
Serenity in Valdivia

Cruzing in Sayulita

Bucerias Life

Santa Lucia Hike

Palace in Santiago

a day in Pucón






Our Story
Why do we call ourselves Test Rats? Well, we believe that we are an “abnormal” case study in the minds of our family, friends, and maybe generation. Who Knows? We got married back in October of 2015, so we’re still trying to figure the whole marriage thing out; plus with a new baby, the parent issue as well. We are both in our 30’s, and love traveling, but where we come from (the central coast of California), the norm is to get married, buy a house near family, and raise your kids there. For a while, this was destined to be our path, until now…
About Us
The Downs Family of 3 (so far)
Our family consists of Nick (the daddy), who loves to surf, and creates art wherever he goes. C-boo (the mama), who loves to chill with a nice cocktail, and walk the town. Finally there’s Gavin Marley (the little guy), who likes to throw any kind of ball around, and eats just about anything in front of him. Together we create a strong unit that can take on anything!
- Nick Downs
- Christi Downs
- Gavin Marley Downs

Where We Are
la cruz de huanacaxtle, nayarit
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is a Mexican fishing village situated on the Pacific Ocean’s Bahía de Banderas in the state of Nayarit. It is situated approximately 25 km from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. The town name comes from a cross that is made of Huanacaxtle wood which is located at the town’s entrance.