Pura Vida

I took an early bus to Monteverde on Sunday morning. The trip was so beautiful, especially when we turned off of the main road and went up on a dirt one, climbing higher and higher with amazing views of the Nicoya Penisula, the ocean, and all of the tropical forests around us. The cows were brought over from India (they are good dairy cows), so they have the hump and the big floppy ears. I was sitting next to this Tico guy who talked with me the whole way--in Spanish. He was very patient and helped me with words and spoke very slowly. He said that he is a native from Monteverde, and worked in the dairy industry for years before moving to the coast and opening a ranch for horses. He told me all about his family and kids and if I make it to his town I will look him up and go horseback riding on the beach!
This was such a good introduction to Ticos--everyone is so nice and friendly and patient with my garbled Spanish (which I am actually quite proud of, never having taken a class).
Monteverde is incredible. I met two girls that I roomed with and we went hiking the first day and then had milkshakes at La Lecheria. We went on a guided night hike at El Bosque Eternal de los Niños (The Children´s Eternal Rainforest) and we saw so much!!! We saw a sloth and agoutis, a huge tarantula (I was actually able to cope with it), a prehensile-tailed porcupine, we walked through army ants by accident... it was a beautiful night.
I spent the next two days walking through the Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve, which was incredible. It rained for bits of the walks, or at least the clouds were so thick that they were dripping all the time. The vista points were completely clouded over, but it was still beautiful, a sea of clouds. The wind would blow them past your face and it felt like you were on a boat, being hit by the sea spray.
I had amazing luck and saw so many incredible animals. The first day I saw a family of Quetzals, this really colorful endangered bird. The male has long green tail feathers and a red vestlike covering. The mother was nearby as well, feeding her little chicks that were just ready to leave the nest. I saw a bunch the next day as well. Another cool bird was the Motmot, it´s also really colorful and has this little bell-like thing hanging from the end of its tail. We saw a tayra, a sort of weasel-like thing, and lots of howler monkeys, with their very loud howls that sound like the sandpeople in Episode IV. We heard squirrel monkeys, and also saw a tiny little bat sleeping hanging upside down under a tree. Through binoculars the wrong way, we were able to see an orchid that was smaller than this letter x, and that isn´t even the smallest orchid known. It was incredible. I spent a lot of time just sitting in a clearing with my book and avocado and maracuya, and hummingbirds would come and drink the flowers next to me. So incredible!
While I was there I sort of hatched a life-plan, where I go to France and learn how to make all the best pastries and then come back to Monteverde and open a fantastic café and work with the scientists there in a sort of informal manner. I was very happy with my relavation, and spent a lot of time at the Monteverde Café, talking to the people there about their fair trade coffee and what it is like to run a business. Who knows? There need to be good breads etc in Monteverde, and also it would be cool to have a place where all the biologists could get together to discuss and plan. Maybe some day!
After four days in Monteverde I took the bus and the ferry and then then the bus again to go to Montezuma, a sweet little beach town. It was so chill with all the token hippies and crazy old white ladies making jewelery. The weather was perfect, even the torrential downpour when I was sitting in a restaurant on the beach having a cerveza, watching the crazy waves and the sheets of water hitting the sand. I walked up the river to the waterfalls one day and then I went to the Isla de la Torguga the next, to go snorkeling. The snorkeling wasn´t that great, there was hardly any algae or coral cover, and precious few inverts. Lots of Spondylus shells, though! There were a surprising amount of fish, however, for there not being much else. It was a beautiful day, especially when we ran into a flock of dolphins on our way back, and they were jumping and playing in our wake. Very cool. Every response to everything is ´tranquilo. pura vida´. I can definitely get used to this!! !Estoy muy muy feliz aqui!