Today, we set off for the mountain community of Monteverde. The drive was beautiful but a little nerve-wracking as we had to drive up a windy mountain road without guardrails. However, the views were breathtaking as we could see all of the mountains and valleys from where we were driving.

On our drive we passed several smaller communities. These consisted of a few small homes, some random stores, and usually a school. Something that really stood out to me was that these houses and stores were set right on the cliff side in the trees. This kind of community was what I pictured a majority of Costa Rica to be like. Since there is so much emphasis on the environment, I figured many of the homes would be in more rural or forested settings.

I was wrong in this assumption. The cities of San Jose and Heredia are very similar to those in America and do not contain a huge variety of nature or biodiversity. Seeing Monteverde, though, made me realize that this kind of environment is the one the Costa Rican people are trying to protect. I now realize the importance of the sustainability acts and why they work so hard to maintain the beautiful ecosystem.