Monteverde, finally

Ah, where to begin. The last couple of weeks were spent traveling around western Costa Rica and camping on the beach in Corcovado National Park and in a dry forest at Santa Rosa National Park.
Corcovado- Located in the Osa Penninsula, Corcovado protects one of the last of the country’s last remaining old growth rain forests. There, we were camped on a fairly secluded beach at the edge of the forest. We hiked through an old growth forest which is exactly what you would picture if you thought of a rain forest--high canopy trees that allow little escape for sun to the understory. It was gorgeous. Seeing those tall trees makes you appreciate the age of these forests and how irreplaceable they are. The destination of our hike was another gorgeous beach where we filled up our water bottles from a waterfall that dropped into the ocean. The following day we went snorkeling at a nearby island where I saw a reef shark! Some others also saw a sea turtle. In our free time in Corcovado, we spent a lot of time at a nearby waterfall and swimming hole. In total, we stayed in Corcovado for about six days. Every part of it was amazing except for the fact that it rained a couple of the nights, and, of course, there is no such thing as a completely waterproof tent…
On our way north to Santa Rosa, we made a few stops to learn about various plant and animal species. One of my favorites was when we stopped at a pineapple plantation to learn all about the pineapple plant. The lesson wasn’t completed until we stopped at a roadside stand and had some fresh pineapple. Many of our lessons include eating and drinking whatever plant product we are learning about. The other day we were learning about a palm that is used to make wine, so we were given a cup of some very sweet palm wine.
Anyways, on our way to Santa Rosa we stopped at a hotel for the night which we cherished after sleeping on the ground for the last week. The comfort didn’t last long as the next morning we did a hike and arrived in Santa Rosa that night. Santa Rosa and Corcovado are two very different places. Santa Rosa is much drier and more of a deciduous forest. Upon arriving, I was nervous what we would do without having the ocean, but I quickly grew very fond of the place. The cooks were amazing—I don’t think I have eaten as well as I did last week. It was good that we had all of that energy because we did many long and strenuous hikes. One of the best was a 16 mile hike to the ocean which included a view of the sunset from a lookout. It was one of the most colorful sunsets I have seen. At Santa Rosa, we also got a chance to learn about some Costa Rican history and visited a battle site where an American once tried to take over the country. Our last day at Santa Rosa was spent hiking near a volcano to yet another gorgeous waterfall. We then took the bus to the beach where we saw one of the last Pacific sunsets for a while.
We have seen very little of Monteverde, but I know already that I will love it. We are housed in the Biological Station complete with a classroom, kitchen, and computer lab. I have three roommates with which I share a bathroom. (I am so excited to take a shower immediately after posting this…) Tomorrow we have Spanish class in the afternoon and have the morning free to do what we choose—most likely mine will involve studying for the lab practical we have this Saturday. I can’t wait to get to know Monteverde better.
I wish I could tell you everything I have done in more detail, but each amazing memory blends in with the next. Costa Rica has already proven to be an enchanting place. I hope you are all well. Have a great week.