After
a week of being spoiled, we got back on the bus. Our next stop
was the Santa Elena / Monteverde area. Beautiful! Our
hosts, a brother and sister team, at Pension Santa Elena knew
everything about the area. They could even recite the bus
schedules by heart. The accommodations were very nice and Pension
Santa Elena was the backpacker's hub in the area.Below Left and Right: We were told by the sister that we had to do the zip lines, so we went with Selvatura, put on the zipping gear and zipped through and over the canopy with the greatest of ease. What a thrill! There was also an attraction called the Tarzan Swing. It is part free-fall and part swing. All I can say is it is impossible not to scream and can I do it again?!
We
spent one day hiking in the Monteverde Reserve. This is a very
well maintained reserve with a suspension bridge in the canopy, a view
from the continental divide, a waterfall and interesting insects, birds
and animals.Left: A suspension bridge in the canopy. It is amazing how much life is in the canopy.
Below Left: A remote waterfall. Looks like a movie set, doesn't it?
Below Right: There were butterflies everywhere of all colors. Our favorites were the startling blue butterflies, but we weren't fast enough to catch them with the camera!
Left: Speaking of blue insects, we discovered blue ants in the Monteverde Reserve.Below Left: A howler monkey keeping an eye on us. It took us quite a while to get this photo because he insisted on posing in a most immodest position. Let's just say; he is one big boy!
Below Right: Kamakazi hummingbird! We visited a hummingbird park and witnessed some awesome aerobatics. These little daredevils zoomed so close to us that we swear we could feel their wings touch our ears. Two of them chased each other between Pat's camera and his face. If this were the States, their licenses would be revoked!
