MONTEVERDE HERE WE COME

We are now leaving Nosara and heading to Monteverde.  It is a town in the cloud forest. We have been to Monteverde before, about 25 years ago and we have fond memories of the place.  We have a four and a half hour drive; two and a half of it is on a winding gravel road up a mountain  It takes us six hours.  We regret all the driving that we have been doing this trip. The roads are just not good, there are so many that are not paved and full of pot holes.  If you come to C.R., then make sure that you use one of the small  airlines that fly throughout the country.  The flights are around $100 per flight leg and it saves you so much time and effort.  It is well worth it.  The Chinese are building roads left and right, but they are not finished as of yet.  Why the Chinese i!

Monteverde is a small town, really a small town.  What it has are two major ecological reserves that have been established; the Curi-Cancha Reserve and the Monte Verde Reserve.  We went to the Curi-Cancha Reserve with a guide.  The only way to go to this Reserve, because it is a Reserve to see birds and without a guide you would not be able to spot them.  At lease I would not have been able to see them.  We got to see the Resplendet Kiscal, two different types of Toucans and many different humming birds.  The next day we went to the Monte Verde Reserve and walked around looking for animals.  We did not see any to our dismay.  Very strange, but really not so, it was a very pat and unauthentic Reserve with too many trails with too many people in the Reserve. If the animals are smart and I think that they are; the animals intentionally avoid where the people will be while the park is open. 

So after Monteverde we are finally coming home.  We spent almost four weeks in C.R.  and we learned a lot.  We will not be buying a second home in C.R. even though we have talked about it for years.   We love C.R., because of the wild life; ie. animals, the birds, the beautiful vegetation and the peace and quiet.  We find this in C.R.’s Osla Peninsula.  This is a very remote area and difficult to get to.  I guess that is why it is the way it is.  It  is quit unbelievable to Lewis and I, that we did not see many animals in C.R. this trip.  As I said, we did see the Resplendet Kiscal bird that Lewis had wanted to see forever, but really nothing else to note.  But when we were in the Osla Peninsula the last time we realized that we could not buy anything there, because of its remoteness, the climate, the upkeep and the eventual boredom that we would soon come to experience.  It is in the rain forest and although you enjoy the dampness on vacation, it will get very old after a time. Also a home would require constant upkeep due to the moisture; things just start to disintegrate. When we were there last, there were no communities that would look after your property when you are not there.  So, the first thing we learned from this trip: we will go back to the places we really love in C.R. for vacation and we will not buy a home there. The second thing we learned was what to pack and what not to bring on our future year long trip.  That in and in itself are two important lessons.

CAR NOTE: Just so you know avoid the car rental company, Economy, they are a rip off.  The cover for the antenna on the roof of the car came off.  We did not hit anything and there was no scratches on the roof, so it must have been loose to begin with and when we brought it back they said we had to pay.  So for a fifty to seventy five dollar item that we found on the internet from the car dealership, they forced us to pay three hundred and seventy five dollars.  We paid, because we had to catch our flight home.  We used our American Express card so we had car insurance for such items, but it irks me to be scammed in that fashion.  I will try to contest the charge.  We did deal with a great car rental company in San Jose, named Natural Car Rental.  With this car, my husband did back up into a pole and take out the rear right head light cover.  We thought we would have to pay through the nose for that one, but they charged us one hundred and seventy five dollars.  Extremely fair and they were fast and polite.  I would definitely recommend this company.