Monte Verde

So just to write about some stuff I left out…we did go and find the hottest hot spring and it was 152 degrees. It was pretty much unbearable to be in but most of us went in anyway. I started slow and found out that the feet were the worst part. Once you got used to the heat it was not that bad. I fully submerged myself in it and then had to get out. Everyone’s heart was beating so fast when they got out of the hottest one; it kind of made me think it is not good for the body.
When I left off I believe it was time to walk up the mountain. Not fun. I used to hike a lot more and I do not remember a mountain being so steep with such uneven steps. I think it would have been better if there were no steps at all. It was not a fun walk enough said. I think I would have spent 10 dollars for a bottle of water at the top but luckily they were regular price.
After the water fall everyone was beat but we had an evening hike near the volcano. We went to the place that had the best view of the volcano but unluckily the clouds had moved in and we could not see it that night. We could hear it though. It kind of sounded like popcorn popping from where we were. We took a hike to an old lava field and it was pretty unreal. This was our best look at some forest to this point and it was tight but we did not see any animals. The lava field was also cool. There were tons of rocks from the volcano and there is no way to describe it; it is just something you have to see.
We had a free night that night after dinner. We ate at a steak house that did not offer us steak…but it was good food none the less. When we got back to the hotel the power was out so we all legged it to the market for ice cream and other goodies. After the power came back some of us decided to check out a local discoteca….sketchiest place I have ever been to. There was like four people there besides us and one of them was a crazy guy that used to live in Arizona that is a Tico now. He had some negative things to say about the U.S. and some of its citizens and administers and he was just really creepy. We left that place pretty soon after we got there.
The next morning we took off for Monte Verde. The first leg of the trip was by bus. It drove us to the lake where we got on a boat for about an hour. Then we got in four small vans for tourists and traveled on some of the worst roads I have ever seen to Monte Verde. Apparently they like the small town so they keep the roads bad on purpose to keep people from moving there. Good strategy. The ride was miserable to say the least but we got to see some serious views traveling through the mountains and rolling hills. Pictures do not do justice for the things we have seen, this country is beautiful.
We ate at the hotel which could not be more different than the hotel at the volcano; there were 6 – 8 people per room with one bathroom for the guys and one bathroom for the girls at the end of the hall. I do not think anyone showered due to lack of water pressure and the bugs in the bathroom. The food was typical Costa Rican with some sort of meat, rice, fruit, and what Evan likes to call bean paste. We left shortly after for the zip line. UNBELIEVABLE. This was so much fun. There were 14 lines, one repel, and a Tarzan swing. The Tarzan swing was interesting because it was more of a drop straight towards the ground and then a jerky swing and I thought it was going to be one fluid motion. That was one of the coolest things we have done to date, as I said I think that will become a theme for everything we do on the trip, and the last line was about a half mile long. Sometime I could not even see the ground due to the clouds and it was raining so the visibility was even worse.
After the zip line we had dinner at a pizza shop. I think everyone needed that. The pizza was a nice change of pace from what we have been eating. My table had a blast and we do not even know why. Jamie, Chase, Morell, Stephanie, Paul and myself were responsible for one of the best hours I have had on the trip so far you had to be there though. After pizza we had a night hike. Surprise it was raining. My guide was really knowledgeable though so it was fun. We saw some cool bugs and plants and then we went off the trail with him which is a big no no, then we all killed the lights and walked in the pitch dark for a while, then we went to see bats and a tarantula. The hike was a little long and very wet but fun none the less.
Everything is always wet. The rain was cute for a week now it is just a huge hassle to deal with it.
The next morning we went on a morning hike to see birds mostly. I got some awesome pictures of quetzals which are pretty rare but they have a nest for viewing at Monte Verde. I am glad we visited the cloud forest but I think the best forest experiences will come this weekend at the Osa peninsula. Then it was back on the bus for a long ride home after we dropped la professoras at the airport so they could go to Cuba. We all went to the beach with our free days…because we cannot afford another $1000 to go to Cuba…but I will write about that tomorrow.
Hopefully Saul and Glenn make it back from Cuba alright.
I guess we will find out in the morning about the trip.