Monteverde

Next stop, Santa Elena and Monteverde National Park in the cloud forest (so named because it's like the rain forest but higher in altitude . . . in the clouds). The mornings are very clear and somewhat cool. In the early afternoon, the clouds roll in and the skies open up with rain like I have never seen. The first day here, we explored the town and looked for geocaches. One was here:




The next day we visited the Monteverde Reserve and saw quetzals. Apparently, there are not many of them in the world and therefore it is unusual to see them. We had a good guide, someone with a good bird-eye in our group, and some good luck so we saw several. They were way cool. I love how we could take pictures through the telescope so they didn't look like just a spot in a tree. I also love how I could actually see the bird, which is not typical of my bird-watching experiences.

We also saw toucanati(?) or something like that feeding their babies.


This guy looks like a toy, but he's real.

Found this view at the end of a trail. The clouds rolled in just as I was taking out my camera . . . again.


There's not a lot to do in Monteverde at night, so we stopped by the local Mexican food restaurant for yummy chalupas with fries on top and played games with some of the other hostel guests. A good game of Nacho Loco is a great way to make friends!


On the last day, we went to Selvatura Park for a walk through the canopy on the hanging bridges, then headed off to our next adventure.