Again, I must apologize that this took so long. I´ll see how much I can get in tonight.
Our first full day in Monteverde was amazing and incredibly filled with adventures. We started our day with a visit to The Children´s Eternal Cloudforest Reserve where we hiked for about two hours. The cloudforest is cooler than anywhere else we have been and our hiking was pleasant with many lovely mountain vista views. We walked quietly through the forest, eyes and ears alert to all around us... and it paid off. Soon enough we saw an Orange-bellied Trogon, a truly spectacular bird, perched on a branch right next to the trail. And then we heard the Three-wattled Bellbird, a truly distinctive sound similar to a gate squeaking open. Dan was able to play the call for us on his phone where he had the recording for his bird presentation. The bird seemed interested in having a conversation with Dan´s phone so we were able to get a look at it and listen to it for a long time.
We continued on our hike and stopped at two outstanding overlooks, tried to get a view of the Brown Jay (very common in Monteverde) and did eventually get a look at a beautiful Euphonia. Blue, green, yellow and positively delightful the bird waited for us all to have a good look. We took more data here so that we are able to specifically define the differences in climate we feel from Tortuguero. Sure enough, it is cooler and less humid.
After our hike we were off to the zipline. I really wish I could upload pictures right now so that you could see the looks of excitement on all our faces captured by Bob Ulrich as the kids zoomed along through the canopy. We had a great time and I hope to add the student comments I collected about the trip soon so that you can feel the enthusiasm they all had for this experience. Many of us also did a short rappel and jumped off the ¨Tarzan Swing¨, a 50 foot drop from a platform that leaves you swinging through the canopy. I swore I would never do that again after last year (I was petrified), but in the end I couldn´t refuse the requests from the students to jump. I am such a pushover.
We had lunch at the hotel and packed up to go the the local high school where we were a part of a tree-planting project. Each of us planted a tree near the school in a forest that is currently dominated by cipress, a non-native species that outcompetes the local plants by secreting some secondary defense compound in the area around it. I was thrilled that we were able to plant a tree and rather excited that it all tied into ecological concepts to neatly.
We left the high school a little muddier and drove to Monteverde Centro to visit the coffee packing shop (i.e. your souvenirs) and the CASEM Coop a remarkable place where local women are able to sell their artwork and crafts for a fair price that goes directly to the artist. It was really my dream to visit there again (the coffee is great) and I´m glad the students were able to experience the coop and give them a little business that does so much good.
We just didn´t waste a minute today. We were back at the hotel, changed and on the bus for a night walk so fast I had to run. On our night walk we saw several sleeping birds including Brown Jays and a Swainson´s Thrush. We also saw amazing glowing insects, remarkably huge spiders (including an Orange-kneed Tarantula), leaf cutter ants, a huge hollow strangler fig, various katydids, a deadly night shade flower (which smells amazing) and the clearest view of the stars I´ve seen in ages.
All in all, this day was just amazing and we were all truly exhausted... as I write this it hasn´t really worn off. Hope you all are rested and warm back home.
Judy
Our first full day in Monteverde was amazing and incredibly filled with adventures. We started our day with a visit to The Children´s Eternal Cloudforest Reserve where we hiked for about two hours. The cloudforest is cooler than anywhere else we have been and our hiking was pleasant with many lovely mountain vista views. We walked quietly through the forest, eyes and ears alert to all around us... and it paid off. Soon enough we saw an Orange-bellied Trogon, a truly spectacular bird, perched on a branch right next to the trail. And then we heard the Three-wattled Bellbird, a truly distinctive sound similar to a gate squeaking open. Dan was able to play the call for us on his phone where he had the recording for his bird presentation. The bird seemed interested in having a conversation with Dan´s phone so we were able to get a look at it and listen to it for a long time.
We continued on our hike and stopped at two outstanding overlooks, tried to get a view of the Brown Jay (very common in Monteverde) and did eventually get a look at a beautiful Euphonia. Blue, green, yellow and positively delightful the bird waited for us all to have a good look. We took more data here so that we are able to specifically define the differences in climate we feel from Tortuguero. Sure enough, it is cooler and less humid.
After our hike we were off to the zipline. I really wish I could upload pictures right now so that you could see the looks of excitement on all our faces captured by Bob Ulrich as the kids zoomed along through the canopy. We had a great time and I hope to add the student comments I collected about the trip soon so that you can feel the enthusiasm they all had for this experience. Many of us also did a short rappel and jumped off the ¨Tarzan Swing¨, a 50 foot drop from a platform that leaves you swinging through the canopy. I swore I would never do that again after last year (I was petrified), but in the end I couldn´t refuse the requests from the students to jump. I am such a pushover.
We had lunch at the hotel and packed up to go the the local high school where we were a part of a tree-planting project. Each of us planted a tree near the school in a forest that is currently dominated by cipress, a non-native species that outcompetes the local plants by secreting some secondary defense compound in the area around it. I was thrilled that we were able to plant a tree and rather excited that it all tied into ecological concepts to neatly.
We left the high school a little muddier and drove to Monteverde Centro to visit the coffee packing shop (i.e. your souvenirs) and the CASEM Coop a remarkable place where local women are able to sell their artwork and crafts for a fair price that goes directly to the artist. It was really my dream to visit there again (the coffee is great) and I´m glad the students were able to experience the coop and give them a little business that does so much good.
We just didn´t waste a minute today. We were back at the hotel, changed and on the bus for a night walk so fast I had to run. On our night walk we saw several sleeping birds including Brown Jays and a Swainson´s Thrush. We also saw amazing glowing insects, remarkably huge spiders (including an Orange-kneed Tarantula), leaf cutter ants, a huge hollow strangler fig, various katydids, a deadly night shade flower (which smells amazing) and the clearest view of the stars I´ve seen in ages.
All in all, this day was just amazing and we were all truly exhausted... as I write this it hasn´t really worn off. Hope you all are rested and warm back home.
Judy
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