Monday, March 10, 2008

Cloud Forests, Rainforests and Volcanos

Before I begin recounting our most recent exploits in Costa Rica, I would just acknowledge the grief present within the Carolina community as a result of the loss of Eve Carson. I know many of you were friends with Eve, or have been touched by all that she has done for the University of North Carolina, and I want you to know that I am grieving with all of you. The news of Eve´s death stopped me in my tracks and I haven´t been able to get it off my mind. What a terrible, senseless loss. I hardly know what to say.

Yesterday Molly and I returned from a 5-day trip that took us roughly 4 hours north of San Jose to Monte Verde Cloud Forest and Fortuna, home of the active volcano Arenal. We left Santa Ana in the wee hours of the morning last Wednesday (our cab picked us up at 5:45am) and arrived in Monte Verde in the afternoon, exhausted but ready for some action. We took it easy the first afternoon and evening with a couple of trips to the Frog Pond of Monte Verde, were we got to see all kinds of tree frogs, poison dart frogs, etc.

We went first during daylight hours, only to learn the frogs are more active at night, so we returned after sunset and actually did get to see more frogs. There were several highlights: first, the Cane Toad, which I remembered from a video we watched in AP Chemistry in high school. Apparently the Cane Toad, which is indiginous to Costa Rica, was, once upon a time, introduced in the sugar cane fields of Australia to eat the bugs that were destroying the cane. Unfortunately, our dear friends down under overlooked the fact that Cane Toads have no natural predators in Australia, and so the toad proliferated to the point that it became a very big problem. And by big, I mean the Cane Toads were large enough to start eating small pets like dogs and cats. Additionally, there became a problem with the youth of Australia who began ´toad licking´to get high, as the Cane Toad produces a kind of hallucinogenic mucus that coats its back. There were some particularly funny moments in the video (i.e. when an old Aussi woman showed her numerous Cane Toad pets that she had not only named, but dressed in doll´s clothing) that I remembered when we came upon the Cane Toads at the frog pond that kept me highly amused. Moreover, we saw some poison dart frogs that were tiny, cute, and deadly as well as some other very exotic looking frogs that I managed to get mediocre pictures of. The pictures are up on the picasaweb site if you want to take a look.

The following day, we went for a hike in Monte Verde Cloud Forest.

We were, unfortunately, a little bit disappointed with how developed the trails of the forest were, but at least they were developed enough for us not to get lost. We saw some monkeys, not sure what kind, both through the lens of a telescope (the picture below is of a monkey´s face seen through the lens of a telescope, though you might not be able to tell what it is) and also some that were closer to us.

I believe the were howler monkeys, though I can´t be sure. Additionally we saw some kind of large rainforest chicken... honestly, I am not sure what it was, as it looked like a cross between a chicken and a crow... We saw some hummingbirds as well. Other than those sightings, however, there was little wildlife and mostly we just enjoyed the lush vegetation and a break from the harsh sun.

We hiked probably between 6 and 8 kilometers, and were too tired to do anything in the evening other than shop. I bought some gifts for my family... but you will have to wait and see what they are!

On day three, we ventured into the cloud forest of Santa Elena, a nearby town, where we got to see the rainforest from a new perspective... the canopy. We walked on bridges that hung at the highest level of the forest, and we got to look down upon the forest floor rather than up into its branches.

It was definitely an awesome perspective, however, we didn´t really get to see any wildlife. When we were done with our canopy hike we headed to the butterfly garden, where the most amazing and beautiful thing was suprisingly not the butterflies (though they were spectacular); we were most enchanted by the cocoons, some of which looked like they were jade or gold pendants or jewelry. We even got to see a butterfly emerge from its cocoon, damp and new.

It was incredible. Unfortunately, a tradgedy also occured in the butterfly garden: my camera broke. No pictures after the canopy tour except for Molly´s. I am heartbroken. (But, never fear, my camera is at a shop in San Jose now, hopefully to be repaired by tomorrow, before we leave for Quito on Wednesday.)

I didn´t get to take pictures of my favorite activity in Monte Verde: horseback riding. We took a 2.5 hour horseback ride through to countryside around Monte Verde, which was breathtaking.

Our leader took us to a spot way out in the countryside in a pasture where we got to watch the sun setting over the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, which we could see in the distance, though it must have been hundreds of miles away. It was an amazing afternoon, an I got to put my horseback riding skills to good use. The only downside was the soreness the day after.

The next morning we embarked upon a journey to Fortuna. A jeep took us to the large lake below Arenal Volcano, which we crossed by boat to get to Fortuna. After a quick stop at our hotel to drop off our belongings, we headed out for a rainforest hike with a guide. We saw a rubber tree (and got to stab it to watch the rubber flow out) as well as some more howler monkeys. There were some slight differences between the cloud forest and the rainforest, but not much. Afterward we went to the base of Arenal Volcano, and after sunset, we looked on as lava began to spill over the top of the crater and splash down the sides of the volcano. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get any pictures, but it was an incredible sight to see.

I only wish it had been spewing a little instead of just spilling over. We ended our day in Fortuna with a trip to Baldi hot springs for a 2 hour long soak to relieve the soreness from the horseback ride the day before. Soothing.

Unfortunately, we had to cut our Fortuna trip short so we could get to San Jose for a camera repair, but before we left, we hiked out to gorgeous la Fortuna Catarata waterfall, where we actually ended up meeting a nice American guy who is staying in Santa Ana, as well, and has spent some time in Peru. So we not only got a beautiful view of a waterfall, but some travel tips as well. Oh, and also a good workout from the incredibly steep hike.

Now we´re back in Santa Ana, preparing to leave for Quito on Wednesday. Some complications have arisen, and may lead to a change in plans, but I will let you all know when it gets worked out. Right now it´s still in the air...

At lease the problems between Ecuador and Colombia have begun to subside (though I believe things are still heated between Venezuela and Colombia).

All is well here, hope all is well at home.


ADDITION: I forgot to mention our trip to the Jade museum in San Jose! The day before we left on our trip, we ventured into the grimy big city to find the jade museum, where there are all kids of artifacts from the cultures that lived in Central America before the Spanish arrive and colonized. The artifacts themselves were beautiful and interesting, but my favorite part of the visit was reading the horrible translations that described the exhibits. The best:

They made hungers that were reminiscent for the cults of the brats

We believe this may have referred to hangers that were made as idols for the cult of the BATS. But it could have been brats. We aren´t sure.

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