Day 2: Above the Clouds of Montserrat

     We had a good night's sleep our first night in the La Condesa hotel.  We rose early to have breakfast and start our first full day in Costa Rica.  Our hotel provided our breakfast and it was a wonderful buffet.  Rice, beans, omelets, toast, yogurt, cereal, sausage, fruits and more.  

    After breakfast, we helped load the bus and then we headed out for the small town of Coronado. The drive to Coronado took us on narrow, curvy roads that gave us a glimpse of the valley below. Tucked in among the vegetation were homes of the native people.

   We visited a very old church in Coronado while we waited to meet up with Margherita, who would take us up to the cloud forest. As we stood on the steps of a Gothic Church, built in 1929, a funeral procession exited in front of us.  It was met by the sound of Latin music blaring from the small park across the narrow street where a Zumba class and children’s soccer practice were taking place. The entire park was as big as one soccer field and teemed with activities, colors, and the sounds of life being well-lived. The contrast of the funeral and the festive park was a poignant reminder to live each day with the “Pura Vida” attitude.

 After taking a tour of the beautiful church, we walked the streets of Coronado towards the local farmers' market.  The farmers’ market takes place in every small town on Sunday, which is when people do their shopping. It is nothing like the cutesy markets with food trucks we have in America. There are fruits and vegetables in varieties we have never seen before, all lined up in rows along the street, displaying their best produce and products.

       Dr. Mo and Adrian had us split into shopping teams.  Each team was given some spending money and a fruit or two that we had to locate, request, and purchase.  During our scavenger hunt, the vendors allowed us to sample different types of fruits and vegetables. Once everyone completed their task, we headed back to the bus with our edible treasures. Throughout the day as we drove to and around the cloud forest, we learned about and sampled our different fruits and vegetables.

     Our drive to Monserrat lead us out of the city and towards the mountains that embraced the town with caring, protective arms.  We worked our way up the mountain on a narrow road, marked with potholes filled with dirt and water.  The bumpy ride had us holding on for dear life, laughing all the way.  We took curve after curve, slowly ascending the mountain, giving us an aerial view of Coronado below.  
     The vegetation began to change as we climbed towards the cloud forest.  The plants and trees that lined the road had huge, broad leaves that were a deep, rich green.  Our surroundings darkened a bit as we were swallowed by the towering foliage.  Away from the hustle of the small town, our senses became aware of the hum of insects and singing of birds.
We were able to travel by bus half way up the mountain.  The road became more and more narrow, steep, and uneven.  On our way up to Montserrat, we stopped at Rocil's Trout Farm where half of the group fished for our trout lunch while the other half hiked down the road to a beautiful waterfall.  While fishing, one group found our first Rhinoceros beetle of the trip.  Our guide, Adrian, and Dr Mo decided to have a snack before lunch!

After fishing and exploring the surrounding area, we hopped back on the bus and continued up the mountain towards the learning center.  The bus stopped in the small town of Montserrat so we could meet some of the locals and begin exploring the small community.  Currently, there are twelve families living in the small town.  Getting off the bus at the church, we were greeted by Olivia, one of the community board members.  She gave us a tour of the little Montserrat church.  Afterwards, we walked to Cecilia's house where she had prepared  trout caught by our group.  We sat in her home, family-style, and enjoyed our lunch.
 After lunch, we again boarded the bus and headed up the mountain.  The bus pulled up to the Montserrat school where we unloaded ourselves and all of our luggage.  All the luggage was then transferred to Margherita's truck called "The Dinosaur," a very old Toyota Land cruiser that has made many treks up the mountain.  Dr. Mo and Margherita drove all of our luggage up the remaining stretch of road, cobbled rock full of large potholes, to the Armonia Natural Learning Center.  Our group walked the remaining mile...or we were told it was a mile. It was a loooooong mile.
    As we walked towards the Center, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the valley below.  Birds chirped, tree limbs moved under their dance and flight, and we trode on. Finally, as we came around a corner, our group spread out by the task of the climb, we heard Dr. Mo and Margherita cheering us on and encouraging us to continue...

we were almost there!

    Arriving at the Center, we grabbed our luggage and found our bunks.  We unpacked our clothes and then explored the grounds.  This hide-away is nestled in the beautiful cloud forest northeast of San Jose.  Dr. Mo warned us this place would steal our hearts. It not only stole our hearts, but the views took our breath away.  

We were introduced to the staff that would be preparing our meals: Blanca, Lucia, and Wendy.   After our warm welcome, we were offered snacks and a chance to relax before dinner.  Many of us retreated to the hammocks in front of our dorm rooms, while others found comfort in the rocking chairs overlooking the valley below.  
   Our dinner consisted of rice, beans, tortillas, and chicken.  We had juice made from fruit grown on the property.  The meal was cooked on a fire stove and we sat family-style, enjoying each other's company and making new friends. 

After dinner, we headed out to search for owls.  We walked up the road towards the national park that borders the Center.  As we made our way in knee-high rubber boots, using flashlights to miss the mud and large potholes, Margherita played owl calls trying to attract the elusive birds.  In no time at all, our first owl responded and we enjoyed seeing the small screech owl.
    So many things happened today, and we have learned so much. We saw coffee beans growing in urban gardens, a Hercules Beetle, and an orange, spiky-fuzzed caterpillar on the underside of a Poor Man’s Umbrella, which is actually an Elephant Leaf plant. The leaves are well over five feet across! Some of us also held a “small” Walking Stick insect that was easily four inches long, but weighed nothing in our palms.

   We learned firsthand that the people of Montserrat are kind, generous, giving, and hard working. Everything they possess has been earned, recycled, or re-purposed. It is what we would call a very hard, but rewarding life.  These people are quick to smile, open their homes, and feed us portions that would satisfy a linebacker. We were so impressed by their love for their country and each other, and their eagerness to share it with total strangers.

      While all that happened today touched us deeply, many of us feel the trip is stretching us and requiring that we grow. We are definitely out of our comfort zone.  We don’t know the language, the local currency is confusing, and we are often aware that we are not “home.” There is nothing here that is familiar, save the cacti a vendor at the market was selling. We are learning that being uncomfortable is good, that allowing ourselves to experience things utterly out of our control is, in a weird way, freeing. This trip is most definitely NOT a vacation. It is an intense learning opportunity we are choosing to embrace and experience to the best of our ability.