So after the long, action-packed day before…especially waking up at 5:15 am and not going to sleep until 1:30 or 2 am…I overslept Sunday morning waking up just past 10 am. Max jr was supposed to wake me up to go play soccer this morning, but he went to the wrong hotel (thinking I was at Camino Verde – where I would spend tonight) but instead I was at El Banco. So there was no knock on the door looking to motivate me to run around and sweat. I woke up to the sounds of rain on the roof, and water dripping into puddles on the ground outside. I stood in the doorway in my boxers and just watched the weather for a few minutes before finally getting in gear and hopping in the shower. Even though it was raining it was still 75 degrees and it was a warm rain…so not really disagreeable.
After showering, packing up and squaring the bill for the night, I hoisted my pack and set off for the walk to Max jr’s house, and hopefully some of his renowned gallo pinto; and a fresh mug of coffee from the co-op café. However, due to my condition last night all the roads looked familiar to me; and I wandered around in a light rain, climbing the muddy hills of Monteverde, looking for a landmark that would get me pointed in the right direction. Needless to say it was about 5 minutes before I was completely soaked, and my pack was getting heavier as it was getting wet, and tourists were driving by in their jeeps and range rovers and looking out at me like I was an animal to be observed on a safari “ohhhhhhhhh look jim…it’s one of those crazy American backpackers…the ones that carry everything they need on their backs, and wander around aimlessly as they attempt to grow scruffy beards and long hair.” And as soon as I started thinking like that I was laughing maniacally into the wind and rain, and concocting conversations for every car or truck that drove by me, attempting to splash me with mud or rainwater. Eventually my good humor paid off and I wandered into a part of town that I recognized specifically, and set my feet straight for Max’ house.
When I climbed the stairs to Max’s house they all looked at me like I was returning from completing the Appalachian Trail. As they sat in their warm, dry sweatpants, curled up on the couch and watching TV…I straggled in, soaking wet, dressed for expedition conditions, with hair wildly dangling around my crazy face. I smiled, they laughed…and said they were glad I showed up, so we could motivate for breakfast. Max Jr was still at the soccer game, though we would later find out that his truck had broke down so he had no wheels, and had to figure out a way to get the truck back to the house. Regardless, I dropped my pack, and we walked out to a little café near their house (Lorraine had no desire to go to her work café on her day off…so no gallo pinto con Max jr and no double espresso cappuchino to start the day. But the café we did pick was pretty chill, if expensive. They had some cool music playing – a group called Brazilectric; they had good coffee (I think it is impossible to have bad coffee in Monteverde); and they had tons of newspapers. So we all sipped our coffee, waited for huevos revueldo, gallo pinto, frutas y pan…and devoured the news. One thing that shocked me a little bit, was going to directly affect my upcoming plans, was that there was another earthquake in Nicaragua – 6.3 on the richter scale, and that it was directly affecting Omatepe, the two volcanic islands in the middle of Lago de Nicaragua that I was gonna chill on for a few days. After brunch, which was delicious, Lorraine offered to help me out with my bus ticket, cause I wasn’t able to get in touch with Ani to tell her I would get the ticket direct from Monteverde to Granada, Nicaragua…and that she didn’t need to buy me one. In the end I settled on the safest possible situation, and had Lorraine buy me the ticket, and I later found out that Ani bought me a ticket as well.
Oh well…so I left Lorraine with my money for the ticket, and headed back out into the cloudy, humid, windy day and began walking towards the Monteverde cloud forest reserve…which was about 6 km from their house. The bus came along, and I hopped on…paying the 75 cents to get dropped off at the park entrance. So with my raincoat, camera, and a bottle of water I paid my “student” entrance fee, grabbed a map of the trails and headed out into the cloud forest. I am a little frustrated now, for I know that it will be impossible to convey in words what this environment is truly like. One of the most unique microclimates on earth, Monteverde combines rainforest/jungle type setting; with adaptations which have occurred being at high altitude; and the altitude also causes the wind to whip through and the clouds to be constantly enveloping you in shrouds of misty moisture. It is all very surreal, and because I was alone without anyone to talk to, every so often I had to kind of pinch myself and remind me where I was. Anyway, just walking along these paths and breathing the air is euphoric, for there is SOOOOO much oxygen in the air due to all the plants and trees that thrive in this environment. With this dumb, awestruck grin on my face I walk along the trails and drink in the landscape…huge trees of many different types climb skyward, covered in moss, lichen, hanging vines, epiphytes (plants that live off the air) and every possible shape and shade of green leaf was visible. Every once in a while a splash of color breaks up the green and stands out against the background as a vivid red, or yellow flower or plant pestal. Along the ground, leafcutter ants wind their way in trails of thousands, the ones on the left are carrying large chunks of leaf back to the nest, while the ones on the right are headed back out from dropping off their last load to pick up a new one. Through the air soar hundreds of different birds of all shapes, sizes and colors…and their camouflage is sooooo good that you can only see them when they fly. Despite their amazing songs and bird calls the canopy of the cloud forest makes it impossible to see the bird sitting on a branch singing. One of the trails I took lead me to the edge of the top of a mountain ridge that is part of the continental divide that runs all the way from Canada all along the Rockies, down into Mexico, through Central America and down the Andes to Argentina. The rain that fell on my left, made its’ way down the mountainside, and through various creeks, and streams and rivers all the way to the Pacific Ocean; while the rain that fell on the right followed a similar course to the Atlantic. It is the only place I have ever been on earth that I have seen rain actually defy gravity and “fall” upwards. I know that makes no sense, but just bear with me for a minute while I explain. Standing on this continental divide ridgeline, exposed to the clouds, the elevation and the climate there is nothing in any direction to cut down the top of the wind that makes it’s way above the canopy. And the shape of the mountains, the strength of the wind, and the fact that it was small, light raindrops all combined to pick the rain up and blow it up the ridge and right into my face from below. Really insane, it took me a couple of seconds to figure out what was going on…and after a few minutes of standing there and being buffeted like a ship at sea in a storm, I realized how insane I was – laughed into the wind, and retreated to the relative calm being protected by the rainforest canopy. I followed the trail back down the mountain-side, winding through different areas of the park, until I came to a waterfall trail, that traced one of the rivulets of water that raced down the mountainside towards the Pacific. When I finally reached the waterfall and chilled out to relax I realized that I had been in the park for about 4 hours, and was getting tired, hungry and ready to get back into a little familiarity. So after a short rest and a pic or two I figured out on the map how to get back to the park entrance and began the hike out. As I reached the park entrance I was kind of numb to rainforest and didn’t realize until they started screaming right above me that I had walked under a tree with a pack of howler monkeys right above me. So I found a safe viewing location (cause if you get too close they try and pee on you, or throw you-know-what). I took a few pics, but was more intent on just watching them – cause I had seen so many monkeys up to this point. There was a mother who was toting around her baby, just clinging to her back…there was a couple of young juveniles who were chasing each other around, and leaping from tree to tree making lots of noise…and there was the big daddy – who had the deepest, most fearsome rumble of a howl that seemed to keep everyone else in line. I could have easily spent a few hours following and watching them, but it was almost dusk, there was no more buses or taxis and I had to walk the 6 km or so back to Max Jr’s…plus I was, cold, wet, and hungry...
...so I busted outta there after 15 minutes and began hitting the path back. Halfway back was the Co-op coffee shop that Lorraine manages and where Maximo works…I found Lorraine there trying to get the truck started...and helped her push the car so they could execute a rolling start; then went inside and had a double espresso cappuchino (perfection) and a delicious spicy beef empanada. After gobbling those down and feeling a little re-energized I started out on the last few km back to Max’s and caught the end of a great sunset from the crest of one of the hills out over the mountains with the Gulf of Nicoya in the background. I hit up the internet café for 15 minutes to check my email and see if Ani had sent any info about the whole bus ticket and meeting up tomorrow thing – which she had…under the heading of URGENT – PLEASE CALL ASAP. So I wrote down the number and headed off to Max’s. When I finally got back to Max’s my timing was impeccable; as fresh made hummus was on the table and hand-made burgers were just being placed on the grill. I was handed an ice cold pilsen, and gave Ani a call – of course by playing things safe, she had bought me a ticket, and Lorrain had also bought me a ticket…oh well…no worries…better to spend the extra $10 bucks and ensure that I would get to Nicaragua then to take a chance of having it be sold out. SO we confirmed our plans for the next day and I settled in to enjoy a relaxing evening, of good food, good beer, good company, and the good “green” environment of Monteverde (the green mountains) of Costa Rica. I will try and forget the part of the evening that consisted of watching “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle”…can’t believe that actually happened. Of all the things to do in Monteverde, I never thought that would be one of em. Eventually, I said my goodbyes, migrated back to town with my pack and got my $7 room at Camino Verde and set my alarm for 5:15 am again so I could shower and pack before my 6 am busride.
