Exploring the cloud forest

On our first whole day in Costa Rica, we decided to check our the cloud forest reserve in Monterverde. We woke up before 6 due to our jetlag, but went downstairs to meet Freddy, who cooked our breakfast - fresh fruit and pancakes with bananas and coconut syrup. 

The bus left for the forest 7.30, a 6 km ride up the mountain. We decided to hire a guide who could introduce us to the wonders of the cloud forest, and while he was quite entertaining, he wasn't really worth the money. We hiked around for a few hours, first with him and a family from California, then on our own for a while. The most incredible point on the trip was a suspension bridge, 100 m long, from where we could explore the canopy (treetops). Not for the faint-hearted...! 

Leaving the area after lunch (our first meeting with the traditional gallo pinto, i.e. rice and beans, in Costa Rica), we visited a small humming bird feeder station. Here the tiny humming birds were flying close around us in large numbers; I have never seen them so plentiful and close up before! With Lotte's super-camera we got some incredible pictures - check it out (click on the pics for enlargement): 

On the way back to Santa Elena, which is the town close to Monteverde, we decided to take a small detour for a certain viewpoint, which Freddy suggested. On the way down we were picked up by a nice guy, who didn't speak any English, but offered to take us down "to the waterfall", as far as I understood. We knew we shouldn't go so far, as it was a very long hike back, but instead asked him to stop at the viewpoint when we passed it. And wow, what a view! We could see the waterfall, but much more amazing was the view of the Gulf of Nicoya in the horizon.

Heading back up the mountain was more than strenuous - the incline was STEEP! We tried to hitch a hike with one of the friendly locals, who are always waiving and smiling when they pass, but they couldn't stop because of the incline. A short stop at an art gallery/mini-orchid gartnery (mostly for catching our breath in the thin air) turned out to be a nice experience and meeting with a local artist/nature tour guide, and then we made it up to the top of the detour road.

We had planned a stop in La Lecheria (a dairy factory) on the way down from Monteverde, but missed it at first. Having to walk back 400 m uphill wasn't popular with any of us, but in the end SOOO worth it. Lotte got the best milkshake ever and the two scoops of ice cream that I got together with a peak of the cheese making behind a window was well worth the extra effort.

And then the taxi-guy who picked us up on the detour found us again, and drove us back to Santa Elena - again for free, just giving us his card so we could call him if we needed a ride again. Back at the hostel we crashed, exhausted and jetlagged, and woke up after a couple of hours of sleep, realising that we should really get some proper dinner. With Freddy's always competent suggestion, we went to a local eatery for a nice meal - and then back to bed!