Hue ( pronounced ‘way’) Dao and Josh Lewandowski are seasoned travelers. They traveled the US and Canada in a van ( https://oldnaturalist.com/?p=11532). They flew to Vietnam and spent 4 months there. Hue and Josh are currently in India where they have been for over two months and will be sharing about their travels there.
We moved out of the apartment in Seattle in January2026, and started traveling again to explore the vast beauty of our world. There’s an awakening essence in leaving all your things behind and opening yourself to the awe of the unknown.
This trip, we hope to leverage the low cost of living, truly live, and carry out the projects that matter to us. For Josh, it’s continuing to write a graphic novel, and for Hue, it’s starting The Summer Camp Project, a nonprofit dedicated to giving children from under-resourced communities a life-changing week at summer camp—the opportunity to leave their neighborhood and glimpse our natural world.
Costa Rica. It was a dream.
Volcano in SW Nicaragua from the plane
We alloted 3 weeks to be in Costa Rica. The first 10 days was spent with Josh’s family.
First stop: Tamarindo, Costa Rica.
Casa Leona, villa a private pool, and 10-minute walk to the beach. We had fish tacos, exotic fruits, and artisan chocolate. We enjoyed the chill, slower pace of surf culture that comes being near the ocean.
Second stop: Monteverde, Costa Rica
Cloud forest and natural exploration. Hue, Josh, and Tim booked a birding guide named Diego who showed us the Three- Wattled Bellbird and the Resplendent Quetzal. Back at the cabin, we did a lot of cooking, drinking coffee, and watching the rain and hummingbirds at the feeder under a covered deck.
Third stop: El Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro, Costa Rica.
This area borders the Nicaraguan border, which is more remote, less populated, and a drier climate, a region is known for producing oranges.
Sunrise on the river
We were set up in glamping tents at the Tocú Tent Camp, where we enjoyed coffee and breakfast in the mornings with a view of sunrise at the river; birding at the refuge and coming across sloths and the northern tamandua (anteater) on night walks finding frogs , a grasshopper, the black and white owl and white bats. We took a guided boat safari along the Rio Frio, and saw a lot of wildlife, including the Jesus Christ Lizard .
Grasshopper
Can you find the Tamandua (anteater)?
Jesus Christ Lizard
Black and White Owl
After 10 days with the family, we bid farewell and took a private transfer to Parismina on the Caribbean Coast, and stayed at the Green Gold Eco Lodge for 3 nights, in a sleepy fishing town known for sea turtles and tarpon sport fishing. It would be the launching point from where we would begin our 174-mile trek from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, on El Camino de Costa Rica (ECCR). We had lodging options from homestays, which meant homecooked meals with the bounty of fresh seasonal fruits and warm hospitality, lots of wildlife, including poison dart frogs, community dogs, and birds. We were struck by the intriguing nests of the Montezuma oropendola.
Home cooked meals at homestays.
Montezuma Oropendola nests
Poison Dart Frogs
( left and right photos)
We opted for a self-guided trek using the FarOut app for navigation. Guided group options are also available that make all the arrangements for you. This walk consisted of 16 stages. It took us 11 days to complete, and we loved every minute of it. We walked through banana, pineapple, and palm groves in the lower elevation tropical areas near the coast. For Stage 3, we passed through the Nairi Awari indigenous territory and the jungles of Barbarilla National Park, which is super muddy and legally restricted without a local guide; this guide also helped us make a safe passage through a bull ranch. In the higher elevations, we enjoyed the views of coffee country and cool waters to help us cool off from the tropical heat. We were rewarded with rainbows all throughout.
Our muddy hike through the Barbarilla National Park
The day after we finished the trail, TIME magazine featured El Camino de Costa Rica first on the list of “World’s Greatest Places 2026,” confirming it was definitely worth it. We spent two days recovering in Quepos and 6 days in Panama (the highlight was snorkeling Coiba Island, a former penal colony for the country’s most dangerous criminals, which unintentionally kept the surrounding nature protected from development). Then we returned to Costa Rica for a few days before flying back to Dallas and driving to Phoenix for Hue’s brother’s wedding.
You can follow Josh and Hue on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joshandhue and Instagram @joshandhue.
