Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

Saturday, August 4, 2012/Sunday August 5, 2012

Since I first heard of this preserve earlier this year, I wanted to see and experience it. That and seeing the Volcan Poas were on my to do list for Costa Rica.

Determined not to spend another weekend in San Jose, I left at 5:45 yesterday morning for the bus terminal, located 600 meters north of the La Merced Church. I point out the address because that is how directions are given here in Costa Rica. No street number and street name; just how many meters something is located from something else. I suppose it is because there are few street signs and people just prefer to give the distance from a known landmark. It was explained to me that 100 meters = 1 block. It's not an exact measurement, just a block. But that can be a little deceptive because the city is not laid out in a neat grid and when you get out of the city you may not even being dealing with an actual block, that is, from one street to the next. You just have to imagine what 100 meters looks like more or less, I guess. I've already confessed that I don't get the metric system so you can guess how well I do on addresses. More on this later in today's story.

At 6:25 we boarded the bus, an older, very used, tour bus. The driver had the radio blaring a mixture of American rock and roll and contemporary Spanish singers such as Enrique Iglesias. We pulled out of the station at exactly 6:30. Although the bus station itself was in a run-down part of town, as bus stations are known to be, it didn't take long before we entered a part of San Jose that I first saw yesterday when we went to Volcan Poas. It is definitely where the people with money live. The buildings, streets, sidewalks, and homes all looked new. I saw several pricey hotels, including a luxurious-looking Marriott. We passed by new industrical parks and even a new WalMart!

We began to climb out of San Jose, picking up people along the way. At first they were at bus stops, but the more rural it became, the more we picked up people just standing along the side of the road with their things in plastic bags, waiting for the bus. We were heading north on the Pan American Highway, which I have been told runs from Alaska to the tip of Chile (or is it Argentina?) in South America.

I was sitting at the front of the bus just behind and to the right of the driver. I amused myself watching him drive first with his elbows, then while playing imaginary bongos on the center of the steering wheel! He was frequently on his cell phone and always rocking and rolling to the music on the radio. From what I have observed, most of the cars and buses have manual transmissions. I watched as the chofer (driver) alternated between changing gears and twirling a small lever on the dashboard that looked like Harry Potter's wand from the movie series. It appeared to be the air brakes as I couldn't see him using any kind of pedal on the floor to slow the bus.

The paisaje (landscape) became more hilly and the weather warmer. After two hours on the road, I had to “go”, but the promised stops for food and bathroom didn’t seem to be happening. Occasionally someone on the side of the road would board the bus to sell fruit. I bought a small plastic bag of grapes, the equivalent of about 2 cups, for 1000 colones. After paying, I realized I probably got the gringo special because I doubt the locals on the bus were paying the equivalent of $2.00 for such a small amount of grapes.

After we had been on the road for 3-1/2 hours, the bus stopped at a store in a very rural area. As usual, it was a contradiction in life styles. A huge flat screen TV was broadcasting the Olympics on ESPN, yet the bathrooms had signs not to flush toilet paper because of the ancient sewer systems. Small trash cans were placed in each stall for us to use. It was the first of many signs I saw like that today. Do you know how hard it is to change 50+ years of bathroom habits and remember to NOT flush toilet paper? I think I’ve clogged a few sewer systems today…

They don't always getting the English wording correct, but then I don't always get the Spanish correct, either!

From the store, we turned off the Pan American Highway to the right and began our ascent to the top of Monteverde (Green Mountain). The landscape was lush green and very hilly. Slowly the road narrowed and became a very rough one lane 25 km stretch of dirt and rocks. I was sitting on the right side of the bus and got to see the beauty of the hills. However, that beauty turned to terror as the road narrowed even more. Instead of looking across the hills, I was now looking straight down. Chunks of the road had broken off and of course, there were no guard rails. An occasional car coming from the opposite direction would have to ease to the right into a ditch so we could pass within inches of each other.

The poor driver was constantly shifting the gears, twirling the magic wand brake lever, and man-handling the steering wheel to negotiate all the turns. He was getting a physical workout while I was having a religious one praying that I would not die today. A look behind showed just how long and windy the road was--a twisting white snake amid a sold sea of green as far as the eye could see. Every once in a while we’d pass a shack clinging to the edge of the hill or cows precariously grazing. I was impressed by how sure-footed they were!

View from the bus. This is what most of the trip up the mountain looked like.

Almost five hours after leaving San Jose the road flattened out a little and we entered downtown Monteverde, a triangular block with a church and 2 streets lined with souvenir shops, small cafes and lots of taxis waiting for us to get off the bus (like sharks on raw meat). A man from the hostel was supposed to meet me and take me to the hostel. He was not there. I asked someone who looked like he was directing everyone here and there and he pointed and said in Spanish, “200 meters ahead.” I walked straight ahead not sure what I was looking for. A car? A taxi? The hostel? And how far is 200 meters anyway?  When I saw nothing, I returned and asked another person. Same instructions, “200 meters ahead,” but he included an instruction to turn right. I turned right and saw only a narrowing dirt road that disappeared as it went down hill. No way was I going to walk off into nothing:

The road to nowhere. Would you head off on your own down this road?

Again, I retraced my steps and saw nothing. I returned again and asked someone in a tourist center for help. They were all over me trying to sell me different tourist packages. I convinced them I wasn’t doing anything until I got to the hostel and dropped off my bags. “Si, just go down the road, turn right…200 meters ahead.” Frustrated, I told them I had already been 200 meters and saw nothing but a dirt road and I wasn’t going down an isolated dirt road alone.  He called the hostel; they agreed to pay for a taxi and off I went…about 200 meters down the isolated dirt road to the hostel just as they all told me!

The hostel, Vista al Golfo

For $20 I had a nice, clean, simple private room and bath, communal kitchen, and access to the internet in their mini computer lab of 4 computers. 

Check out the facy towel swan on the bed!

Please don't flush the Charmin'!

After the adrenaline-filled ride up the mountain, the shock of seeing how touristic and run down the town was, the frustration of trying to find the hostel, and the scary feeling of traveling alone (which I wasn’t too happy about from the start) all I wanted to do was go back the way I came…not to San Jose, not to my Costa Rican home in Santa Marta, but all the way back to Seattle! It was almost noon and I had been in town less than 30 minutes, and I was seriously considering boarding the 2:30 bus back to San Jose.

I spoke to Diego in the hostel office about different things to do in the short time I planned to stay. I decided to eat lunch then board a bus at 1:20 for the Cloud Forest Preserve. I had over an hour to kill, but was so distraught over everything, I really couldn’t even decide what to eat. When in doubt, ice cream always works! I had a mango flavored ice cream cone for lunch, wandered around town and kept wondering why I had come to Monteverde by myself and what I should do.

At the “bus stop” (street corner), I met an American woman named Suzie from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was waiting for the same bus as I and planning to go to the Quaker Cheese Factory. (Did I mention the Quakers started this town in 1949?) We chatted. I blabbered out my fear and loneliness. She offered to go to the Cloud Forest with me if I paid her way. She was planning on going tomorrow with her son and didn’t want to pay twice. Uh…no! I politely thanked her and decided to buck up, put on my big girl panties and go see the Cloud Forest by myself. Suzie got off the bus at the cheese factory and I went to the Preserve.

The fear started again: “Oh, my gosh! It’s 1:40 and there are only 3 people on this bus. Everyone has probably already been to the preserve today. I’m walking into a dark, thick forest by myself. There could be wild animals--the human kind, too…and poisonous snakes. All the hiking books I’ve ever read say, 'Don’t go hiking by yourself.' If I hurry, I can still make the 2:30 to San Jose.”

About that time, two older women from Holland started talking to me. They were going to the Hummingbird Sanctuary near the Cloud Forest and asked if I’d like to accompany them. Uh…yeah!

The Sanctuary turned out to be more of a souvenir shop, with a small gallery of 12-15 photos of hummingbirds and 3 hummingbird feeders out front, but didn't cost anything. (One of the few freebies! The entire town was devoted to tourism, expensive tourism!) I saw some beautiful varieties of hummingbirds flitting about the feeders. So small, so colorful, so quick. Fast blips of color flitting here and there.

                                                                                

If you look carefully, you can see the green and purple hummingbird to the left of the feeder.

The entire visit didn’t take long and we still had an hour and a half before the bus would return. The two Dutch women, Elizabeth and something I can't pronounce, decided to walk back up the road to the Cheese Factory. I stood at the entrance to the Cloud Forest still uncertain. I took a picture of the entrance sign. I watched a few people enter the forest. I went to the bathroom. I worried some more. Finally, I threw the dark cloud off my shoulders and bought a ticket. They let me in at student prices (half price) because they were so near closing time, but they asked me not to tell anyone. I know I can count on you to please keep my secret!

A nice young man at the gate gave me a map of the trails and highlighted one with good views and about an hour’s worth of walking. Off I went! Not too far in, with birds signing in the distance and a gentle moist breeze rustling in the lush tree tops, a feeling of total peace settled on me. I was in my element, doing what I like to do, but haven’t taken the time to do often enough back in Seattle.

The trail

Tarzan-like vines were hanging all over the place!





Some interesting plants...

and animals!

The trails were well-marked and clearly laid out. I followed the Quebrada Cuecha Trail to a waterfall, retraced my steps to the Sendero Tosi Trail and took it back to my starting point.

Beautiful waterfall

Extremely thick and lush forest. The ferns were gigantic!

Glad I went. Wish I would have arrived earlier to have time to walk more.

What is a cloud forest? 

"One of the most unique environments in the world survives on Costa Rica’s mountaintops-at least for the moment.  Cloud forests like Monteverde’s are formed by a combination of wind and geography...Cloud forest is quite different from lowland rainforest. The name comes from the observation that the forests are nearly always shrouded in clouds. These forests are situated at high altitude along the continental divide down the spine of Costa Rica. As the warm moist air from over the Pacific or Caribbean is pushed up the sides of the mountains, it cools, and the moisture begins to condense forming clouds.

About 3% of the Monteverde Cloud Forest is available to the public. The rest is being carefully preserved from human interference.

http://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=603

 Wrap up of the weekend

I am very glad I got to see the Cloud Forest. It was as beautiful as I had imagined. However, I was not at all impressed with the town of Monteverde. It was way too touristy and over priced, especially considering how run down everything was. For example, I paid close to $10 for lasagna for dinner...and that's all I got. No bread, no drink, no salad. Just a pile of lasagna. The 5 hour bus ride only cost $5 and the hostel $20, but everything else was ridiculously overpriced.There are lots of things to do in the area, such as ziplining, canopy tours of the forest, night time guided exploration, but everything costs a lot. Most of the exhibits cost a minimum of $10; the ziplining, family train, guided activities, etc. start at $23 per person and up.

I woke up in the middle of the night hearing the wind howling like crazy around the hostel. When I finally got up at 4:30 am, the wind was so wild, I couldn't imagine trying to get down the narrow mountainous roads on a bus. I found the security guard and asked him if he thought the bus would still leave at 6:30 and he assured me the winds were normal and the bus would leave. Fortunately, by 6:30 everything was calmer and we did leave on time. I ended up at the back of the bus this time, which was a good thing: I couldn't see how close we were to the edge and got to enjoy looking at the mountain tops wrapped in clouds whisping around them. I met two young ladies on the bus. One was from Douglasville, Georgia; the other from Sedro Woolley, Washington. It is a small world!

Back home in San Jose this afternoon, sana y salva (safe and sound.)