The ride up from the main highway up to Monte Verde was not just long, but bumpy too. So much so, that I was beginning to worry that we may yet again succumb to shaken-wife syndrome. I was also beginning to wonder if there would be any there, there in Monte Verde; maybe we would just drive on forever into these cloud-forest mountains.
A cloud forest is a rain forest that's high enough in the mountains such that they're in the clouds much of the time.
And we certainly were today. The misty rain hardly ever let up. And we sure were up in the clouds - they shrouded the mountains all around us. And we had been in this van since 4:50 am for the four-hour trip up here. But none of this was a bad thing; we really were enjoying the journey.
Finally we pull into Selvatura, a one-stop shop for anything and everything you would want to do in the cloud forest. There is ziplining, hummingbird gardens, a butterfly exhibit, insect and reptile exhibits, and a hike complete with hanging bridges. We did them all.. except for the ziplining and insect exhibit.
The hummingbirds were a blast - there were dozens of them buzzing everywhere, including around our heads. But the hike was really special. It was about two hilly miles in the rain - thank goodness for the rain ponchos. The eight hanging bridges were all long and very high. But even though they swung some, it didn't seem unsafe. Much.
We saw quetzals and many other rare birds. We also saw several morpho butterflies - the beautiful blues ones. And plenty more.
Back at home base, the JW Marriott Guanacaste, we explored some of the same sights as last time: beautiful, deserted Playa Langosta, and the cool beach town of Tamarindo. But it was getting pretty darn hot whilst we were there walking the beach.
Parke Nacionale Santa Rosa is one of the largest, and it practically borders Nicaragua. Yet it's also one of the closer ones. It only took an hour forty-five to get there; it's practically right next door. We hiked the 'Naked Indian Trail'. Yes, that's its real name, after the trees therein which have bark peeling off like the skin of a snake.
It was a short hike, so we also climbed up high to get a good view of things. The park is alive with birds galore. And finally we took the 4wd Daihatsu Bego a short way down an awful rutted road before turning back. Too much shaken wife syndrome can be a bad thing.
You can observe a lot, just by watching. I've probably used that one in this blog before, too. We spent a morning exploring... just around Hacienda Pinellas, within a mile or three of the JW. And oh, the things you can see.
The main goal was to spot howler monkeys. I had seen them whilst running the previous two mornings (click here to read about my running in CR), but Debbie had yet to see any at all. She had heard them though. With the early start, we drove a short distance to where I'd seen them during my runs. Sure enough, we heard them in the trees, but they refused to show themselves.
But then Debbie did spot one in a tree later on. We watched for a while, and he pooped a few times for us. Good thing we weren't right underneath.
For the second time in two days we drove out to Playa Langosta. Whereas the previous day we'd seen a few iguanas, today it was crabs. Hundreds of them. They covered the roads, and scurried out of the way for us - into the weeds and up trees. These guys were very pretty, with bright orange/red legs, black bodies, purple claws, and a whole bunch of other colors.
Naturally, as with everywhere in Costa Rica, the birds are always something to see and to hear.
A day later we had a much closer encounter with those howlers. Their howls are of several different varieties, but all are low and scary. Often they sound like the stomach growls of a T-Rex. Debbie established communication with them using a barking sound, and they got a very nice conversation going. If it could be translated from Howler to English, it would probably go something like this.
Debbie: "Hi Mr. Howler, I just want to say hello from Debbie and Dan!"
Howler: "Go away. I hate you"
Debbie: "We would like to be your friends. It sure is a nice day for interspecies communication, isn't it?"
Howler: "I fart in your general direction. I am about to throw my feces at you."
And so on.
The reaction was the same from whomever we informed that we were headed for Punta Islita, namely, 'whoa!'
There was plenty of whoa to be had during the nearly three hour trip here. Four of those hours were on washboard or bolder-strewn, deeply rutted roads. Shaken-wife syndrome is epidemic here. But then when we finally did arrive, we also had the usual reaction: whoa.
The words laid-back and luxurious combined barely scratch the surface. Throw in elegant, superb and spectacular. We have a very private unit up in the hills. We have a completely private deck, hot tub and hammock. The scenery from our place is breathtaking. And that's just for starters.
The people - the Ticos - are wonderful as well. Our cultural and art tour of the town of Islita emphasized their wonderful nature. We never heard a negative comment or a discouraging word from any of the Ticos we met.But the most joy was in the journey.
