Costa Rica Monte Verde

My sister has always wanted to go to Costa Rica since high school.  It all started when she started an after school, grass roots club to save rain forest and it was all to buy land in this particular area of Monte Verde. More specifically the Children’s Rain Forest. Our afternoon there was filled with odd cultural combination, Zip Lining, and a suspension bridge walk.  Then the next morning we traveled through the cloud forest looking at trees that had spikes, and figs that strangled the life out of the trees that would suport them.

Costa Rica - Monte Verde

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain Catcher Plants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Killing time waiting for our tour bus to arrive. They were all on Costa Rican time, which is usually half an hour late when they're really trying to be on time. Every now and again, though, they would inexplicably show up 15 minutes early and be indignant when we weren't ready yet.

Our wonderful youth hostel in Monteverde -- Hotel Santa Fe. If you ever go to Costa Rica, you've got to stay here if bunk beds are OK for you. Not only is it incredibly clean, the owner of the hostel is helpful beyond belief. When the details of our tour-to-tour transportation became irrevocably messed up, she made phone calls and saved the day. We left her a big tip.

 

 

 

 

Me and Kathy after our first zipline of many. It was a rush, and it was also much more relaxing than I could have possibly conceived. Because of the relationship of your weight to the placement of the weight on the cable, you naturally slow down at the end because of physics (gravity, momentum, intertia, etc). So it's fast at first, and then you get to take a break and look at the beautiful rainforest canopy under you and the mountains off to each side. Nothing like it.

Have you noticed all the lush greenery around everywhere? This place was dripping with life. Our guides indicated that one tree can have up to 10,000 other plans growing on it!

 

 

 

Matt has an amazing camera. Kathy and I left him to take the REALLY great close-ups of birds and flowers and stuff.

 

 

An example of a strangle-fig that successfully killed its host. You can see from one side to the other through the strangle-fig. It's terribly violent and really cool at the same time.