Costa Rica - Monteverde and Carara
Yesterday was a very full day. We started out by taking a short hike at the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Preserve. It was not cloudy that day, but clear and sunny. The forest has not been protected for very long, so there weren't many old trees, but everything is covered in moss and there are tons of epiphytes or "air plants", including plenty of orchids. Our large, noisy (complaining!) group scared off most of the wildlife, but we saw a couple of birds, some neat millipedes and centipedes, and one plant covered with so many caterpillars that there wasn't a hint of green to be seen! We also saw many blobs of what looked like shaving cream on the tree trunks. It turns out that it's the sperm of a male frog; the female lays her eggs in it, they are fertilized and camouflaged by the foam, and voila! Froglets.
After the cloud forest we went for a canopy tour. I had the impression that we would be sliding along suspended cables in a leisurely manner, camera in one hand, peering intently into the treetops for wildlife. Boy was I mistaken! The canopy tour was an adrenaline-inducing speed ride several hundred feet in the air, no braking allowed. The strapped us into harnesses, helmets of questionable efficacy, and big leather-padded gloves, hooked us to big cables, and sent us zipping from platform to platform at high speed. I was nervous at first, but after a couple of tries it was fun and I got to look around at the beautiful views. It was like flying! They also had a "Tarzan swing" where we went swinging way into the air on a big rope - after a long free-fall! I let out a pretty good scream, but it was fun after all.
After lunch, we piled on the bus once more to go to the Monteverde butterfly gardens. Our guide was a postgrad from Utah who talked very fast and was really excited about bugs. I really like being around people who are that enthusiastic about something. He started out by showing us a bunch of other insects besides butterflies, andd the way he was waving around tarantulas, harlequin beetles, and giant cockroaches was somehow adorable. We also got to release some newly emerged butterflies. Emily's Blue Morpho liked its perch on her funger so much that it wouldn't get off, but the yellow one in my tub was so eager to escape that it never gave me a second thought.
Today was much slower-paced. We got up and started driving back to the Pacific coast. We stopped near Carara to look at the crocodiles sunbathing by the river. I though there would be one or two, because they're territorial, but no. There were at least fifteen! Some of them were absolutely massive, and there was a group of smaller ones staying a little clear of the big guys. I could have watched them for a long time, but it was just a brief stop before going to hike in Carara Reserve. We weren't allowed to enter as one big group, so we split up. My favorite part was that first few minutes in our smaller group; we saw several colonies of leaf-cutter ants, two lizards, and a couple of birds (none of which we could identify) in just ten minutes. Then we had to wait for the rest of the group. Between our thundering feet and the loud, irritating whining of the hung-over boys, we scared away pretty much everything. We did see our first coati, a raccoon-like mammal with an upright tail, and a couple more birds. When the professors got left behind a few of us managed to hang back with them and make a smaller, happier group. The constant complaining of just a few people puts a huge damper on the fun of hiking, not to mention they march along without taking time to look at anything!
Now we are at Punta Leona, a beach resort. Everyone wanted to nap when we got here, but I wasn't tired, so I went exploring by myself. It started to rain around four, but I figured it would stop soon, so I kept wandering, looking for the second beach. When it didn't stop after forty-five minutes I headed back. Tomorrow is a fee day at the resort and hopefully it will be clear - right now it's still pouring!
After the cloud forest we went for a canopy tour. I had the impression that we would be sliding along suspended cables in a leisurely manner, camera in one hand, peering intently into the treetops for wildlife. Boy was I mistaken! The canopy tour was an adrenaline-inducing speed ride several hundred feet in the air, no braking allowed. The strapped us into harnesses, helmets of questionable efficacy, and big leather-padded gloves, hooked us to big cables, and sent us zipping from platform to platform at high speed. I was nervous at first, but after a couple of tries it was fun and I got to look around at the beautiful views. It was like flying! They also had a "Tarzan swing" where we went swinging way into the air on a big rope - after a long free-fall! I let out a pretty good scream, but it was fun after all.
After lunch, we piled on the bus once more to go to the Monteverde butterfly gardens. Our guide was a postgrad from Utah who talked very fast and was really excited about bugs. I really like being around people who are that enthusiastic about something. He started out by showing us a bunch of other insects besides butterflies, andd the way he was waving around tarantulas, harlequin beetles, and giant cockroaches was somehow adorable. We also got to release some newly emerged butterflies. Emily's Blue Morpho liked its perch on her funger so much that it wouldn't get off, but the yellow one in my tub was so eager to escape that it never gave me a second thought.
Today was much slower-paced. We got up and started driving back to the Pacific coast. We stopped near Carara to look at the crocodiles sunbathing by the river. I though there would be one or two, because they're territorial, but no. There were at least fifteen! Some of them were absolutely massive, and there was a group of smaller ones staying a little clear of the big guys. I could have watched them for a long time, but it was just a brief stop before going to hike in Carara Reserve. We weren't allowed to enter as one big group, so we split up. My favorite part was that first few minutes in our smaller group; we saw several colonies of leaf-cutter ants, two lizards, and a couple of birds (none of which we could identify) in just ten minutes. Then we had to wait for the rest of the group. Between our thundering feet and the loud, irritating whining of the hung-over boys, we scared away pretty much everything. We did see our first coati, a raccoon-like mammal with an upright tail, and a couple more birds. When the professors got left behind a few of us managed to hang back with them and make a smaller, happier group. The constant complaining of just a few people puts a huge damper on the fun of hiking, not to mention they march along without taking time to look at anything!
Now we are at Punta Leona, a beach resort. Everyone wanted to nap when we got here, but I wasn't tired, so I went exploring by myself. It started to rain around four, but I figured it would stop soon, so I kept wandering, looking for the second beach. When it didn't stop after forty-five minutes I headed back. Tomorrow is a fee day at the resort and hopefully it will be clear - right now it's still pouring!