Today I said goodbye to my Mama Tica for a few days as we left Heredia to spend a few days in Monteverde. The bus ride was long – about 3-4 hours, and I ended up sleeping for most of it. We did stop briefly at El Jardin, a gift shop, and I was able to pick up some souvenirs while there. During the rest of the drive over, I was woken up twice along the way, the first time was to see mango trees, and the second was a quick stop where we were able to see howler monkeys in the trees. A lot of them were asleep and stationary at first, but slowly started to move and hop around after a few minutes. Once we got to Monteverde, we were greeted by some pouring rain and a cooler climate than what we have been experiencing the past few days in Heredia. The scenery is a lot more green here, with more wild animals and bugs everywhere. 

We had a guest lecture after lunch where we learned about the Quakers and their impact on the country. One impact that Quakers have had on the economy and culture in Costa Rica is improving the roads here in Monteverde. Another interesting contribution that Quakers have made is bringing fine and aged cheese here. A German cheese maker offered to help teach how to process cheese and build factories around the country. Square dancing also became a big part of Monteverde, as square dancing events were held biweekly and now monthly. Quakers also contributed to the implementation of electricity in Costa Rica. Overall, this shows how the impact of the Quakers is very notable in Monteverde and Costa Rica as a whole.

It has been cool to see a different part of Costa Rica; a brief change of scenery with a very different climate. It is much cooler here than in Monteverde, and we even see some live animals from outside of our hotel room windows. The views are also really remarkable especially because we are up in the mountains. I am excited for the night walk tonight to see some nocturnal creatures as well as the Cloud Forest hike tomorrow to learn more about Monteverde.