined us from London.  If you recall our friends of 50 years Dave and Shelly were also with us. This year Betsy Cotton, another classmate,  joined us.

The others began touring in Mexico City around the Zocalo and we joined them at the Museo Banco de Mexico.The Banco de México Museum is an architectural landmark of Art Deco. It houses a vast Numismatic Collection with coins, banknotes and medals. Other displays explore the role of money in everyday life, the history of banking in Mexico, and the functions of the central bank. 

Below: 

• A high-purity gold bar, labelled as having 99.99% gold content (ORO 9999) and weighing 12.6 kilograms (KILOS 12.6)
• The coin collection is in the huge vault.
• The Stained glass piece was originally commissioned by the Bank of Mexico  in 1935.
• The mosaic floors reflect the art deco design.

We had lunch at Lardo, a favorite Italian restaurant in Roma Norte. Then we took the afternoon off (in consideration of the Europeans who needed recovery after spending the previous traveling across several time zones.)

The next day we toured the Anthropology Museum and Museum of Modern Art sandwiched around a nice lunch at the Anthropology Museum. Dinner at  nearby Carmela and Sal with it's creative, home-style Mexican dishes.

•  "El Paraguas" (The Umbrella) Fountain, the centerpiece of the  main courtyard of the Anthropology Museum
• Aztec Sun Stone, also known as the Piedra del Sol. Has been improperly referred to as the Aztec Calendar. It  is a massive, 24-ton basalt monolith, created around 1427–1479 CE, and represents Aztec cosmology 
• Olmec head sculpture.  The Olmecs (~1200–400 BC) are considered the "mother culture" of later Mesoamerican societies like the Maya and Aztecs, They are most famous for carving massive, stylized stone heads weighing 30–60 tons. These are believed to be portraits of individual rulers.

After lunch we visited the nearby Modern Art Museum. We were fortunate to visit while the noted Gelman Collection is on display. It's only been up for a few months and leaves for Spain in June. The collection is renowned for its high concentration of masterpieces, particularly 30 works designated as artistic monuments in Mexico. Key artists include Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco.

• "La vendedora de frutas" (The Fruit Seller), a 1951 masterpiece by artist Olga Costa
• "Self-Portrait with Monkeys" (1943) by Frida Kahlo.
• "Crisálida", created by Mexican artist Manuel Felguérez. Materials, constructed using a functional Volkswagen Sedan. VW Beetles, commonly known as a "Vocho" in Mexico, were very popular and were manufactured in Puebla until 7/30/2003.

Another day, another museum. A long time favorite, the Museum of Popular Arts featuring some of the best Artisanal Works from around Mexico. 

• An unusual version of a MexicanTree of Life
• A collection of alebrijes, which are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures
• Another Vocho, (Volkswagen Beetle) covered in traditional Huichol beadwork, featuring over 2 million tiny glass beads

• The main atrium with colorful, large-scale papalotes (kites),
• Large blue peacock alebrije sculpture
• A dressed-up Charro outfit (normally for horse riding)  embroidered with soutache (a narrow, flat decorative braid)

We then took a walk in the park with Diego Rivera. His 50-foot long fresco titled "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park "(1946–1947) features basically all the notable personalities of 400 years of Mexican history posing together in Mexico City's oldest park.

Later we had lunch at the Cafe in the Belles Artes and then visited the Postoffice. to appreciate it's eclectic architectural style including Art Nouveau, Spanish Renaissance Revival, Plateresque, Spanish Rococo, Elizabethan Gothic, Elizabethan Plateresque, Venetian Gothic Revival, Moorish, Neoclassical, Baroque, and Art Deco. 

Dinner was at Los Danzantes in Coyoacan, near Alejandra's home.  Another GSB classmate Martin Urrutia and his wife Regina joined us.

Los Danzantes is noted for its contemporary Mexican cuisine in a historic setting overlooking Plaza Jardín Centenario, the heart of the first capital of Mexico, founded over 500 years ago.

One morning focused on Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán. We started in The Casa Roja (Red House), purchased by Frida's parents, Guillermo and Matilde Kahlo, in1930. Opened in 2025 the exhibit focus on Frida's childhood and family life. 

Then we moved on to Casa Azul where Frida spent the vast majority of her life.

Clockwise from top right are four photos from Casa Roja. Top left is from Casa Azul.

• White and cream-colored lace garments from the Frida Kahlo Museum exhibition titled "Appearances Can Be Deceiving"
• Charola de amapolas (Tray with Poppies) by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
• The group in front of the Museo Casa Kahlo (also known as the "Casa Roja")
• Frida Kahlo in her studio at La Casa Azul in Coyoacán
• Traditional Tehuana dress featuring vibrant floral embroidery on a dark velvet blouse and skirt, paired with a white lace flounce

...This exhibition highlights how Kahlo used traditional Mexican costumes, particularly Tehuana dresses, to mask her physical pain and create a lasting, powerful image.

We stopped to explore the beautiful Coyoacan Market and then moved on to shop at  El Bazar Sabado in San Angel. We enjoyed a late lunch at the San Angel Inn, an experience visitors to Mexico City should all have.  It serves as the model for the Mexican restaurants at Walt Disney World. 

Costa Rica - San Jose

Checked in to the Grano de Oro, a truly grand hotel. First stop: Lunch.  Pat was thrilled to see a favorite dish on the menu: cassoulet. It went well with a nice Cote du Rhone. 

We  walked around the neighborhood we headed to the nearby paark which is the forer airfield. It is now home to soccer games and facilities for family outings. Thn we head toward the city center and our evening with Enaid. a friend we first met in SMA who recently moved to CR.  We arrive a little early as planned and wandered the Asian neighborhood near the restaurant, La Esquina de Buenos Aires. 

We had a excellent meal with Enaid - La Esquina has an extensive Argentine grill and Italian selections (lasagna for Bill and Black Fettuccini with salmon for Pat & Enaid).Excellent.  We chose a Pinot Noir from Patagonia to accompany the meal.

Below

• Iglesia de la Soledad (Church of Our Lady of Solitude)
• Sculpture represents 
• Argentine musician Cerati ,widely considered by critics and musicians as one of the most important and influential artists of Latin rock
• Enaid
• Bill's lasagna
• The wine from Patagonia
• The Black Fettuccini and Salmon

Next morning we joined Enaid for a tour for the Teatro Nacional a fine finish to a very pleasant visit.

The National Theatre of Costa Rica is located in the central section of San José. Construction began in 1891, and it opened to the public on 21 October 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust. It has capacity for 1,140 people. It ifeatures impressive European design. 

After the theater we visited the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) that features historic gold artifacts, including figurines, pots & coins. It is located in a modern and interesting underground space. 

Below: The artwork depicts numerous extinct giant animals, including mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, and glyptodonts. These animals lived alongside early human populations in the Americas before becoming extinct roughly 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. The detailed illustration was created by artist Sergio de la Rosa, who specializes in prehistoric animals.

We walked back to the hotel enjoying the sights and sounds of San Jose. After lunch we started getting ready for our return to Mexico and 2 weeks with some Stanford GSB friends. We enjoyed the bouquet that was just outside of our room.

Costa Rica - Corcovado

Next stop: La Paloma Lodge on the remote Osa Peninsula, the southwestern part of Costa Rica. An hour or so drive from Oxygen to Sierpe and a little longer boat ride on a river, through mangroves, and along the Pacific Coast to Drakes Bay and we arrived at our new home near Corcovado NP. The area is also home to many varieties of mammals (monkeys, tapir, jaguar, coatis, sloths ...), over 400 species of birds. (We did not see them all.), Reptiles (crocodiles, caimans...) and abundant marine life in the coral reefs around Cano Island.

Below cw from top left:

• navigating the mangrove lined river to the lodge
• a determined tree on a remote island
• arriving at the lodge
• napkin 
• leaving Sierpe for Drake's Bay
• white- faced capuchin monkey at the lodge

La Paloma  is simple and comfortable,  It attracts  couples and families looking for a true back. to nature experience. The lodge arranged cocktail hour and dining seating to encourage interaction. On arrival we met 3 other couples our age" out of maybe 15 groups of visitors.  This  is unusual for our travels and probably even for La Paloma as over the next few days there were more families.

Our visit to Cano Island was hampered by the weather, a storm convinced all snorkelers that it would be better on another day and, we turned around. After the weather cleared a little, the lodge, sent us to a closer beach. After returning to the lodge, we enjoyed a  beach barbecue.

 Sadly, while at the baech, Bill's new wedding band (purchased in Jaipur in 2024) slipped off his finger. He saw it in the sand and just as he reached for it he got hit by a wave.  As for Pat;s wedding ring, well it's a long story. She fell. while we were at Arenal and while nost issues healed quickly, her ring finger did not. In fact she as becoming concerned that she would need the ring removed to facilitate circulation.  But how? It turns our there was an emergency room doctor from Denver staying at the lodge. When she saw the finger she suggested she could remove the ring. So Pat sat for an hour with her arm raised and the finer iced. The Doc returned and with much patience  on Pat's and the Doc's part, the ring came off. Phew. What a difference it made. The finger is now mostly back to normal. And Pat has committed herself to more awareness while walking.  And for now we are both without wedding rings...but do still love each other.

On our NP tour the next day we encountered a lot of wildlife.

• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• Brown Boobies
• Some interesting coast along the boat ride
• A spider hole with camouflaged door
• Plus captured the beach anding...Boats back in and people wade to shore

We had barely gotten to the National Park when we started seeing more

• Scarlet Macaw
• Tapir Tracks
• Bare-throated tiger heron
• American Oystercatcher

• Hermit Crab outside and inside "his shell"
• Golden Silk Orb-Weaver
• Babassu Palm Fruit
• Sprouted coconut
• Shoreline rock formations

• Shelf fungus growing on wood (providing little useful shelf surface as they are vertical. 

• A Coati

• A Howler Monkey

• Opening a coconut

• Common Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus), also known as the "Jesus Christ lizard" due to its ability to run across the surface of water

We had a day off and spent some time just hanging out and working on our blog. Later we enjoyed the sunset tour got some nice photos.

Next morning we had an off-shore visitor (Jeff Bezos, a frequent visitor, in his yacht complete with helicopter).

We had some mischievous visitors, a troop of White-faced Capuchin monkeys, in the trees surrounding the lodge. We enjoyed the reflections of our wine and the view from the deck of the lodge.

Departure day included a short boat ride and drive to the air strip, driving upstream in a river shallow.. The flight to San Jose was in a small plane (12 - 15 passengers) along the coast. Note, not only did they weigh the luggage but the passengers too. Yes, that is Bill on the luggage scales.

Costa Rica Uvita

We moved down the Pacific coast from Monteverde to Uvita, located near the Marino Ballena National Park famous for its "Whale's Tail" sandbar best seen from the air at low tide. We captured this on our flight out of the area. On a separate note, I confess to originally expecting the NP to be noted for it's whale population, It's a good thing I realized in advance that isn't the case or I might have been sorely disappointed,

Along the way we stopped for a Mangrove swamp tour. and saw a plethora of birds and reptiles. From top left clockwise:

• Royal Tern
• Spoonbill
• Magnificent Frigate bird
• Brown Pelicans inhabiting a tree
• Crocodile
• Brown or Plumed B
  asilisk

Our accommodations at Oxygen were a little off the highway, requiring driving on a gravel road for 10 minutes. The lodge was quite well done, buried in the jungle with views of the ocean. 

The weather was pleasant with nice days complete with the occasional late afternoon rain that thoughtfully paused for our walk to dinner. 

We had a boat tour of the harbor and spotted (from top left clockwise):

• Dolphins
• Frigate birds
• A tractor pulling our boat back to storage (the farmers in Pat's family may appreciate that it is a John Deere.)
• An archway among the many sea caves in the park

After the boat tour we lunched at a local spot that had an unusual set of  accompaniments, including scissors for opening the packets of mayo & ketchup. 

The restaurant at Oxygen featured fine food and wine.  Among others we enjoyed the the kabobs, pecan tart, and chocolate volcano.

We explored the grounds and got a foot massage at the jungle spa with its background "music" of a real babbling brook. 

Interesting sightings included (starting from top right) Cigar Calathea or Cuban Cigar plant (the "cigars: are bracts, not flowers)., copper mottled coleus, some impressive white birds (made of napkins), an Ixora coccinea (commonly known as jungle geranium or flame of the woods), and a empty cicada cocoon.

There are lots more flowers that thrive in the local climate.many of which are featured on the Oxygen grounds (clockwise from top left):

• Mussaenda (also known as Nusa Indah), known for its showy bracts (white, pink, or red) surrounding tiny yellow flowers
• Torch Ginger
• Croton plants, popular tropical shrubs (known for their vibrant foliage)
• Yellow Alder or White Buttercup 
• Yellow-flowered Turnera subulata (white alder or sulphur alder)
• Caricature Plant (Graptophyllum pictum)
• Orange Ixora flowers
• Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Pride of Barbados or Peacock Flower

Overall it was quite a peaceful, relaxing experience. And as we flew back to San Jose we caught a view of the namesake "Whale's Tale". 

Costa Rica - Monteverde

We had a car-boat-car transfer between Arenal and Monteverde. Following  a short drive from Amor, including a quick stop for some Coati viewing, we began a slow cruise around and across Lake Arenal. There were many bird sightings and some nice scenery. 

Clockwise from top left:

• Bill & Pat with Arenal in the background
• Little Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• The Coati
• Great Egret
• Neotropic Cormorants
• Osprey

Our luggage went around the lake by car and, after rejoining it, we continued along the mixture of dirt, gravel, and pavd roads to Monteverde. We stopped for lunch (Corvina) before we checked in to our new lodging at Senda. 

The next morning we went on a Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve walk where we encountered a range of Flora and Fauna including clockwise from top left:

• a Coati
• a Quetzal
• a giant Fiddlehead Fern
• an Otatea, commonly known as Mexican Weeping Bamboo
• a Fuchsia paniculata
• a Python millipede
• a Hot Lips plant 

Nearby there were Hummingbird feeders and lots of diners. Later we had a colorful sunset at Senda and a local dance group performed during dinner.

We had intended to zip-line our way around Selva Adventure Park but did the more sedate Butterfly and Sloth preserves. We saw butterfly cocoons in various stages of opening and an array of moths and butterflies inside a glass enclosure. One highly creative butterfly can look like a snake (when closed) and an owl (when open).

Connected to the butterfly area was a Sloth preserve with many of the two toed variety.

We had a nice lunch in town followed by a visit to the neighboring Orchid garden. Later we took a walk in the hotel gardens and saw a large rodent known as an agouti.

Costa Rica - Arenal

Our ride out from Pacuare was about 45 minutes, much of which was uphill over potholes (no road in sight).

We connected with Jose, our driver guide for the next 13 days, and as we approached our new home at Arenal Amor we caught a view of the Arenal Volcano and the "Reclining Indian". 

We arrived at our new home with its sometimes view of the Volcano (which last erupted in 2010). Below: View of Arenal from our deck and from our shower on the one morning it was clear, other days it was shrouded in clouds.

At the restaurant, which also has a great view over the tropical growth to the volcano, we enjoyed a nice Torrontés wine with our sea bass and salmon.

We had lunchita (Note: Costa Ricans are referred to as Ticos due to the tendency to call things "little" using the Spanish endings "ito" and "ita") at Las Tablas in Fortuna, the closest town near our hotel. We enjoyed a nice Chardonnay with the Pork rice dish and Talapia. Below: The church in La Fortuna with Arenal behind. 

We had a Farm-to-Table tour at nearby Finca Luna Nueva Farm. The Farm is a sustainable rainforest farm, eco-lodge and restaurant located in a primary rainforest. It operates as an organic farm focused on regenerative and syntropic (symbiotic) agriculture, they have a mission to bring back the native growth using natural techniques such as growing symbiotic plants. They dedicate every bit of land to producing healthy food while regenerating topsoil and biological diversity. 

We walked along well-groomed rainforest trails learning about products such as native cacao & coffee, as well as honey from tiny stingless Mariola bees. The Mariola bee, native to Costa Rica, is known for its docility and high-quality, medicinal honey. They are just over 1/10 of an inch-long, do not sting and defend their hives by pinching. Each day they open a small round entrance which is sealed with wax for the night.

We also tasted the sweet pulp that surrounds the cacao bean.

The farm raises over 90 species of tropical fruit trees including Cardamon and Pejibaye (savory, starchy fruit with a unique flavor frequently described as a cross between a roasted chestnut and a buttered baked).

We also spotted the "Cuban cigar  plant", a unique  ornamental plant with reddish-brown cigar-shaped bracts and small, white flowers.

At the Finca Luna restaurant our meal feautred Finca Luna's products. And we were offered a range of local beers identified by the names of animals such as sloth or toucan. We met the owners (they bought into the "farm" in 1999 - 5 years after it had been established). And during our discussion we discovered that they have spent some time in San Miguel. where they have worked with soe of our local farmers.

On our way to the Arenal Volcano walk we discovered a Scarlet Macaw (top left). As soon as Bill started taking pictures it attracted a significant crowd. We were a bit embarrased at creating a traffic backup but later learned that this is normal. 

Along the walk we saw, clockwise after the Scarlet Macaw: 

• a Viper
• a Great Curassow
• a Broad-billed Motmot
• a Laughing Falcon

Threatening rain sent us to lunch at Selva Rustica where we both had corvina fish,  Bill with rosemary butter and Pat with sea food sauce.

After lunch we visited Ecocentro Danaus for the butterflies, top right to bottom right. 

• Several varieties feeding
• the local Monarch in caterpillar form
• a Blue Morpho

 Along the route we saw:

• a Keel-billed Motmot (top left)
• a Plumed Basilisk - Green Basilisk or "Jesus Christ lizard" (so-called as it appears to run across the water)
• a live Cayman  that looks like a cement sculpture (bottom left)

 

That evening while enjoying a wine and light snack at the Jaranita Bar we met a couple from Portland Maine!!!

On our final day at Arenal we took a jungle walk over the Hanging Bridges. We encountered a few animals during our walk including a broad-billed motmot, a spider monkey, and an anole lizard. It was an interesting experience but neither of us loved crossing the bridges!

The food scene at Amor was impressive including breakfast entrees like chorrearda (a tortilla made from ground tender corn) and a pesto omelette. Along the route to the restaurant from our room we saw a Great Currassow.

Costa Rica - Pacuare River & Lodge

We have imagined visiting Costa Rica for years but somehow kept choosing other destinations. Maybe it seemed too close to Mexico and too easy to visit. It should just be a gap filler. Well the right gap appeared and we were off to Costa Rica in mid-March.

We arrived in San Jose and had lunch at Il Vicolo. Pat had carbonara and Bill had a pappadelle al ragu accompanied by focaccia and a nice Primitivo.  Lunch was so late that in the evening we decided to have chips and bubbly at the Executive Lounge.   

The next day we had a roughly 2.5 hour drive to the Pacuare River along which we planned to raft to Pacuare Lodge. Enroute to the river we stopped for a traditional breakfast of rice and beans with fried eggs. As we continued the drive we stopped twice to see sloths hanging out in the tree tops. 

Estación Basílica is the entry point to the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, a revered pilgrimage site in Cartago, Costa Rica.

The river has a nice mix of class 2 and class 3 rapids. Enough to be slightly scary at first and then just downright fun. 

The rooms at the lodge are named in the ancient local language. Our room was Gavilán (Hawk). 

For lunch we had - mushroom pasta and Tri Tip Steak - with Erasmo, nice red wine from Chile, a blend of Barbera and Garnacha. 

Our luggage arrived via a combination to 4WD vehicle and a suspended basket for crossing the river. The same cart used for our departure.

We settled into our room and later went to the bar and had glasses of chardonnay. At the bar we met up with with new friends Adam and Beth (from New Hampshire) who joined us for dinner.  The calamari and the fish tacos, accompanied by sparkling wine, were clearly very fresh and well prepared.

The highlight of the next day was the Canopy Tour by Zipline. Ziplining was fun but the highlight of the tour was having to wait while our guides coaxed a young sloth off of the zipline. By the time we crossed to the next platform the sloth had taken up residence on the corner of the  platform.

We planned to do a nocturnal tour but preferred to enjoy the downpour from the room, hoping for better weather to come.

We were up at 5:30 for the Birding tour. Pat struggles to see birds that are sitting still but is good with motion. She was thrilled to see a toucan land on a branch and point it out to others, especially because by then there were two toucans. It turns out there are 3 kinds of local toucans and we saw at least 1 of each, including the keel-billed Toucan (which sounded like the "Kill Bill" toucan when the guide said it). We also saw Bitterns (a water bird), and a blue morpho butterfly (but it is only blue when its wings open up).

Later in the morning we went to a water fall not far from the camp. An easy walk to  a quite pleasant little falls. 

At lunch we were taken into the "wine cellar" to see the broader selection that was not on the wine list. We enjoyed a nice Gavi de Gavi with salad, calamari and sea bass.

Later we had a  nocturnal tour. We spotted a lizard, a large butterfly that looks like an owl's face when it is closed up, a baby snail eating snake, two frogs mating, a huge grasshopper, (its body is roughly 3 inches long), a striking red spider and another frog peaking around a plant stalk.

Our last outing at Pacuare Lodge was to learn about the local Cabecar people.  Today they maintain some traditions and a dialect of their local language. The dialect was developed to simplify communications with the local Spanish speaking people. Their buildings, called 'hoods",  have a pointed roof for the mens' quarters and flat roofs for the womens' quarters. For clothing they used strips woven material made from dried plants. The men required only a loin cloth while women added a strip fot the top. They have a very thorough lexicon of medicines. He demonstrated steeping one in a broth and drinking it from a liquid proof cup made from a folded  banana leaf.

Some scenes from around Pacuare including the restaurant, our accommodation and the basket for crossing the river.

Some of the tasty food we had included portabella pasta with intense tomato sauce, grilled sea bass and vegetables, succelent fish tacos, personal size pizzas (pepperoni bacon and margherita), tri-tip steak and grilled vegetables, fried calamari appetizer and a chocolate tart.