Monteverde: Take 2

Susan and I ventured out to Monteverde for a quick overnight visit.  The roads, as per usual Costa Rican standards, suckola, so we thought it might be best to split the drive up into 2 days (it's about a 2.5 hour drive each way).  We headed out Tuesday afternoon, so we could get an early start on Wednesday.

Although I had been to Monteverde before, our major activity on this trip was much different than before. On this trip, we hit up the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. We got a private guide, Osbaldo, who took us around parts of the reserve for some animal, plant and bird watching.  HOLLA!  Bird watching- my new fave activity (at least for the last 72 hours).  Osbaldo LOVES his job, and his excitement had us all geeked out.  We asked a million questions, chased him through the reserve hunting for glimpses of certain birds, and we learned a ton of cool factoids about Costa Rican plant and wildlife.  The 3 of us were jiving so well, that our 2.5 hour tour lasted about 4 hours.

Throughout this entire trip (since I arrived n CR), I have learned all kinds of really really interesting things about nature, and I keep saying, 'nature is cool,' and the more I explore, the more true that statement is.  Nature is totally fascinating! I totally dig it!

Anyway, after we did some hiking and animal/plant/bird watching, we headed back to Nuevo Arenal. On the way back, we stopped at 'Viento Fresco Catarata'-  a private park where you can take a tough hour+ hike, but visit 4 different waterfalls, and even pop in one for a swim! We arrived late in the day, so we were the only ones there.  It was really nice to enjoy the trails and waterfalls without other people around-  our own private falls and swimming holes.  The roads might stink, but the scenery in Costa Rica is always worth the drive!