Wildlife - Costa Rica

Red Eyed Gaudi Leaf Frog - the cutest species ever created.

Green Iguana - measuring 2 meters long - and fast.

Baby Green Iguana.

Caiman - only the eyes are visible above the water line in the tributary of a canal.

Black River Turtle - catching the sun on log.

Snake Birds - have no oil and must dry their feathers before they can fly.

Bare Neck Tiger Heron - one of many heron species observed.

Central American White Faced Capuchin Monkey .....

..... caught monkeying around.

Jesus Christ Iguana - can literally run on water.

Boa Constrictor - a 3 meter one on the grass outside our lodge.

Green Vine Snake - difficult to spot as it blends in with it's host vine.

Howler Monkey - scarily noisy

One of many species of large spiders - often seen overhead.

Mexico City

Palacio de Bellas Artes and a sculptured detail at the cornice.

Vaulted ceiling in Cathedaral y Sagrorio Metropolitano.

A morning spent wandering through several art galleries and museums in Mexico City.

Aztec healer performing a ritual to smoke out evil spirits.

Local artisan wall murals adorn a plaza wall.

La Casa de los Azulejos - the Blue Palace constructed in 1596 - follows from the tileworks of Seville.

One of dozens of sumptuous pastry shops within walking distance of our small hotel.

Cycling on to Costa Rica - Jane lost a few kilograms.....

Acapulco, Mexico

Both headlands of expansive Acapulco Bay in the distance - a segment of the golden sand beach in the foreground.

Local fishing boats resting on the beach .....

..... and fishing nets after the early morning catch.

Original VW Beetles are alive and well in Acapulco serving as a fleet of budget taxis.

Very local buses complete with loud music and doors left open - taken to smaller areas outside the main town - provide plenty of culture and cost only 6 Pesos.

Local shops are frequented for water, fruit and snacks.

Corona with fresh lime - enjoyed just like at home.

Hand embroidered top from a local crafts market.

Rugged Pacific coastline north of Acapulco.

Famous Acapulco cliff diver at La Quebreda. [photo reproduced with permission]

Ixtapa, Mexico

Colorful and creative Mexican architecture.

16 Septembre fiesta dancers celebrating 202 years of Independence from Spain.

Snorkling at Playa Las Gatas - we swam with puffer fish, spiney urchins and a rare seahorse along with hundreds of colorful tropical fish that ate a fresh oyster that we heldin our hand. A young boy directed us to a 4 meter high bronze statue of Cristo submerged in the bay - we were able to snorkle down along a rope to touch it.

Cute Mexican girl in Zihuatanejo.

Diving into the warm waters of Bahia Ixtapa.

One of many rumbling old local buses taken to Playa Linda, Playa La Ropa and Playa Las Gatas.

Fresh fruits and vegetables at the local mercado.

Limes ..... limes ..... limes .....

Local flora provide color along the roadways.

Iguanas spotted from a small bridge.

Mexican metric conversion at the edge of the hotel pool - check the math.

Brilliant sunsets change every evening.

Vancouver

After 2 months and almost 20,000 km travelling around Canada and the USA we returned to Vancouver for several days to visit with family, freinds and neighbours. We replenished a few supplies, condensed our belongings down to one carry-on bag each and bought a one way ticket south to Mexico.

Canadian Rockies

After several days enjoying the rolling wheat feilds and farmland of the prairies - we were suddendly confronted with the majestic Canadian Rockies. Still 10s of meters of glacial snow in late August set against an ink blue sky.

Banff Springs Hotel - a much more pleasant restroom stop than the functional small town Esso stations we became accustomed to.

Canoeing the early morning on the milky waters of Lake Louise.

Our campsite was only a couple of km from Lake Louise - in the early evening we saw a black bear pass between our tent and the river.

Morraine Lake at the base of the 10 sisters mountains.

Takakkaw Falls - one of the highest waterfalls in Canada.

Thousands of litres of water a minute rush down and under Natural Bridge.

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park.

Prairie Canada

Canadian Hero - Terry Fox memorial just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario - where his journey ended. After loosing his right leg to cancer he travelled almost a marathon a day for 143 days raising hundreds of million dollars for cancer research and awarded the Order of Canada.

Fields of golden wheat blowing in a prairie wind.

Timeless barns stand against the weather and the seasons.

Horses living a peaceful life on the farm.

Driving into a thunder storm as we continue heading due west.