We woke that morning with an amazing view of the countryside. Rolling hills of grass and trees with a partly cloudy morning sky. Admiring the view I turned as Leire started laughing. Look at the this! She exclaimed holding up the blanket from our bed with the image of a tiger.
We packed our gear into Jimmy and got ready to leave. I patted the friendly dog as Leire searched for the old hotel manager but had no luck. A man who stayed in a room a few doors down from us was heading off, having paid our bill the night before we left the key at the reception door and followed suit. The gate was locked, great, we’re stuck! Eventually the gate was opened and we were on our way.
We found ourselves after a seemingly short drive, at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Parking the car and ensuring it was locked we paid the entrance fee and were given a map of the park. There were heaps of different trails to follow and each had an estimated time to walk. We chose the ‘Cloudy Forest Trail’ or ‘Bosque Nubloso’ and headed off into the forest.
As we walked higher and higher the damp morning air started to become cloudy, we were walking in the clouds! Looking out over the edge of the path the cliff gave way to a vast expanse of dense forest. Green as green gets, stretching out in all directions and with another ridge straight ahead in the distance. It was truly an awesome view.
We came across a fallen tree that was hanging precariously over the edge. I surveyed the tree and figured if it was going to fall it would of done so by now and decided to go out on it, against Leire’s pleas to stay on solid ground of course.
I began walking along the trunk but was soon on all fours. The view below was impressive, one wrong move and I would fall into that void, and there would be no stopping for a good 300 meters. But the tree felt solid and I ventured further out. Reaching the end of the trunk I sat between the branches and just soaked up the moment.
In front of me was that amazing view, clouds and mist flowing by, a slight breeze over my skin, a huge smile on my face. Below was a lot of nothing and then the forest canopy. To my right back on the ridge was Leire filming me while trying not to worry. But she soon suggested I come back.
Breaking the spell of the moment I headed back to the beautiful girl waiting and worrying for me. I crawled like a monkey and reached the root of the tree. I stood and as I moved to dismount the tree I grabbed onto the roots for support and was shocked as it pulled straight out. I quickly balanced myself and held onto the root that thankfully stayed attached to the base of the tree, a very close call. We continued up the ridge stopping here and there to admire the views or look at different bugs, flowers and whatever caught our eye.
Reaching the summit we came across a ‘Dwarf Forest’. The trees growth stunted due to the constant blowing wind. A brief walk through the dwarf forest leads to a lookout. The view on one side was over the expanse of forest we had been walking up, I could see the fallen tree I almost died from. And far out in the distance we could just make out the Caribbean ocean. On the other side of the look out was a view of densely covered mountain forests. The view into the valley was again amazing and reminded me of Jurassic Park.
We walked back through the dwarf forest and continued along the trail. Trekking down we reached a red suspension bridge. Walking along we tested the bridge by bouncing along, laughing like little kids. We reached the middle and took in the view of the forest canopy just beneath our feet that stretched out in the narrow valley.
We were surrounded by forest which fills you with both awe and excitement and commands a revered attitude, for most, Leire and I were just too happy to be calm and quiet. We had our photo taken by a couple that were just leaving the bridge and as they left we continued our laughing and fooling about on the bouncy bridge.
A moment later and another couple approached from the opposite end of the bridge. We quietened down and behaved, taking in the view once again. It seemed as though the couple, who had just passed us and were now in the center of the bridge, where having a bit of a lovers tiff, they certainly didn’t seem too friendly. When we decided to leave the bridge we started bouncing along again and the woman shouted at us to ‘Piss of you asshole!’ Leire and I were shocked and once off the bridge started laughing and imitating the grumpy woman.
Unfortunately for us the path ended and we had to cross back over the bridge. As we passed the couple we both restrained ourselves from laughing and I from bouncing the bridge again. It was a good laugh and a memorable moment.
Back at the park entrance after a few hours of trail walking, and still with plenty of energy to burn, we decided to check out the Humming Bird Gallery that was a short walk away. I was expecting an avery full of humming birds, or at least a myriad of specimens. But all that was in the gallery were three pictures of humming birds amongst pictures of Jaguars, forests, insects and other birds. We looked at each of the pictures hanging on the walls and headed out past the merchandise and back to the car, where we had a sandwich for lunch.
Back on the road we headed for Liberia. After a few hours driving through various small villages, up and down hills and through rugged landscapes we decided to have a break. We stopped in Las Cañas at a small open bar.
Pulling up a stool at the bar we ordered two beers, 'dos Imperials por favor', and took in our surrounds. We were to the left of the bar and over on the right were a small group of old men watching the TV that was up on the wall in the corner of the bar. They were watching Jurassic Park with subtitles. I thought it was a bit of a coincidence considering I had been reminded of that movie while up in the cloud forest. Each of the walls had a different picture of a scantily clad woman promoting beer or who knows what. Behind us sat a lonely old lady wearing a lovely dress and looking very out of place, almost as though she was on a date but had been stood up.
Finishing our first beer we were quickly onto our second. We sat talking about the events of the day and eventually about other personal things. Leire and I barely knew each other at this point. Even though we had spent three brief days in Miami together, and had daily online chats and phone calls in the months before coming to Costa Rica, we were still so intrigued with each other.
To me it was like a first date, I wanted to just listen to Leire and learn all about her. The more she spoke the more I fell for her. There I was in Costa Rica, talking with a beautiful and interesting girl, perfect weather and tasty beer. I was blissfully happy and had to restrain myself from smothering her with kisses, she looked irresistible, her accent was enchanting and her lips looked so soft.
Beer number three and the toilet called us. Leire disappeared behind a dodgy wooden door that looked ready to fall off. I entered through a similarly dodgy looking door into a tiny square room which I had first mistaken for a storage room. I’m not sure how bad the female toilet was but the mens was terrible. The wall lacked a urinal, instead the slanted floor lead to a small crack in the corner which I assumed was the drain…
We finished our beers and contemplated another but decide to hit the road instead. We were both giggling tipsy as we left the bar and decided to take a seat in the town square instead. We sat on a bench under a palm tree and watched the locals milling about. It was a quiet and warm afternoon, perfect weather, perfect company.
Another few hours drive later and we came to Liberia and made a pitstop at the local burger king. We weren’t hungry but the beers were taking there toll and we needed to relieve ourselves. I wouldn’t usually remember a specific toilet stop but this one was certainly memorable as it was a unisex toilet. I entered and then left immediately, thinking it was the female toilet. I walked out the side door into the alley way and looked for the mens, no luck. Back inside I saw a guy walk into the toilet and thought, oh well.
Another hour drive up the road and we came to police check point. La Cruz is a border town to Nicaragua and so police check passports and that you’re not trying to smuggle anything across the border. Seeing that we were a couple of tourists we got waved through.
La Cruz is small. The main road branched off into two streets, the first had a petrol station on the corner marking it as our street according to our directions. Checking in at our hotel the manager lady was surprised at our arrival and said she didn’t have a reservation for us but that there was plenty of room.
The room was nice. A queen sized bed, TV, and a small bar area too where I setup the laptop to view the days photos. Being a hotel there was no kitchen facility so we had to improvise for dinner. Leire tried out one of my creations, Peanut Butter and Vegemite on toast and she liked it!
Come 9pm we were passed out..
