Finding joy in nature and little things

Maybe it’s a new type of hobby because we, as humans, keep evolving. Or maybe it’s just the crisis of my 30s, but lately, I’ve found myself picking up hobbies that revolve around nature and literature.

Okay, I’ve always been a fan of nature, animals, and flowers, and yes, I’ve always read quite a bit. But this time, I’m doing it more intentionally.

For context, my main group of friends (the ones I go out with often) is made up of:

• A 33-year-old (and no, it’s not Jesus)

• A 31-year-old (who is cute and definitely doesn’t look her age)

• A 30-year-old (yours truly)

• And our little friend who is 28 (a huge fan of plants)

Most of us are into sports in one way or another—yoga, aerial yoga, CrossFit, running, etc. We try to meet up often, even though we all work in corporate or health-related jobs.

Lately, we’ve been joking around a lot that we’ve become the cliché of 30-somethings—exercising, going birdwatching, and hiking. We’re even toying with the idea of starting our own "4 People Club" and making t-shirts. The problem is, the stuff we do varies so much—brunch, arts and crafts, sports—that we’re having a hard time agreeing on a name. So far, the best idea we’ve come up with is The Random Club, but nothing’s set in stone. If you have any cool suggestions, feel free to share!

Now, onto what I’ve been up to!

Hiking, birds & Nature

So far, I’ve visited three different places these past few weeks. The first one, and by far the most amazing, was Park Tricao. I don't think my writing can do it justice (first, because of how beautiful it is, and second, because English isn’t my first language lol)... BUT I’ll give it a try.

The park is lovely, close to the beach, and has a botanical garden (where I bought a Bergenia crassifolia), an aviary, a hiking trail, and a gigantic path inspired by Monet's gardens in Giverny.

I’ll show you some pictures since it’s easier that way.

a) The aviary: Okay, this place was crazy. It’s supposed to be the second-largest aviary in the world, with more than 800 birds. I saw so many birds I’d never seen before, and I have no idea what their actual names are, so I’ll just give them nicknames.

These orange ones were one of my favorites, like neon flamingos. Such a lovely group; I spent about 20 minutes just watching them.

This little buddy is an exotic parrot, and he was super friendly. You’re not supposed to touch the birds, and I didn’t, but he came really close because we were lucky enough to watch them get fed!

This guy was really cute—very blue and spunky.

I have no idea why there were dragon statues, but I love this one! He’s so friendly and fun. Anyway, what else can I say? Nature is amazing. We spent two hours in the aviary exploring and admiring these lovely birds. 

Me and my friend.

   

b) The trail and gardens: The trail was super fun. We saw baby birds, plants, and even a few Coipos—a cousin of the capybara, but not as friendly (though still super cute)!

   

We took a boat to the other side of the park and visited the Monet-inspired gardens. I thought the aviary would be my favorite place, but this truly took my breath away. I was almost in tears, I couldn’t believe how many beautiful flowers I didn’t know existed.

Since we arrived early in the morning, we had most of the park to ourselves.

My friend took some lovely pictures of us exploring. Colors and textures always excite me, and we spent a lot of time admiring all the small details.

     

Saint Cristobal and Saint Lucía hills

Over the next two weekends, I went to two different hills (we call them cerros). We hiked for about three hours with my friends. I didn’t take many pictures because I’m trying to be more present in the moment, but I did snap a photo of this cool dog in a backpack we saw.

The following weekend, I went with my lovely mother and our dog and climbed a hill that’s actually really close to my house. We had fun looking at plants, chatting, then went for a coffee and bought some books.

My lovely mother and a part of the trail I really liked.

Other things for fun and closing thoughts: books, fashion and dogs

I realize this post is getting long (and maybe a bit repetitive), so here are a few closing thoughts. Sometimes it can be a big effort to go out early in the morning after a week of work, but I’ve found so much joy in spending time with loved ones in nature.

Besides hiking, I’ve been reading a lot. So far, I’ve finished The Theory of the Archipelagos and Emma, and now I’m about to start Pride and Prejudice.

I can talk about books in more detail in another post, but I just want to say I’m obsessed with Jane Austen, and I deeply relate to Emma Woodhouse (both the good and the bad haha). I even looked it up, and we’re both ENFJs according to the MBTI test. I find that hilarious!

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite movie, so I’m excited to finally read the original material. I’ll let you know what I think!

Other things I’ve been doing: organizing my closet. It’s my goal to only own clothes I love. Anything I don’t wear for more than a year, I try to sell, gift, or donate. This shirt you see below is one of my favorites right now. I feel so Audrey Hepburn every time I wear it with black pants and ballet flats.

I’m thinking of getting a full-length mirror so I can share pictures of my outfits—would you like that?

In any case, I can’t compete with Alfie and his fashion, though. Look at him in those tiny shoes!

    

What other analog hobbies would you recommend I try? I’m super open to ideas. I was thinking of getting back into analog photography or maybe doing some puzzles.

Let me know what you think!