Punta Mona: Una Paraiso Selva (A Jungle Paradise)

Well, the past few days have been an incredible shift from what I was experiencing when I posted my last blog. I've been trying to think of a way to describe this weekend, and I keep coming back to one word: magical. Last weekend the majority of students in our Sol Education Abroad group left, so we are now down to an intimate and friendly group of 8 as compared to the original 30 or so people. And with those 7 wonderful individuals, I had the privilege of spending the past 2 1/2 days eating countless tropical fruit right off the trees, observing wild monos congos (Howler monkeys) in their natural habitat, learning about the beauty of permaculture & sustainable living, meeting local Costa Rican natives, snorkeling, kayaking, and watching the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean. Intense, right? It definitely was but in only the best possible way.


Punta Mona, an 85 acre off the grid, family owned environmental education center, botanical collection, permaculture farm and eco-lodge, is a place unlike any other. Given that it is located in the middle of the jungle, there are only 2 ways to get there: a "ferry" (or a very small boat that probably should not have tried to fit the 8 of us plus our director and the person driving the boat on it) or a 2-hour hike through the rain forest. We opted for the ferry (so unadventurous of us, I know) and when we arrived in Punta Mona, we were greeted by Fabian and Sylvia, who run the education center, and Miguel, one of the local Natives. From there, we settled into the rustic but welcoming lodge complete with solar powered electricity, mosquito nets, and bordered by an abundance of tropical fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants on every side.


I had been looking forward to this excursion since our director, Janiva, first told us about it approx. 3 weeks ago. When Janiva realized we had today off from school for the national holiday of Mother's Day here in Costa Rica, she knew exactly the place to take us for the long weekend. And boy, was she dead on. I couldn't--and still can't--believe a place like Punta Mona really exists. I was in complete awe all weekend as we participated in calming yoga classes, ate organically at every meal, and enjoyed the natural solitude Punta Monta so graciously offers.


Besides Fabian, Sylvia, and Miguel, there were two others who helped make our stay all the more beautiful: they were Saskia and Kamilo, friends of Fabian and Sylvia who were helping out at the lodge for the weekend. Our group was the only one at Punta Mona for the long weekend, which gave us the opportunity to have a more personal experience at the lodge (although the lodge is pretty small to begin with, so I'm sure it is almost always a personal experience since Punta Mona can only accommodate a certain number of people at once).

From left to right: Fabian, Saskia, Kamilo, Sylvia, and Janiva














Perhaps the most incredible experience overall for me (which is exceptionally difficult to judge since the entire weekend was extraordinary) was the conversations I had with the others. We talked about as much as the weekend would afford us, including traveling, our lifelong goals, thoughts about humanity's unpromised future, and our favorite books/movies. I sincerely enjoyed the company of each and every person I spent my time with, and I felt a strong connection with all of them as we passed the time together in a place that not many people have had the privilege of seeing.


This weekend was just what I needed. I feel refreshed and am eager to see what's in store for my future. At the same time, though, Punta Mona has many secrets to share with its visitors, one of which is this: Live in the moment. Stop fretting about the future, because it's not here yet. The only time and day that is guaranteed is the precious one you are holding in the palm of your hand right now. Don't let it slip through your fingers, unappreciated, unnoticed, because you can't get it back.