From Cloud Forest to the West Coast - What a Difference a Day Makes

I loved the cloud forest.  It's been on my list of places I wanted to go for a long time and I'm so glad I went.  I, however, did not like the road there, but I have a feeling I may not have seen the end of bad roads in this country.  I loved the view of my place in Monteverde, but my room was a box (literally).  I went from that to living in a round castle . . . well almost.  I am staying in Andre's home.  He rents it out and stays at a smaller place on his property.  It has a pool, a fully equipped and modern kitchen, a Jacuzzi tub, a shower with jets and rain coming at you from all directions and it's on the top floor and has a deck that goes all around it!  AND IT'S A ROUND HOUSE!!  How cool is that?  It is amazing!  I hated to leave today but wanted to try to catch a sighting of a scarlet macaw in the wild.  They've become quite rare and only exist in the wild in a very few places.  The park (Carara National Park) also has ruins of burial sites of the Huetar, one of the indigenous people that inhabited this area, but you need a guide to find them (I looked).  The guide wanted $60 so I passed on that.  I DID find a scarlet macaw though, even though he tried to hide from me.  It's been nice to have a kitchen to prepare food for a few days, but all will change tomorrow as I move on to Manuel Antonio further South.

The weather!  It went from cool and rainy - duh - a cloud forest to dry and high 80's.  Here at this house is nice because there is always a breeze, but in the jungle today not a chance and the heat was oppressive. This older man (I think American) with a world's best grandpa shirt asked which way was out and said he had been lost.  He was soaking wet!  I helped him toward the exit.   I'm glad he made it okay!

While no one, except for the people who live in this area, have heard of Lagunilla, Tarcoles is famous for the crocodile bridge.  People park on either end of the bridge to walk out and look down at a LOT of very big crocodiles.  If the height of the bridge and the traffic whizzing by doesn't make you weak in the knees, looking at these crocodiles - some over 12 feet easily, will surely accomplish that.  It is said that the reason so many congregate in this particular area is because the water is brackish and polluted from runoff from San José.  Crocs supposedly prefer nasty water!

A View Coming Down the Mountain from Monteverde

The Scarlet Macaw (I think he's trying to hide from me!)

A butterfly and a few more birds from today.  Sorry, I like birds but you can skip them if you wan

 

The guy below looks angry!

 



This is from about 40-50 feet above.  In the top slightly left of middle is a great blue heron.  They must not eat heron!