The Breathtaking Cloud Forest Preserve

Today I was able to travel up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve.  I was able to catch a bus close to my house to take it up to the preserve which is about 4 km away (up the hill).  I was here before with I was completing my EARTH University classes and we actually stayed here at the reserve but we didn't have any free time to hike around, so I had to make up for it today.  Since I am a volunteer in the area they let me into the preserve FREE which I was really excited about.  So I spent about 6 hours in the preserve about 5 hours or so hiking around and I completed just about all the trails.  I ended up hiking about 5 miles today which I was very happy with.  The nice thing about hiking by yourself is you can stop and see everything you want, and when you get tired :-)  Below you will see pictures of today adventures!

This is a really cool flower that I saw today.  It had fallen out of a tree onto the forest floor.  I have no idea what it is but I thought it was really neat looking.

This is me standing in front of the waterfall.  I have another picture like this from about a month ago but I figured another one a different day wouldn't hurt.

These trees I found very amazing.  It is hard to see but there are three trees right there growing close to each other that towards the top it just looks like one huge tree. 

This is a palm tree that I saw that had this crazy orange fruit (or flower) growing from it.

Although it might be hard to see if you look right below the cloud you can actually see the Pacific Ocean. 

This was another cool flower that I found!

This is me standing in the middle of one of the hiking trails, this one was relatively flat which was nice.

In the preserve they have a hanging bridge that takes you up into the canopy so you get to see all of the ephiphytes and other plants living in the tree canopy.

This is a picture of me standing on the continental divide right before I almost lost my hat.  There was an insane wind blowing up the mountain but I guess that was to be expected.  It was cool because the closer I got to the top of the hill and even walking out to the viewpoint platform all of the trees are a lot shorter and there are no real "huge" trees.  I learned that this was due to the wind coming up and over the mountain top that tall trees just can't survive the constant and strong wind. 

This was a really cool red mushroom that I saw on the forest floor.

This is me standing in front of another large tree on the reserve.

When I was eating my lunch I decided to go down to the humming bird garden which was spectacular.  I thought we had a lot of hummingbirds in Missouri in the summer but nothing compared to here.  At the garden they had 5 different feeders that they have to continuously refill all day long.  Not only was the sheer number of hummers spectacular but there were at least 4 different species that I counted.  Above you can see a very large hummingbird that was the size of a small bird where below is more of our regular sized hummingbirds.  It was so fun to sit down and watch them fighting for the nectar, and of course the large ones always won. 

Some Interesting Facts about the Preserve: (taken from the brochure)

-878 species of ephiphytes are found on the reserve

-Elevation range goes from 1840 meters to 860 meters

-Mean annual precipitation is 2,579mm

-Mean annual temperature is 65.8 F

-Only 3% of the Reserve's territory is opened to visitation; the rest is under strict protection

-Chosen as one of the seven natural wonders of Costa Rica (I can see why)

Tomorrow I will be meeting some friends of mine coming up from San Jose and will show them around Santa Elena and Monteverde.  They are going to be zip lining as well as bungee jumping (so I will happily watch from below).  This weekend we will be heading down to La Fortuna which is where Arenal Volcano is located and we are going to be there to enjoy the natural hot springs!

Insects at the Garden

Today I worked in a Native Garden at Monteverde Center.  At the garden we did a lot of pruning of the plants as well as transplanted and moved some plants around to new beds and to fill in some gaps.  While working in the garden I had the opportunity to see many different butterflies and other insects which you will see below.

Today I also walked up to the Monteverde Institute and saw this beautiful new building they are finishing up which is a new outdoor classroom.  This is a beautiful classroom with a very rustic gazebo but beautiful landscape with the rock walls.  I think if this were my classroom the first week or so I wouldn't be able to pay attention because I would always be looking outside the building!  Thursday I am planning on going into the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve where I had visited before to get another glimpse into the cloud forest ecosystem!

Centro de Education Creativa (Cloud Forest School)

Today I went with Willow up to the Cloud Forest School.  The purpose of today's visit was to look at the native gardens they have established as well as to look at a site for a new garden.  The new garden they want to build is going to be the Founders Garden which will honor the founders of the school as well as people who make donations to the school. 

This is one of the courtyards at the school which looks at some beautiful paintings done on the side of the building.

This is the future site of the new garden. Today we met with a landscape designer who is drawing up plans for the project.  At the end of the month we have a big volunteer group that is coming in to help us plant this garden.

This is one of the greenhouses at the school.  What I liked about it was all of the containers for planting were old milk and juice boxes so it was a great way to reuse.  Also the greenhouse was very natural looking with plants growing off the wooden support beams.  I wish more schools had this type of hands on learning.

And this is why it's called the cloud forest.  Today while we were walking around through some of the forest the school owns the clouds came rolling in very fast and the rain started. 

Some kittens have made the greenhouse their new home.  The teachers don't really like them around but the students love them, so I think they are going to stay for awhile.  There are 3 kittens in the box with one laying directly on top of the other one.

This is the Monteverde Center where this is a local arts cooperative, a whole foods store, and the gallery where my family sells their art.  Across the street is a very nice bakery.

This is Sury, the oldest daughter working at her families art gallery.  She sits here from 9-5 every day trying to sell their arts and crafts as well as make jewelry.  I went in and sat with her for a little while yesterday to get out of the rain.

I also walked to the Monteverde Cheese Factory and had some fresh ice cream.  It wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.

Today I will be going back to the Monteverde Center working on a native plant garden that is located behind all of the stores.  It seems like in the afternoon anyone that works outside stops working for the day and has the afternoon off since it rains all afternoon (usually).  This gives me plenty of time to get caught up on some things and time to explore around the area.  I am wishing that some of the rain we are getting could be bottled up and moved up and west to the horrible fires affecting Colorado (among other places).  Please keep both the firefighters as well as the people whose homes and livelihoods are being affected in your prayers.

Day 1 in Monteverde

Today I had a great day meeting with Willow and learning about the native plants organization that I am going to be working with.  I was also able to visit the Children's Eternal Rain Forest and walk around the area a little bit.  While I was there I was able to see about 30 white faced capuchin monkeys as they were traveling through the area.  I had some really great photos but somehow all of my photos from this morning were corrupted somehow so they were not readable so I guess I will have plenty of time to get more pictures later. 

I worked with Willow for only about an hour this morning and then I walked into Santa Elena which is about a 45 min. walk which isn't bad going into except when you have to leave and realize that it's all uphill.  I am learning that I will be walking everywhere which can take anywhere from 15 min to 1 hour through the mountains which is very good exercise! This afternoon from 2-5 I went to the Quaker Meeting House in the area and helped them in the library from checking books in to going through the donation box.  I learned a lot about the Quakers and how they live as well as had a few lively discussions with them.  As normal here in the cloud forest the clouds rolled in this afternoon and the rain came in which I had to walk home in but I shall get used to it.  Below you shall find pictures of part of today's activities (sadly minus the monkeys).

 This is a picture of my room.

 Here is the "closet" as well as a window that looks up hill into a pasture leading into the forest.

 Here is my very own bathroom with a nice hot shower which feels very good in the cool mountains. 

 This is the dining room with the kitchen in the background.  Every time we eat there are at least 8-10 people at the table.  The parents here are very good cooks and we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and not so much meat.

 This is a picture of the living room.  The two boys on the floor are always in the same spot either playing on their computer or playing Wii.  The boy in the orange evidently lives next door but he is always over here for every meal and the boy in the blue is a member of the family.  They are out of school for the summer so spend a lot of time running around outside or inside playing games. 

 This is a view from the porch down to the trampoline which is a favorite spot for the kids to hang out.  These two girls are also neighbors and it seems from when I leave in the morning to when I get back they are always jumping around on that thing. 

 This is also out on the porch and used as a bench we were putting on our shoes.  I just though it was a beautiful piece of wood. 

When I was walking into Santa Elena I looked back and saw the house I am staying in which is the one on the top left side close to the forest and the  field that I can see out my window. 

This was a view I saw walking into Santa Elena and it was nice because you could actually see very far, the clouds hadn't rolled in yet. 

This is a map of the property managed by the Children's Eternal Rainforest.  Below you can see the other part of the sign that tells you about the mission and the history behind this great organization (sorry if it is hard to read).

 This is a beautiful gazebo that I saw today on my walk that is actually an art studio.

This is the town of Santa Elena that I walked to today.

This is a cool insect that I found today carrying around a dead insect but I thought that it was very pretty with the blue colors and the two distinct dots on its back.

 On my way walking to the Quaker library we walked over this bridge which had beautiful clear water running through it.  On my way back about 3 hours later when it was raining the water was completely brown and filled with sediment. 

This is the library that I volunteered in yesterday.  I was able to work with some very nice ladies and learned a little bit more about Quakers and their lifestyles. 

Today I will be going with Willow up to a school where we will be laying out plans with some landscape design students for planting a native garden later this month.  This afternoon I am going to continue to explore and maybe hike around some of the trails.  If any of you have been to this area and have any suggestions on places to go, visit, tour please let me know. 

The Drive up to Monteverde

Yesterday morning I left San Jose on the 6:30 bus.  There is one thing that I learned and that is the bus stop is located in a area called Coca Cola and it is not a good area to be in.  I luckily was dropped off right at the stop so I was in a safe place but when you see a group of guys carrying around baseball bats and other various weapons you know you are in the bad part of town.  On the way to Monteverde we stopped once for a bathroom and snack break where I picked up a ginger ale for the rough ride ahead.  This time going up the mountain was beautiful because it was so early in the morning the clouds had not come in yet so you could actually see the landscape and forest.  Below you will find a few pictures of coming up the mountain.

And this is why it is called the cloud forest! Today I will be meeting with the organization that I am going to be working with which should only take about an hour and then I will have time to explore, I'm so excited.  The family that I am staying with here is amazing, they have a beautiful house in the mountainside and have 4 beautiful children (that speak English) and the parents as well as the children make and run an art studio in Monteverde.  So the house is always full of kids running around and the neighbor's children are always over so its about 10 people at every meal!  Will have pictures of the house and family up later.  The ironic thing is that the oldest daughter who is 20 is looking at coming to the US to get a forestry degree and guess what, Mizzou was at the top of her list!  It's crazy how some things work sometime so I am trying to help her by telling her about Mizzou and how beautiful Columbia is and how amazing the school is, so maybe by the time I leave she will have applied and might be coming to the states in January.  So excited to help her with this!