Blog - Playa Viva Luxury Eco Resort, Mexico

Meet the Playa Viva Volunteers!

Volunteers are an enormous source of support for the Playa Viva team. Our volunteers come from all over the world and support our work in multiple aspects and bring a multitude of experience. We have volunteers supporting our farm and food production teams, our permaculture team, our kitchen staff, our turtle sanctuary, as well as teaching English in Juluchuca. Volunteers stay on average one to three months and have the option of utilizing any personal skills they might bring by taking on a personal project.

We are incredibly grateful for all of their hard work, so we wanted to share with you our current team of wonderful volunteers. Thank you all for your support!

Dani Schugg, USA

Service: Oct 15-Dec 15

Where are you from and what were you doing before you arrived?

I’m originally from southern California, but lived in Madrid, Spain for the past year teaching English at a primary school.

How did you find out about Playa Viva?
I found out about volunteering at Playa Viva through a family friend who knows David, the owner.

Why did you decide to volunteer?
I was looking for another opportunity to teach English, in Latin America this time, and Playa Viva seemed like a great fit! I was also very intrigued by Playa Viva’s core values as a sustainable hotel and wanted to see what all the rage was about. Also, have you seen the pictures?? They alone will convince you to come to Playa Viva.

What are you working on at Playa Viva?
I have a pretty mixed schedule. I teach English at the local primary school (grades 1-6) twice a week and at the high school twice a week. Then, I work in the kitchen the remaining shifts with the best chefs in Mexico!

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

In my two months, Juluchuca has become a home away from home. From getting tacos at Lupe’s to chasing the piggies with my camera every chance I get, it’s hard to pick just one highlight. I will miss hovering over Inés, Olga and Abraham watching them work their magic in the kitchen, and I’ll for sure miss my celebrity status amongst the kiddos.

Andy Ollove, USA

Service: Nov 1-Dec 15

Where are you from and what were you doing before you arrived?

I’ve been living in New York City for the last 8 or so years and before then Baltimore. Before Playa Viva I was working in local food systems, helping to connect low income communities around the country to affordable and locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Otherwise I spent my days biking around the city and lamping in parks.

How did you find out about Playa Viva?

Me and my girlfriend Sarah found Playa Viva via WWOOF.

Why did you decide to volunteer?

We decided to come for all of the reasons: its social and environmental mission, its location in the beautiful Costa Grande region of Mexico, the opportunity to learn basic farming and gardening skills, and possibly the biggest reason of all: to freshen up our Spanish.

What are you working on at Playa Viva?

At Playa Viva I work as part of the food production team with Abel & Güero, cleaning garden beds, harvesting greens, turning compost, and representing Playa Viva at the weekly farmers market in Zihuatanejo. Additionally I am working with the organizers of that market to run a couple workshops intended to increase the capacity of their market and reach new local customers. This is work that I’ve done in the United States and wanted to share with the community here.

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

My favorite part of the day is the starry-skied ride to work everyday in the brisk morning on the back of a pick up. Drinking coffee with the sunrise and watching the mist disappear from the water is a great way to begin a day of work.

Sarah Labriola, USA

Service: Nov 1-Dec 15

Where are you from and what were you doing before you arrived?

I’m originally from Los Angeles but have been living in New York where I worked for the NYC Parks Department.

How did you find out about Playa Viva?

I found out about Playa Viva through the website WWOOF

Why did you decide to volunteer?

I decided to volunteer because I wanted to learn how to grow food and work on my Spanish. I chose to apply to Playa Viva because the volunteer program seemed more structured and dynamic than others.

What are you working on at Playa Viva?

I have been working on the food production team on the farm as well as helping out in the kitchen.

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

The highlights for me have been watching the sunrise every morning and jumping in the ocean after a hot day on the farm!

Tristan Borrensen, Denmark

Service: Nov 15 – Jan 1(?)

Where are you from and what were you doing before you arrived?

I am from Copenhagen, Denmark and I used to be tour guide around in the Copenhagen canals.

How did you find out about Playa Viva?

By the Mexican WWOOF list

Why did you decide to volunteer?

I have done WWOOFing before in Chile and I desired having more experience in farming and agriculture, improving my Spanish and also learn more about real Mexican rural culture.

What are you working on at Playa Viva?

Currently, I am working on the trails signs. The signs need to be engraved, painted and polished so hopefully they can lead and teach the guests about this wonderful area of Playa Viva for many years.

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

The first week I was “chaponando”, in other words, cutting weeds and maintaining the trails with a machete. It was pretty hard – but as a true ranchero or “charro” I held on too tight – consequently, I got a bunch of “bulas” on my hands. Secondly, I have repaired and sowed the tent of the turtle sanctuary, which a famous Youtuber has captured and used in his film about Playa Viva. I’ve been training the little kids of Juluchuca in football and also play with the adult Juluchuca team. I’ve been to a quinceañera and have been enjoying some beers with the locals Saturday nights. I have met a lot of great people and the delicious food here abounds and astonishes your eyes.

Johanna Ledermann, Germany

Service: Nov 30-Dec 30

Where are you from and what were you doing before you arrived?

I’m from Leipzig, Germany. Before I arrived I was finishing my BA in cultural studies with a thesis focusing on sociology of food and agriculture, working on a biodynamic farm and volunteering in theater and film festivals.

How did you find out about Playa Viva?

I found out through a random search looking for farms to work at in Mexico.

Why did you decide to volunteer?

I was interested in learning more about the flora in Mexico and how organic agriculture is carried out in the context of supplying a hotel. I wanted to work with locals since they are a lot more knowledgeable than many expats starting farms in Mexico and playa viva is facilitating this exchange.

What are you working on at Playa Viva?

Since I’m interested in the whole cycle of food I am working in the production team and in the kitchen. I will happily share my skills in permaculture aligned with the vision of playa viva.

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

Since I haven’t been here for a long time it’s hard to already identify a highlight, though it was and is definitely amazing to get to see so many different plants I only knew from pictures out in the terrain of Playa Viva.

Mercedes Falk, USA

Service: Dec 1-Dec 30

Where are you from and what were you doing before you arrived?

I am from Wisconsin and I was working on a small farm helping produce vegetables and manage food processing in the certified kitchen on site there.

How did you find out about Playa Viva?

I met Melissa, the Volunteer Coordinator, a year and a half ago in Belize and subsequently found out about volunteer opportunities at PV via her awesome posts!

Why did you decide to volunteer?

I decided to volunteer because I had plans to come to Mexico to improve my Spanish speaking skills and I love working with food so much that I wanted to combine my desire for bettering my Spanish with a hands-on volunteer experience on a farm.

What are you working on at Playa Viva?

I am working on the food production team and I will be working in the kitchen. Growing food and seeing it from start to finish is one of my favorite things to do so being on both of these teams seems like the perfect, full-circle experience.

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

Besides staying in Juluchuca and seeing all the pigs and chickens that are freely integrated into the town life, the highlight of my experience so far (all two days of it!) has been how friendly the staff has been in welcoming me and having patience with my gringo Spanish skills.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Melissa, at volunteer@playaviva.com.

Social & Ecological Regeneration: A New Chapter

Over the last few years, I’ve been working in conservation and sustainable development on various contracts throughout Asia and Latin America. Through the work I’ve done, I’ve learned how complicated and challenging it can be to balance environmental protection and preservation with economic development.

Sustainable tourism has been a popular strategy throughout the developing world for facilitating economic development while preserving the resources on which tourism depends–both the physical environment itself as well as the well-being of the host community. However, sometimes sustainable tourism is not always the “win-win” solution it promises to be. Playa Viva is overly cognizant of this reality, which is why they created my role: Social and Environmental Impact Custodian.

Playa Viva’s sustainable tourism model is different than most, however. Rather taking pristine landscapes and developing them “sustainably” (i.e. use of local natural building materials, renewable energy sources, and minimizing waste), Playa Viva practices “regeneration”– a process of rejuvenating and restoring what has been lost through prior unsustainable practices.

Playa Viva’s land was once a monoculture coconut grove — a result of the boom-and-bust coconut oil industry that began in the 1920s and crashed in the ‘60s and ‘70s when coconut oil fell out of favor. Damaged from these extractive industries, much of the land in the state of Guerrero was left degraded and infertile.

Under the model of regeneration, we also use local natural building materials, renewable energy sources, and minimize waste, but we feel it is incumbent on us as environmental stewards to regenerate and restore this land to as close to its natural state as possible to ensure that both people y nature thrive. As such, the team here has been working diligently over the last decade to restore mangrove and coastal forest ecosystems, grow edible and medicinal crops organically, and foster better education, health, and economic opportunities in the surrounding community.

Salad greens, vegetable garden, and tree nursery

So what’s my task here? To establish a system for continuous monitoring and evaluation of Playa Viva’s social and environmental impact. They want to be absolutely certain that Playa Viva’s impact on the land and in the community is positive, sustainable, and adheres to the values on which we are founded.

The ultimate vision of Playa Viva is to create a model and living legacy for sustainable and regenerative resort development, whereby we revitalize and nurture the land on which we are built and the community by which we are surrounded.

To wrap my head around our “regenerative” concept and the whole systems thinking applied here at Playa Viva, I created a regenerative concept map. In this map you can see how PV’s core goals and objectives for social and environmental sustainability are interwoven and interlinked–how we are continually nurturing the earth and our community, and, in turn, our own lives and the people around us.

pv-regenerative-concept-map2

I have been here only a few short weeks and I’m already learning multitudes. I am continually impressed with all that has been achieved here in just eight years. I’m thrilled, excited, and overly grateful to be part of a community that is trying to better this world and heal our planet.

Conservation Role Models

AFAR Magazine included Playa Viva in a list of “Conservation Role Models” in a round up of hotels where you can “Go for Good”, a listing of hotels where you can stay and help support great causes. Playa Viva support of great causes starts with creating a positive social and environmental impact in the local ecology (watch these videos about Playa Viva’s work in the local community).

Just recently, Nick Wolf, with Gente Viva, our organic farming partner, asked if I knew of a company called Good Hospitality. We first met this organization back in 2014, when they were trying to raise funds for a hotel in Antigua, Guatemala. The proceeds from the hotel operation were intended to support a local primary schools for children who need it most.

Dutch-based Good Hospitality has an interesting initiative. They have created a barge hotel, as a floating pop-up hotel. Another good part of the story – Good Hospitality partnered with a local hospitality school to train the under employed in local Amsterdam are in order to help them find more permanent work. See this wonderful set of videos about the training workers for the opening of the hotel and the human stories around finding more permanent work.

[vimeo 133231108 w=640 h=360]

Good Hotel Amsterdam Traineeship – PART 1 from Good Hotel Amsterdam el Vimeo.
[vimeo 160907696 w=640 h=360]

Good Hotel Amsterdam Traineeship – PART 2 from Good Hotel Amsterdam el Vimeo.

The hotels covered in the AFAR Article as well as Good Hospitality are all part of of a trend, spending your travel budget to align with your values. We salute Good Hotel and Good Hospitality on the progress they are making in supporting education of those with less in order for them to make more of their lives. We hope you will join these hotels and Playa Viva and travel to locations “Where Your Vacation Meets Your Values.”

“Where Your Vacation Meets Your Values” — voting with your dollar (investing and spending)

Recently, I’ve been reading alot about the growth of the social impact investing space and wanted to address this in the context of social impact spending and how we vote with the dollars we spend as much as those we invest.

In an article by Stephanie Cohn Rupp of the Threshold Group, she addresses the size of social impact investing marketplace and key bottlenecks to growth. Similarly, in an article by Colin Close with InvestCloud, he discusses how impact investing is moving from fringe to mainstream. The basic idea is to invest your dollars with your values. Original SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) was mostly values based with churches and other groups putting up “negative” screens and asking investment advisors and portfolio manager to exclude certain investments which did not match with their values such as guns, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, etc. The market has moved from exclusion to inclusion, from “screening out” to “advocacy”, as many of these same financial advisory groups are advocating for companies they invest in to make “positive” changes related to corporate governance, community engagement and environmental impact.

It all sounds great especially when you read that the returns from ESG/SRI has been as good as or better than the market in most cases. How do they define this? They take one index (basket of stocks) and compare it to another. One that broadly represents the market like the S&P 500 and the iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF. Go look it up, here is how it is described:

Exposure to socially responsible U.S. companies
Access to a broad range of stocks that have been screened for positive environmental, social, and governance characteristics
Use to invest based on your personal values

Now, take a look at the list of top 10 companies. They include Coca-Cola and Pepsico. I don’t know about you, but the sale of sugar water and bottled water is not in alignment with my values. Sure, I guess I could ask for a further screening to exclude these two from the top 10. But, if these are included, who’s making the list and what are their values based on?

When Playa Viva was just building it’s first buildings, we had a special guest,renowned American environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill, who was pondering moving to Playa Viva to live. During our time together Julia taught me what is meant by really living by your values and doing as much as you can, and should do, to save our planet. I do aspire to many of her choices and the discipline she exercises in the execution of those values. The key to what she taught me was — We make small decisions every day in how we act, what we chose to do, and not do, how we plan ahead, how we make the hard choices in order to live with little to no impact on the earth. We invest in impact by the daily decisions we make, by the way we spend (not just invest) our dollars.

We, at Playa Viva, have developed a motto over the years — “Where Your Vacation Meets Your Values.” We know we are not perfect and much of what we do is aspirational at best. So when you look to make your vacation choice, we hope your vacation investment looks deeply at your vacation decisions. We ask that you engage with your vacation choice, hopefully it is with us, about your values to make sure we are in alignment. Sure, I cringe every time I look under the bar and find a few cans of Coca-cola products. But they are under the bar, specifically for those customers who just can’t live without their fix. While on top of the counter is always a glass “jarra” full of Aguas Frescas, fresh water/juices, made with locally harvested fruits.

What do you reach for to quench your thirst? Does your vacation meet with your values?

Been Too Long Since We Blogged…so Restarting with “Award Winning”

Why has it been so long since our last blog post? Simple, we revamped the website about a year ago and the blog was not part of the new site. But many of you were still searching, finding and commenting on content on our blog; so we decided to bring it back and incorporate it into the new website. While much of our content updates have been visual, posting photos on our Instagram page with links back to our Facebook page, we still have a need for words, for WordPress and for non-visual content that provides a narrative update for what we have been up to at Playa Viva.

So what have we been up to since the last post? Stay tuned as we provide updates on the same topics we have covered before: Green, Sustainable and Regenerative Travel, Architecture, Building, Community Development, Volunteering, Local and Organic Agriculture, etc.

One notable item is the new La Casa en el Árbol at Playa Viva. It was designed by Kimshasa Baldwin at Deture Culsign and the construction was completed by Will Beilharz and his firm ArtisTree. The end result is stunning and has become an iconic image for Playa Viva.

Most recently, the treehouse can now be called “award winning.” NEWSFLASH: the “Treehouse Suite at Playa Viva has been selected as one of the finalists in the Lifestyle Guestrooms category…,and all winners y finalists will be featured in the June issue of Hospitality Design magazine.”

Also, Kimshasa and Will along with David Leventhal of Playa Viva also presented at the Boutique Design Magazine’s BDWest conference. The session was entitled: “EARTH STAYS: MAKING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN HAPPEN IN A NANOSECOND.” The focus was how an introduction by Mary Scoviak of Boutique Design in April of 2015 lead to the design and construction of the treehouse opening in October 2015 (a nanosecond in hotel design and building).

More about the design and building process in future posts. Please come experience the Treehouse for yourself.

Photo by Leonardo Palafox

What To Do With Too Many Mangos

Ernesto Leon Sandoval, more commonly known by his nickname, Pato, lead a workshop at Playa Viva recently that included dehydration, chutney and frozen puree as methods to preserve excess mangos harvested at Playa Viva. See photos below along with the comments, in Spanish, from Julia. As sustainable and regenerative hoteliers, the best part of this entire process was the news at the end of Julia’s comments, that even though the process of dehydrating fruit was new to the staff, they were so excited by this workshop that they are want to take this process home and apply it to the excess fruit on their land.

Here is the Pato’s recipe for the Mango Chutney pictures below:

para 5 kilos de mango – for 5 kilos of mangoes

5 cucharadas de aceite de oliva o mejor de coco – 5 Tablespoons of oil, either olive or better yet coconut oil

5 cucharadas de canela molida – 5 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon

2 barras de piloncillo rallado – 2 Bars of grated piloncillo (brown sugar bars which can be purchased in a Mexican food store)

un diente de ajo grande – One large clove of garlic

el jugo de 5 a 10 limones – Juice from 5 to 10 limes (green Mexican limes)

4 cucharadas de clavo picado – 4 Tablespoons of ground clove

4 cucharadas de pimienta molida – 4 Tablespoons of ground black pepper

4 cucharadas de jengibre picado – 4 Tablespoons of chopped ginger

It appears that Abraham, Playa Viva’s chef, added raisins and black sesame seeds to taste.

Pato provided the ingredients only, seems that these are all mixed together and cooked to desired consistency and then placed in jars which are then sealed (if not familiar with this process see canning instructions available elsewhere on the internet).

Julia’s comments about the workshop: Es un taller muy sencillo y muy facil de comprender así como muy útil, porque nos va a permitir aprovechar la fruta madura, en lugar de dejarla podrir ahora la vamos a poder deshidratar y comer durante todo el año, queda muy sabrosa, dulce pero natural. Es bueno aplicar esta técnica sobre todo al tipo de productos que se cosechan una o dos veces por año solamente y no los puedes guardar en su estado natural por tanto tiempo, ni refrigerar porque no hay espacio.

El equipo lo tomó muy bien, abraham se comprometió con su equipo de cocina a hacerse responsables del procedimiento, ya que por razones de higiene es mejor que sean ellos mismos quienes la procesen. Claro que el equipo de Permacultura estuvo presente, participó y aportó todo lo necesario, Serafin y Arturo construyeron la mesa y también estuvieron interesados en el proceso.

Lo interesante es que ahora ellos quieren hacer lo mismo en sus casa para aprovechar los frutos de sus parcelas.

2015 Mexico Peace Index

Reposted from Borderland Beat from content developed and distributed by Vision of Humanity’s Mexico Peace Index. Playa Viva is located in the State of Guerrero which is rated as the Least Peaceful state. It appears that the factor contributing most to this rating is the high rate of homicide (most likely taking into consideration the 43 “disappeared” students). However, taking into consideration the other 6 evaluation criteria, Guerrero would rank closer to the middle.” While safety is the number one concern of our guest, the overall trend shows an improvement in the Peace Index (and correlated safety in Mexico) and tourist areas such as Playa Viva continue to be safe for tourists. We hope this provides valuable information to help you make an informed decision about traveling safely to Mexico and Playa Viva.

“The Mexico Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, provides a comprehensive measure of peacefulness in Mexico from 2003 to 2014. This report aims to deepen the understanding of the trends, patterns and drivers of peace in Mexico while highlighting the important economic benefits that will flow from a more peaceful society.”

Highlights

Mexico has experienced a large decrease in violence since 2011, with the national level of peace improving by 16 percent.
Progress in peace has plateaued in the last year; it is too early to determine if this is the start of a new trend.
The level of peace as measured by the 2015 MPI is still 18 percent lower than in 2003.
The most peaceful state in Mexico is Hidalgo, followed by Yucatán, Querétaro, Campeche, Tlaxcala, and Chiapas.
Of the 76 largest metropolitan areas of Mexico, the most peaceful is Orizaba in Veracruz and the least peaceful is Culiacán in Sinaloa.
The eastern region remains the most peaceful in Mexico, while the northern region is still the most violent, although the gap between the north and the other regions is now at its lowest point since 2004.

“The Mexico Peace Index (MPI) derives from the work of the Global Peace Index, a leading global measure of peacefulness that has been produced by IEP annually since 2007. The Index follows a similar methodology to the United Kingdom Peace Index and the United States Peace Index, also produced by IEP, and defines peace as ‘the absence of violence or fear of violence’.

The MPI measures peace at the state level in Mexico. A key reason for choosing this unit of analysis is that, similar to the United States, Mexico’s state governments have wide-ranging powers allowing them to have a significant impact on the level of violence, therefore the response to violence may differ significantly from state to state.”

The Index is composed of the following seven indicators:

1. HOMICIDE

— Homicide rate per 100,000 people

Source: Executive Secretary of the National System for Public Security (SESNSP)—cases being investigated by the State Prosecution Authorities

2. VIOLENT CRIME

— Violent crime rate per 100,000 people

Source: SESNSP

3. WEAPONS CRIME

— Weapons crime rate per 100,000 people

Source: SESNSP

4. INCARCERATION

— Number of people sent to prison per year, per 100,000 people

Source: National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI)

5. POLICE FUNDING

— Federal Government funding to States for the Public Security Contribution Fund per 100,000 people

Source: Secretaria de Hacienda y Crédito Publico (SHCP)

6. ORGANIZED CRIME

— The number of extortions, drug-trade related crimes, organized crime offenses, and kidnapping per 100,000

Source: SESNSP

7. EFFICIENCY OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

— Proportion of convictions for homicide to total homicides

Source: INEGI

“All indicators are scored between 1 and 5, with 1 being the most

peaceful score, and 5 the least peaceful. After the score for each

indicator has been calculated, weights are applied to each of the

indicators in order to calculate the final score.”

There is a wide range in levels of peacefulness across both indicators and states in Mexico. A higher score indicates lower peacefulness. Scores out of five.

Most and Least Peaceful States

With a few exceptions, states in the southern and eastern regions of Mexico are more peaceful than the western, central, and northern regions. Of the ten most peaceful states, only two, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí, are not from the south or the east, while Guerrero is the only southern or eastern state amongst the ten least peaceful.

In the last two years, the most peaceful states, while decreasing very slightly in peacefulness, have had only small changes in rank. There has been a much higher degree of variance amongst the least peaceful states. Guanajuato and Michoacán have steadily declined to now be amongst the five least peaceful states. Juxtaposed to this, many of the least peaceful states have recorded large reductions in homicides and violent crime over the last two years. Tables 2 y 3 show the scores and ranks for the most and least peaceful states, both for the overall index, and each of its seven indicators.

Full Report:

Mexico Peace Index Report 2015_1.pdf

We’re Sprouting!

Plava Viva prides itself on providing its guests with healthful, nourishing, delicious food. Our permaculture gardens provide a good portion of this, and what we can’t produce ourselves we get from trusted local producers and the small farms surrounding the Joluchuca area.

The latest addition to the Playa Viva table is thanks to the work of one of our volunteers, Silvio, who had a notion to provide our kitchen with a steady supply of fresh sprouts! With the help of Serafin, our resident carpenter, Silvio created a sprouting frame which now sits in the kitchen and is home to several jars of soon-to-be delicious sprouts.

Here are some shots of the project taking shape:

Yet another delicious reason to join us at Playa Viva!

Meet the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Today was a special day at Playa Viva, in that it marked the release of a nest of tiny baby Olive Ridley sea turtles into the ocean. As you may know, Playa Viva is home to a sea turtle sanctuary, which protects the eggs and releases the hatchlings of both Olive Ridley and Leatherback sea turtles.

View this post on Instagram

Today's hatchlings taking their first steps! #seaturtles #tortugas #conservation #playaviva

A post shared by Playa Viva (@playaviva) on Feb 19, 2015 at 10:41am PST

Want to know more? Here are some fun facts about the Olive Ridley:

Endangered status: Threatened, with an estimated 800,000 females in the wild

Lifespan: 30-50 years

Size: Adults can reach up to 85 pounds, making the Olive Ridley one of the smallest of the sea turtles

Nesting behaviour: The Olive Ridley is known for a unique nesting behavior known as an arribata. In this, nesting females gather offshore, before simultaneously making their way to the beach, where they bury their eggs in the sand in one mass nesting event.

Range: Olive Ridleys have been spotted up to 2,400 miles from shore

Sources and further reading:

http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=olive-ridley

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/oliveridley.htm

http://www.nestonline.org/OliveRidleySeaTurtle.htm

Buggin’ Out

A Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus americanus, I found curled up next to a garden hose. — *A Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus americanus. I found her curled up next to a garden hose.*

One of the reasons people come to Playa Viva is the wide variety of flora and fauna to be found here. I was no exception, and was eagerly anticipating getting to know all of the living creatures to be found here. Mexico is a hugely biodiverse country, and Playa Viva itself contains multiple ecosystems including dunes, mangroves, estuary lagoons, deciduous forest and wetland. As a result, the surrounding environment is an amateur naturalist’s paradise.

*Anyone know what these are? I found them almost covering the trunk of a tree along the road to Playa Viva.*

My first night here, stepping outside for some fresh air in the wee hours of the morning, I came upon a tiny, amber-coloured scorpion scurrying across the steps of the volunteer house in Juluchuca. Subsequently, I’ve discovered all manner of many-legged critters crawling around the environs, including a large brown tarantula, just hanging out on the wall of the house in the early morning.

*A tarantula visiting the Juluchuca house (Photo: Lynda Curtis)*

*Small but powerful! (Photo: Lynda Curtis)*

Of course, Playa Viva isn’t only known for its abundant insect life – next I’m off to find some sea turtles!