Tortuga beaches and hanging bridges in Monte Verde

Through USAC, we went on a weekend field trip to Tortuga Island and Monte Verde. We set out on Friday and headed to Puntarenas, where we met up with other USAC students, and took a rather long boat ride to Tortuga Island. 

Tortuga means turtle, and this island was once a favorite hideout for pirates! 

On the way we saw some bottlenose dolphins, but other then that it was uneventful. I really wanted to see a shark.

On the island we were fed a rice and bean meal, along with fresh cut pineapple and coconut. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of that!

We were allowed to go explore, but warned not to swat at any wasps, because the wasps there are called "choking wasps", and their stings had a tendency of making your throat swell up. You have about 5 minutes to get in the water or get something cold to reduce swelling, or you will choke.

With that in mind, we explored the small beach. There was horse riding tours, snorkeling rental, and boat rides where you ride on a raft towed behind a speed boat.

We found some lovely parrots and a scarlet macaw outside a tourist shop, and had to say "hello"

The beach was small and pretty, but also rather touristy  Not bad, if that's what you're looking for. I think I prefer a quiet beach, like in Drake Bay.

We found lots of crabs on the beach too, including this guy:

On the boat ride back, we saw these Olive turtles. They don't often hang about the surface, but as you can tell, these two were mating. The female kept putting her flipper over her head, like she was embarrassed to be caught. Our tour guide said he had never seen olive sea turtles on the surface before, and that we were very lucky to see them.

On saturday we hopped on a bus and sat tight for a very long and bumpy ride to Monte Verde. I had gotten a basic guide book for Costa Rica, and it mentioned that the roads to Monte Verde were in poor condition on purpose; they wanted to encourage more folks riding up in buses and group transportation rather than taking their own vehicles. It seemed to me the book was right, and I would not encourage anyone to take their own car. Bus rides are long and can be crowded, but they're cheap.

Getting cabin fever. Annie and I hop out at a gas station to grab snacks while Manda stays on the bus.

 The view driving up Monte Verde is breath-taking. Gleaming blue lakes in the distance, rich shades of green in the trees and fields. Monte Verde is an amazing place, and home of an extraordinary cloud forest. This area was originally occupied by immigrants from Alabama, who left the United States of America because they objected to the draft. They settled here and started a dairy farm, and as a result Monte Verde has some of the best cheese and ice cream around.

Once there, we settled in our rooms (I shared a room with a girl named Alyssa, she was with us on the week tour, and went to Puntarenas instead of San Ramon) and had time to explore a little.

Because of nutrients and other factors, in some warm climates oranges never get an orange peel but remain green on the outside. This was a lime, we plucked it off the tree and opened it up. But we have seen some green oranges!

Much to our delight, we were fed Pizza for dinner! (from left to right: Manda, Alyssa, me, Annie)

After dinner we drove up the mountain and got to explore some hanging bridges!

At the end of the walk, there was a humming bird garden, and I couldn't believe the different kinds of humming birds I saw!! 

Manda and I are talking in the background. Sounds like she was having technical issues.

After a day of hiking, we went back to the lodge and crashed. I was one of the first ones up and to grab breakfast the next morning, So I walked around looking for wildlife.

After breakfast, everyone (but Manda, myself and a couple of others) went zip-lining. I'm not at all into heights, and refused to go, but from what i gathered, if you ever want to go, Monte Verde is the place to do it. You zip-line over the canopy, sometimes with the company of howler monkeys who "cheer" at you from the trees.

Annie, just before she left to go zip-line. I think she's excited. 

 While walking on the hanging bridges, Manda and I saw a green tree viper. These are very poisonous, but rarely come down from the canopy, so they're not often seen, and not much of a threat.

After the days adventure, we got to go check out the town. Annie, Manda, Alyssa and I went to a Japanese restaurant, which was amazing and gave a very large serving. I got a crunch sushi roll, this is the size my dinner came in!

This is me not knowing what to do with my hands...

We also visited a Chocolate shop in town, which had great chocolate as well as a restaurant. They also offered a coffee and cocoa tour, which would have been awesome if we had the time. We also noticed there was a Bat Tour downstairs. We will have to come back for that!