23th of November
We left Liberia early in the morning and drove towards the Pacific coast, where we made a short halt at Tamarindo, a typical surfer-spot. It had a very western feeling and most of the buildings where either shops or hotels, which was a bit disappointing. Instead of a day on the beach wie opted to explore the Nicoya Peninsula, famous for its wildlife, but those plans where also scrapped when we discovered that there was a newly constructed bridge that would allow us a much faster passage to Monteverde.

The roads towards Monteverde are all unpaved. The locals disapprove any improvements on the street, as this would bring in more tourists into the area. We had a view "picture stops and arrived at the little town of Sta. Elena, the starting point to all attractions of the region around lunchtime.

The town of Sta. Elena has been founded by Quaker families(some sort of religious group) immigrating to Costa Rica from the United States in 1951. They came to Costa Rica because, beside other considerations, the fact that the country does not have a standing army. Surprise! US-citizens that don't like the idea of having an army, I bet those guys weren't supporting the Republicans.

But even Quakers, somehow have to maker their living, so there is a dairy farm and associated cheese factory which now produce over a ton of cheese a day. And you get to see a lot of cows running around, which is bad for the environment, as cows like grass and don't usually life in the rainforest.

Our first stop was at the Skywalk, we initially just wanted to visit the "Selvatura" Trek, which was recommended to us by a fellow traveler in La Fortuna. But after the guy at Skywalk offered us half-price (it's always good to mention the competitor) we decided to do both of the treks. The Skywalk is a complex of suspended bridges, platforms and paths, built within the Cloud Forest. These allow the observation of flora and fauna from ground level all the way up to the top of the trees. That enabled us to explore the tops of the trees, a world which is very close but yet unknown to most. The lush green garden of mosses, ferns, flowers, and epiphytes growing thickly on every tree was very impressive. At the end of the door we even got to see some hummingbirds.

On our way back to Sta. Elena we stopped at a marvelous spot to listen the sound of birds and watch the fog rising from the rainforest. First we thought about camping, but due to the wet weather conditions we decided to have a look at an Inn which was promoted on a dirty little sign on the side of the road. On the way to the inn we had the chance to catch an amazing sunset with superb view of Vulcan Arenal. The Inn was indeed very remote. The water was supplied by their very own spring and the electricity was provided by an generator.

The guy who was in charge was very friendly and we met Chety, a tour guide and Abel, a biology student who was working on his final papers. Both where also staying at the Inn. Chety was from Los Angeles and running a small agency in Costa Rica, he offered us an unique canyoning tour the next day. We got it half price, as he was still training his stuff and we where the first tourists to try their equipment. The hut we stayed in where basic, but the view was amazing. It was even possible to watch the eruptions of Mount Arenal at night.

24th of November
The best time to explore the Rainforest is in the morning, before the crowds start moving in, and we were lucky to be the first people at Selvatura. The rainforest was much more interesting then at the Skytrek area and the vegetation was even richer and more colorful. The mist and the clouds where creating an amazing and mystical atmosphere. Attached to the Selvatura complex is Central America´s largest butterfly garden, a giant dome, which hosts a magnificent collection of butterflies from over 50 different species found throughout the tropics. I had my own privat tour around the butterfly garden as Craig was taking more time to explore the walkway.

In the afternoon it was time for the cannyoning, which literally means "walking down waterfalls". I wasn't experienced in that kind of sport at all, but it was great fun from the very first minute. In the beginning I thought it would be scary to walk down a 35 meter high waterfall, attached to nothing more then a rope, but in the end I couldn't get enough of it. I almost lost my glasses when I slipped on one of the waterfalls and got under the water stream, but my travel-mate Craig did an excellent job in finding them again. At the last waterfall, which is called the "Dragon Mouth, I slipped again, this time I bumped a rock, which was a very painful experience.

After the return to our Inn and a nice dinner Craig and I visited Selvatura again. It was already getting dark and started raining when we entered the walkway. We where the only people on the track and it was a very special experience. I couldn't see much of the rainforest, sometimes I had no clue of where I was going or if I'm even on the track. The sound of raindrops, birds, monkeys, and all different kinds of animals was something I didn't experience during the day and altogether created a completely different atmosphere then during the day.

25th of November
In the morning, we joined Abel on tour on a freshly cut out walking way through the jungle. Abel hopes to find some new plants or animals around Montverde someday and to name them. One of the hills we climbed up on the track was the continental water shad, the water going east ends up in the Caribbean sea, and the water on the West ends up in the Pacific. Just like the Bohemian Forrest in the area where I live.

After all the wild rainforest of the past days, it was time for a very special garden next to Sta. Elena, the so called Orchid Garden. Like the name suggests, the garden is full of orchids, and contains more than 400 species including the national flower of Costa Rica, the "Guardia morada" and also the smallest known orchid species in the world. Abel once again was our guide and gave us an excellent tour and explaind a lot of things as he used to work in the Orchid Garden. The owner of the garden is one of the most famous and respected orchid-experts in the world. He discovered many of new species but he has never been to an university and learned all the stuff by himself.

We spend the rest of the day in the car on the way back to San Jose. At night we checked into the San Jose Backpackers again. There I met Kathryn, a girl from England who had been working in a hospital in Belize and was now traveling around Central America before going back to the United Kingdom. Like I always say: When you are on your own, you are never alone! Especially in hostels its easy to get in touch with fellow travelers and team up for a little trip.