Since arriving to Costa Rica on Saturday, I have been lucky enough to embrace the lifestyle in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Today, however, we ventured beyond the city that I was just starting to feel comfortable in to explore the beautiful rainforest of Monteverde. On the long, and somewhat terrifying, bus ride up to our hotel, we had to opportunity to see some of the other unique landscapes of Costa Rica. Just outside the central valley were rolling hills and mountains of the more rural regions in Costa Rica. Then, we drove past the beach, which was the first time in my life that I have seen the Pacific Ocean. Finally, we started our trek up into the mountains, which included beautiful views as far as the eye could see and easily distracted me from the steep drop of the mountain right below me.

Before this trip began, I had little knowledge of the Costa Rican landscape. I had never traveled to any Latin American country, so I just assumed the country was covered entirely in tropical rainforest which abruptly ended in beaches on the coasts. After today, I realized that my assumption was very wrong. As we left the urban areas, I saw more dry forest with less greenery and more rolling hills than mountains. In these rural areas, most of the communities were centered around the main highway we were on with open air markets and homes only a few feet from the busy road. Another interesting feature I did not expect in this area was that the bus system was still heavily present even once it seemed we were very far outside of the city. In the United States, bus systems in rural areas are not common from what I have seen. However, it does make sense to have it here since owning a car is much more expensive.

The next region we came across was the beach communities on the Pacific. This area featured even more open aired markets centered close to the coast and highway. We could also see a large port with big freighters just off shore. There were also even more colors on the buildings than we had previously seen in the city. This is also when I started to notice people walking around barefoot, which I later learned is better for dirt roads to avoid ruining your nice shoes. These communities looked more like what I expected to see in Costa Rica with their bright colors and quiet beaches.

Finally, we made climbed into the mountains and rainforest in the last leg of our journey to Monteverde. Small communities appeared every so often as we made our way up, all of which seemed very close to the main road, like in other rural areas we passed. Slowly the scenery changed as our altitude increased: from beaches to rocky terrain to the lush green forests at the end of our ascent. Finally, we arrived in Monteverde, which I could instantly tell was a popular tourist destination based upon its appearance. It was the most heavily populated area I had seen in a while during our trip and there were many hotels advertising activities. The scenery is even more beautiful than I imagined it would be, I have never seen so much lush green forest in my entire life. The people here are also not what I expected. Before today, I was unaware that this community was founded and developed by American Quakers from Alabama, who were seeking to avoid the draft laws in the United States. Their influence does give the community a more North American feel than other places in Costa Rica, with more English in businesses in town.

Overall, the multitude of distinct landscapes in this country surprised me, but I am glad that I was able to see an abundance of them on this trip. Now, I am even more excited to explore the beautiful nature around me in the next couple of days!