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I'm on my way from Santa Elena to La Fortuna in a couple of hours and I'm not really keen on leaving... Santa Elena is a little (little) town close to the the cloud forest reserve of Monteverde. Four, five hours with the steaming bus on rough roads from San Jose, but so definitely worth it! The cloud forest is amazingly beautiful, I spent a few hours walking there yesterday in the morning and it was like walking in a fairytale. Thick greenery, linchens on the trees, the sun peering in through the leaves in sharp rays, misty clouds making everything drip. Also I went to see the sun set (in clouds - but hey, it's a cloud forest so what can you expect..?) from a place in the mountains and the view was absolutely indescribable. Rolling green hills as far as the eye can see.

Cloud forest and canopying

Elin Thyr
2006-08-26 12:07:42

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Hey everyone!

I'm on my way from Santa Elena to La Fortuna in a couple of hours and I'm not really keen on leaving... Santa Elena is a little (little) town close to the the cloud forest reserve of Monteverde. Four, five hours with the steaming bus on rough roads from San Jose, but so definitely worth it! The cloud forest is amazingly beautiful, I spent a few hours walking there yesterday in the morning and it was like walking in a fairytale. Thick greenery, linchens on the trees, the sun peering in through the leaves in sharp rays, misty clouds making everything drip. Also I went to see the sun set (in clouds - but hey, it's a cloud forest so what can you expect..?) from a place in the mountains and the view was absolutely indescribable. Rolling green hills as far as the eye can see.

I'm staying at a wonderful place called La Pension Santa Elena, a cheap place with shared kitchen, a really nice courtyard and front porch where there's a hammock battered from all the tired travelers... Oh, and also they play great music. Right now Coldplay's Parachutes is playing.

The other day I went on a night tour - we walked for a few hours with a guide in the dusk and dark and although we didn't see that much (a few tarantellas and birds - and ants) it was great just walking in the dark with flashlights. The moon was wonderfully bright and gave everything a strange spooky but beautiful glow. The fire flies made the forest twinkle. Also I did the canopy tour - going full speed (well, more or less...) in or over the trees on zip-lines, rappelling and a tarzan-swing. Wow, the adrenaline...

Travelling alone has it's up and downs - it can be very lonely, noone to complain about the heat on the bus, no one to talk to about the canopy tour later on... But also it's given me the opportunity to get to know lots of people, even if they're just breif encounters it can be hard to say goodbye and the people always give another light, a better memory of any trip.

Hm, what else. A while back (I've lost count of days or weeks...) Lisa and I went to Manuel Antonio which is a beach and a national park on the Pacific coast. We stayed in Quepos, in yet another very lovely hostel, and from the not very charming town of Quepos one has to take a bus, 15 min, over the hill to get to the beach. But definitely worth it - both for the money you save staying in the cheaper town and for the view from the hill. When we were there it got cloudy in the afternoons, but the sunsets they must have when it's clear.

On Saturday I'll be meeting up with my new-found Canadian friend (whom I actually yet haven't met...) to go first to Palmar Norte and from there we'll be working our way to Bahia Drake and to Parque Nacional Corcovado where we'll be hiking for a couple of days. I'm really looking forward to it because everyone says that it's very beautiful - apparently the virgin rainforest there is among the best preserved in the country. Just have to watch out for the snakes and endure the mosquitos, the rain and humidity. But it'll be a great experience for sure! I'll keep you updated...

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Pura vida mae!