Intriguing Creatures

Hummingbirds Abound

Following our hike through the cloudforest of Monteverde we stopped to observe a group of hummingbirds.

Vibrant Splashes of Color

The rainforest and cloudforest vegetation is so very lush and green. Among the towering trees, twisting vines, and fanning ferns, there are splashes of vibrant reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges. The heavy beads of moisture blanket the seemingly endless sea of vegetation.

Amid the trees and ferns, animals nest, hunt, and crawl. To the untrained eye they are nearly invisible, but to the trained guides they are easily detected. What a magical place this is.

Costa Rica has set aside rainforest areas by both private and public organizations. The concern is that many of the animals cannot travel between the protected areas through open areas. Some birds cannot fly farther than the length of a football field. Some mammals must have expansive forested areas to survive. Groups, including students, are joining together to reforest areas for biological corridors. These corridors will connect rainforest areas so that birds and other animals can travel from one forested area to another. Would you like to be apart of this vital quest? It is very possible for you to support this project.

Monteverde and the Cloudforest

After a twisting, bumpy, somewhat nauseating ride we arrived in Monteverde, Costa Rica. This leg of the trip brought us to the cloudforest. Imagine the rainforest continually enveloped by misty clouds. The temperature was much cooler, along with the windy conditions and constant drops of moisture. What a beautiful site. I was amazed to see the sun shining, a fine sheet of mist, and a beautiful rainbow gracing the sky. Amazing!
What was so beautiful in the light transformed itself into another world after dark. We participated in a night hike which was pitch dark except for the glow of the fireflies and beetles with their continuously glowing "headlights". The tranquility was breathtaking. Until...I was attacked by army ants! Yeegads, can those creatures pack a punch when they bite! With my headlight on, I frantically searched for my feet and saw ants swarming my shoes, and ankles. I frantically started to swat at them and brush them off. I thought I was in the clear until I felt the intense burning sensation of more bites on my legs. They had crawled up my legs and started biting as well. This called for desperate measures as I had to (remember it is pitch black outside) reach down my pant legs and brush off all of those ants. Good grief...I couldn't decide if I would rather relive the nauseating bus ride or the short-lived but painful ant bites!
The remainder of the hike was much more relaxing and tranquil. (I just happened to keep my eyes on where I was standing the remainder of the trip!)

YAHOOOO!

I can only describe experiencing the rainforest canopy via a zipline as extremely thrilling and exhilerating (and yes, scarey)! We donned our helmets, harnesses, gloves, etc.and headed in a tram to the treetops. We then received a lesson on how to hold our legs in a ball with our ankles crossed and arms extended. The next thing I knew, I was zipping through the rainforest 100s of feet in the air going very, very fast! Our longest line was 2400 feet long. We traveled over 8 lines that night. I say night because we continued our adventure into the dark of night. That was quite a thrill ride!

Arenal Volcano

Monday was the day I got to hike to the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna. The site was breathe-taking and amazing. As we hiked to the base of the volcano we could hear the rumbling of the volcanoe's eruptions. It sounded like rolling thunder. The lava appeared to be white in the daylight hours against the dark gray of the volcano. The western side of the volcano had a cloud of grayish-blue ash billowing from it.
It was also interesting how the vegetation changed as we climbed in elevation towards the volcano. We began in towering grasses well over 9 feet tall and then abruptly it changed to a rainforest area.
Our hotel had a series of hotsprings from the geothermal activity for us to sit in at night. Unfortunately, the cloud cover was too thick so we couldn't view the red lava streaming down Arenal at night.
This hike also allowed me to observe a yellow viper resting on the trail and to eat my first termite. Mmmm...minty!

Homestays at Sustainable Farms

The weekend provided us with an amazing opportunity to live with a Costa Rican family. I stayed at LasPalmas, a sustainable farm specializing in coffee production. The family also raises medicinal plants, so no need to go to a drugstore. We also discovered all of the fruits, vegetables, and tubers the farm offers for a constant and readily available food supply. At each meal we were treated to fresh produce; plantains, mangoes, pineapple, jucca, cacao, tilapia,and of course coffee. They also raise chickens, so we dined on chicken soup for dinner and fresh eggs for breakfast.
Rosa, Edin, Vera, and Pablo are a very welcoming, hardworking,loving,and fun family. I enjoyed every single moment of my stay. In fact,I would love to return for a visit with my family.
We did a lot of hiking through their forested land and even got to observe coffee production from beginning to end in a very simple outdoor buiding.
The family has its own biodigestor and is able to fuel its own home with the methane produced from their pigs' manure. I'm looking forward to sharing this simple and sensible process with others when I return.