CH6 Monteverde

After a long ride down, the mountain (4 hours for 30 Km) we ended up in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This place is interesting for many reasons. Mostly because of the rare and interesting plants that grow there. The forest is inside the clouds all the time so the plants can draw water right out of the air.

El Torro River

This one was a big "check" on my life list. I've always liked water slides, nothing can compare to the insanity of natural ones made from volcanic rocks. Rafting on the El Toro was an amazing experience, I hope I get to go rafting many more times. Most of the rapids were class 3 with a few class 4. Very exciting. I don't think I'm going to look at rapids the same way ever again.

At one point we hit a trough and Ryan got pitched in the air, he took out me and another guy from Ireland. We all landed in the river but my leg was caught in the straps in the raft. Fun little moment like that made the experience all the more enjoyable. We stopped halfway down the river and ate some fresh fruit. Another time Ryan and I had to get out and push the raft backwards, I slipped on a rock and ended up underneath the raft. It's amazing how strong water is.

Fun quote "paddle hard if you want to see the monkeys"

Fun Facts: Machete in Costa Rica = 2000 colones or 4 USD. Pair of shorts 12 000 colones or 20$. Hamburger (with ham) yuka fries and a drink = 1000 colones or 2 USD.

CH 5: Arenal Volcano

This last one is from the back door of our hotel room/house thing. It erupted a few times when we were there. It sounds like thunder and the ground shakes a bit. Chunks of lava and rock as big as my house tumbling down the mountain.

Ch 4: This time.. TTG for realz

My dad shipped two suitcases with all my stuff! now I can share some of my OWN photos. Here we go: This first one is what the Tortuguero people's water side houses looked.

Ch. 3 Jesus Christ Lizard

http://www.flicklife.com/df30856386753dc21c4e/Jesus_Christ_Lizard.html

Ryan and I saw one of these guys from our boat. I later saw one booking it across a gravel road by the lodge. At first I thought it was a road runner!

Chapter 2: Sea Turtles!

The most interesting part of our visit to Tortuguerro was being able to see some giant sea turtles. Large portions of the cost line in this region are protected sea turtle nesting grounds. Getting to the protected area is quite an adventure:

1. Meet after sun down in dark clothes.
2. Take boat to secret turtle nesting path.
3. Pay 30$ donation to park.
4. Wait until the park warden spots a turtle.
5. Ninja your way though the back forest paths until you come out on the beach right by the turtles.
6. Use special red lights that turtles can't see.
7. Watch turtles lay 120 eggs!


We got to see many green sea turtles and a hook beaked one, which is very endangered. Seeing how many eggs get dumped out, you'd wonder why these sea turtles are having so much trouble! Only 1 in 100 make it to adulthood.

Costa Rica 1 Tortuguerro

Welcome to my Costa Rica travel story. I'll do a series of short entries with fun pictures and stories.

Chapter 1: Tortuguerro

After an interesting stay at the SanJose Tennis Club, Ryan and I were off to a national park on the north eastern tip of Costa Rica. This national park is a series of rivers, rainforests and wetlands connected by canals. There are no roads here. The canals were dredged in the 50s so the Costa Ricans could haul out the giant mahogany trees for the global lumber industry. After the virgin growth forest was cut down, secondary growth forest takes its place. Secondary growth rain forest in this area is thick (and I mean REALLY thick) jungle. Later as the trees grow, the forest canopy rises up nd blocks out the sun. In a few hundred years only 5% of the sunlight will reach the forest floor.

Funny Story 1a: On my first day in TTG I was woken up at 4:30 by terrible low howling and thrashing in the trees around my little tree house thing. I was very scared because whatever was in the trees sounded like 15 bears! I woke up Ryan and said "OMG what the hell is that noise outside the windows?" He said in a sleepy un concerned voice "it' a dog howling. Go back to bed". To which I replied "What the hell kind of dog crashes through the trees?" We found out it was two families of howler monkies that came to visit the camp and throw fruit at our cabin thing.

Funny Story 1b: Later that same day a giant palm branch broke off a tree and almost flattened me. Then even later, a monkey was throwing guava fruit at me.

Funny Story 2: At one point I saw a tiny blue crab climbing a tree. Did you guys know about tree crabs?