So how was the rest of Costa Rica?
Fantastic, actually.
When last I blogged from ten degrees north of the Equator, we were about to spend a full day driving from the Papagayo area up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. As the name might suggest, Monteverde is certainly located on a green mountain.
As we navigated up the windy, potholed, barely wider than one lane road, it became clear that in order to get to Monteverde, one really had to want to get there. No one would happen upon the place by accident. We were in transit for approximately 5 hours, although that included a stop for lunch. I was sitting toward the rear of the bus, so I couldn't see what an amazing job our driver did navigating our 46 person bus up such roads. I did have the honor to witness it first hand on the way down, however.
We checked in at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge. What a charming place. There are not telephones or televisions in the rooms, although both are available in the lodge. There is not air conditioning, but it was actually chilly and I had a hard time going to sleep because I was cold.
We had scheduled a tour of the Butterfly Farm as well as a Skywalk. In what seemed to be a theme of the trip, we were running dreadfully behind schedule. So, each person had to pick which of the activities they most wanted to do. Most everyone, including me, wanted to do the Skywalk.
I think I've mentioned before that I am afraid of heights. This was one of those times that I had committed myself to feel the fear and do it anyway. When we ascended the long set of metal, wet, windy spiral stairs I found it hard to breathe. This was not because of exertion, but because we kept going higher and higher. After reaching the top of the stairs, we immediately went across our first suspension bridge. That sensation was a little hard to get used to because the bridge bounces.
After the first one though, I was hooked. In no time at all I found myself looking straight down from the middle of each bridge. From many of them it was impossible to see the ground. I got way ahead of the rest of the group and took the voice recorder I use for my podcasts and just recorded several minutes of the sounds of the Cloud Forest. I think those recordings turned out well. I'll include a couple of minutes in an upcoming podcast.
After completing the Skywalk we asked our driver to take us to a supermarket in town. Libations were purchased and we returned to our temporary home. I recorded podcasts with the manager of the hotel as well as Traci, our Occidental Resorts rep. The Funjet folks as well as several of the other agents on the trip had great fun attempting to (and often succeeding in) distracting the interviewees. You'll hear it on the recordings. Only those present will know exactly what the distractions were. (What happens on a fam, stays on a fam.)
The remainder of the evening was spent on the enclosed balcony. We had music and great conversation and some uniquely fam behavior. Fun times.
Many of us stayed up entirely too late, especially considering the strict 6am departure the next morning.
Really, a great trip. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
In fact, I just may.
When last I blogged from ten degrees north of the Equator, we were about to spend a full day driving from the Papagayo area up to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. As the name might suggest, Monteverde is certainly located on a green mountain.
As we navigated up the windy, potholed, barely wider than one lane road, it became clear that in order to get to Monteverde, one really had to want to get there. No one would happen upon the place by accident. We were in transit for approximately 5 hours, although that included a stop for lunch. I was sitting toward the rear of the bus, so I couldn't see what an amazing job our driver did navigating our 46 person bus up such roads. I did have the honor to witness it first hand on the way down, however.
We checked in at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge. What a charming place. There are not telephones or televisions in the rooms, although both are available in the lodge. There is not air conditioning, but it was actually chilly and I had a hard time going to sleep because I was cold.
We had scheduled a tour of the Butterfly Farm as well as a Skywalk. In what seemed to be a theme of the trip, we were running dreadfully behind schedule. So, each person had to pick which of the activities they most wanted to do. Most everyone, including me, wanted to do the Skywalk.
I think I've mentioned before that I am afraid of heights. This was one of those times that I had committed myself to feel the fear and do it anyway. When we ascended the long set of metal, wet, windy spiral stairs I found it hard to breathe. This was not because of exertion, but because we kept going higher and higher. After reaching the top of the stairs, we immediately went across our first suspension bridge. That sensation was a little hard to get used to because the bridge bounces.
After the first one though, I was hooked. In no time at all I found myself looking straight down from the middle of each bridge. From many of them it was impossible to see the ground. I got way ahead of the rest of the group and took the voice recorder I use for my podcasts and just recorded several minutes of the sounds of the Cloud Forest. I think those recordings turned out well. I'll include a couple of minutes in an upcoming podcast.
After completing the Skywalk we asked our driver to take us to a supermarket in town. Libations were purchased and we returned to our temporary home. I recorded podcasts with the manager of the hotel as well as Traci, our Occidental Resorts rep. The Funjet folks as well as several of the other agents on the trip had great fun attempting to (and often succeeding in) distracting the interviewees. You'll hear it on the recordings. Only those present will know exactly what the distractions were. (What happens on a fam, stays on a fam.)
The remainder of the evening was spent on the enclosed balcony. We had music and great conversation and some uniquely fam behavior. Fun times.
Many of us stayed up entirely too late, especially considering the strict 6am departure the next morning.
Really, a great trip. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
In fact, I just may.
posted by Catherine Banks at 5:28 AM
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