Montverde cloud forest!

I have finally found it- a place that I love in Costa Rica, Monteverde. It is set atop the spine of Costa Rica’s continental divide. It is known as a place of cloud forests and coffee plantations, monkeys, mist, and friendly locals. The town of Santa Elena is small and quaint, filled with tasty restaurants and folksy artisan shops, while the nearby rainforest hosts a remarkable amount of biodiversity. Due to its high altitude – some 4,662 ft (1,440 m) above sea level – Monteverde is privileged to receive a steady supply of clouds and the life-giving moisture that they contain. This moisture, often in the form of fog, catches on the branches of the tallest trees and drips down to the other organisms below. This helps to support a complex and far-reaching ecosystem, one that harbors over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, tens of thousands of insect species, and over 2,500 varieties of plants, 420 of which are orchids alone.

Finding out this information, I thought it would be the perfect little getaway being that I had 4 days off. My roommate, Emily, did not. But, I thought a vacation more geared towards the things I like to do most would be time spent well with my time off. So, I impromptu booked a cheap hotel at the Monteverde Inn for $25 per night including breakfast and hopped on a bus headed there on Thursday morning at 6:30 AM. I left Escazu at 5:00 AM to ensure I would make it to this bus on time, since the next bus wouldn’t depart until the 2:30 PM making my arrival in Monteverde after dark. I made it to Monteverde at around 12:00 PM and even made a local friend on the bus, who claimed to be a tour guide.

When I arrived into Monteverde I took a cab, at the advice of my new friend claiming it was too far to walk from Monteverde centro. For 1,800 colones the cab took me to my new temporary abode, Monteverde Inn. I was greeted by Anthony who anticipated my arrival since I had called a few days early securing a reservation and asking a million questions about arriving there. Even though I was 2 hours early I was permitted to check in and my room was ready for me. He also informed me about the free hiking trails adjacent to the hotel, which I was ecstatic about (free until 4:00 PM when the guided night trails commence). I immediately put away the few things I brought and got changed to start the hike. To my surprise the hike was breath-taking for conception. About 25 feet into the trail a huge tree of intertwined branches and possibily other trees were engulfed by this massive 50 feet tall tree. I followed the outer part of the trail, believing there would be more look outs. And I was right, not too long later, maybe about 15 minutes or so I found a lookout with a great view of the surrounding lushness of all the mountains and valleys. It almost reminded me of Ireland the way the forests (bosque) are so green, but with a Colorado ski town look and tropical feel due to the many palm trees. After the hike I decided to go into Monteverde centro and get some things to eat. I bought bread, juice, and cheese. Cheese is normally a luxury, but in Monteverde because it is produced there it was at an extreme discount- $3 for processed slices! So, I scooped that up. 
  

My plan originally was to visit “The Frog Pond” as recommended by a local friend of Escazu who used to live in Monteverde. He suggested that I visit it at night when all the frogs come out.  So I bought my dinner of bread, cheese, and juice at the grocery store and set-off on foot to visit the frog pond. I saw signs for it, but couldn’t find this pond! Eventually, I came to a commercial building subsequently named, “The Frog Pond”. After searching behind Ticos houses for this place I decided to go in and ask.  The guy behind the counter right away knew I was a gringa and answered me in English and said this was the place I had been looking for. So, for $12 and after walking all that way I decided to take the tour. My tour guide was Franciso, a rather tall and handsome Tico. He spoke English well and abused the word “totally”. He had a gigantic nerd obsession for frogs, and I admire people with passion. He knew everything about mostly Costa Rican frogs. The people here like any other country have a massive love for their country and the animals, products, etc. that are native to it. After the tour, he asked me if I was having drinks sometime this weekend. I said, No, it wasn’t that kind of vacation. With some regret for not at least exchanging numbers, I walked back to my hotel room.

The very next day I made sure to be up and ready before 9:00 AM to take advantage of the free breakfast. Anthony made me fruits- papaya, pineapple, and bananas accompanied by granola with milk. I also had two cups of café con leche. I sat outside with my café con leche and saw a man go inside the dining room. He came back out with two café con leches in to-go cups. I heard him speak in English and asked him where he was from. Instinctively, he answered America. I said “I know, where?”. He told me that he and his wife are from Virginia and were doing the canopy tour that afternoon. The canopy tour included a zipline and tour of bridges. After feeling a sense of general camaraderie I told him that I just might join them on their tour. I spoke with Anthony, who highly recommended the canopy tour. So, at the last minute I joined the group. Transportation to the cloud forest would come at 10:20 AM. So, I got my things together and went. A tourismo (tourist) shuttle picked us up at our hotel along with many other tourists from different hotels interested in the canopy tour.

At the park, we paid for our tours (yes, I still receive student discounts- thanks, Philly U) and quickly were dressed in harnesses and helmets. We were “trained” on what we should do- sit down with your knees up and legs crossed, hold on with one hand, hold the line (to slow yourself down) with the other hand. The lines were secure by being wrapped and drilled around the trees with metal bolts. Piece of mind in regard to safety- right. The guides referred to me as “Christina Aguilera”. I refer to myself as Kristina anymore since Kristen is simply too hard for many Ticos to say. They straight away clip your carabineer and attach your pulley to the line and send you on your way. I was definitely scared on the first 6 or 12 lines. The first one was short only about 25 feet long. Once you made it across you were instantly clipped again and pushed onto the second line. I liked this approach because I didn’t have to have the fear marinate while I waited to do the next line. Some of the lines were about 1 kilometer long and about 300 feet above the cloud forest. It literally felt like you were a bird just scraping the tops of the trees. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. Though, I am not a fan of adrenaline rushes anymore and I am not sure if I ever was really a fan, this was quite a rush. I am positive that ziplining anywhere else in the world would not compare to this. Hence, this comes highly recommended! After zipling, I did a tarzan swing. It was a rope attached to your harness that you jumped from about 75 feet from the ground. The initial free fall was scary, but swinging was quite fun! 

Then we explored all the abundance of suspension bridges that hung amidst the gorgeous canopy (which were almost as frightening as the zipline!) that were adjoined to the trees in a similar fashion as the zipline rig. Most of them were bright turqoiuse and witnessing the tree tops from hundreds of feet or more! I had a most wonderful day with new friends and adventures. 

That evening I had my first sushi experience in Costa Rica. I ordered a roll- to be safe. I now forget the name of the roll, but it came with tuna and avocado atop. In the middle was cream cheese and cucumber. After dinner, my new friends from Virgina, Ryan and Miriam, went to the local bar amigos for literally one drink. The music played and we had great conversation- usually involving spirituality topics (maybe it’s the friends I am attracting or this is a very popular topic in Costa Rica). We went back to the hotel and watched the stars start to come out. Ryan has a great app called “Google Sky”. It names the constellations in the sky by pointing your smart device to the area of interest. A very great day came to an end with me falling fast asleep in my bed after having my fill of nature.

On Saturday, I suggested that we do the Monteverde Reserve. It was also recommended by my friend from Escazu, Manea. We shoved complimentary breakfast down our holes around 7:30 AM and drove up to the reserve. We couldn’t get a guide for the reserve since we arrived late- Tico time. Without hesitation, we decided it would be fine to guide ourselves. We went to “Las ventannas” (the windows) of the reserve. This morning had been particularly cloudy and seemed to threaten rain. We hiked up to the top windows. The view was hardly visible due to the thick clouds that rolled in. Also, the wind was the harshed I have experienced in Costa Rica. It was almost frightening because one wrong step or fall and you could very well be over that edge and experiencing the clouds and valley below first hand. We hiked for about two hours then decided we had our fill, ironically when the clouds retreated and sun came out. We got coffee at Café Monteverde, a renowned brand of coffee in Costa Rica. We even picked up some souvenir coffee to bring home (yes, Dad, I am thinking about you!).

coatil

We went back to Monteverde Inn and sat facing the most amazing view of the cloud forest when a hungry coatil appeared! He looked like he was in search of a meal or a large snack. I think they look like a mix between a raccoon and an anteater. Maybe that siting sparked our ambition to hike by our Inn that I had been talking about it for a while. The couple was enthusiastic about the hike from the commencement. Ryan has a little obsession with trees I would contemplate. They loved the views. With them, I had completed more of the hike than by myself. We were hiking by the “Big Tree” when we heard shuffling in the trees. I thought it was the sounds made the awkward and fat black guans. 

Capuchin monkey

We were pleasantly surprised. It turned out that it was a Capuchin monkey eating leaves on the tree tops. My friends as quick as they could they grabbed their video recorder. Suddenly, the Capuchin monkey had a playmate. The two monkeys were playing with each other- pushing one another out of the tree hole and chasing each other atop the trees as if it were as easy as running on pavement. I am sure they were aware of our presence and didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they seemed curious to us. We watched them until they run from our sight. A truly remarkable experience! Afterwards, I decided a nap was needed after waking up pretty much against my own will. I had dinner with my new friends at a very “Tico” place. We had casados, tacos, etc. I ordered a “Mora Fresca Naturale”. It is basically frozen blackberries that are blended with water and ice to make a smoothie. After dinner, we went back to the resort for our new hobby of talking and watching the stars. We chatted and watched the clouds move to change the visibility of the stars until I was too tired.

This morning, Ryan, Miriam, and I had our final breakfast at the Monteverde Inn. I ventured beyond my usual granola and fruits. Today, I had toast, eggs, and fruits. Ryan and Miriam graciously offered me a ride from Monteverde to Escazu, claiming that it was on their way anyway and we had become pretty good friends by the finish of the trip. They were on their way to Manuel Antonio before heading back to the United States on Wednesday. So, we had breakfast and got on the road. The decent from Monteverde is one of the best parts of the trip.

I will never forget Monteverde, the kind and hospitable people I met there- Tico or not, the animals and plants I had been fortunate enough to see, or the memories I will keep forever. I genuinely love this place and though I am not a fan or returning back to a place I have visited once before I would definitely consider it!