Living in the Clouds

After enjoying the beaches and rainforests along the Pacific Ocean, we headed north and inland to the mountain community of Monteverde. Monteverde is tucked high in the mountains of northwestern Costa Rica and is renowned for its biodiverse forests in the clouds. The drive up the mountainside was a thrill in itself as our van bounced its way up the steep, windy, potholed, gravel roads to our mountain top destination. We were pleasantly surprised at the size of the town and the number of restaurants and stores that could be found at the edge of the cloud forest. It is always fascinating trying to figure out how people live where they live and the people of this community must be used to dragging everything up the mountainside.

We stayed in a wonderful hotel called Hotel El Atardecer which means sunset. We saw some beautiful sunsets since the view from our balcony allowed us to see all the way to the Pacific coast. The weather was fascinating since the sun could be shining but we would have rain as the strong winds, which never seemed to let up day or night, would blow the moisture from the clouds over the town. That meant lots of rainbows. We treated ourselves to a special dinner to celebrate my brother John's birthday at the Treehouse Restaurant which is built around a giant ficus tree.

We went on a nightwalk through the rainforest and saw everything from sleeping birds to hunting pit vipers to climbing sloths.

The next day we walked through the Seltavura Park on treetop walkways. Since the park was hundreds of metres higher than the town, we spent the day in the clouds which means we were very wet. The beauty of the cloud forest is something else and getting a little soaked was a small price to pay for the incredible views.

We also went on a short hike to see a giant ficus tree which was hollow inside and very easy to climb. There is no end to the beauty of this country from the trees to the flowers to the birds. Colour is everywhere in Costa Rica!