A lot stood out to me on the bus ride from Heridia to Monteverde, and it wasn’t just the scenery. The surroundings definitely became more rural, and the population density decreased as we went into the mountains. There were mainly small houses, and I saw a lot of garbage around the homes and by the road, likely because trash is difficult to dispose of in these rural areas. The array of plants and animals continues to amaze me. On the night hike in the cloud forest, we saw countless species of insect, many types of frogs, and unique plants unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There also was a large orange bird. On the busride, we saw a huge troop of howler monkeys sleeping in trees by the road. I expected a lot of biodiversity when coming to Costa Rica, but not to the degree I have seen.

I feel like there is a similar socioeconomic divide between urban and rural areas as to what we see in the US. The people of Costa Rica certainly have less amenities and access to resources like we see in the community of our homestays. Regardless of their situation, people generally seem very friendly and appreciative that outsiders are taking an interest in their nation. The arrival of foreigners did not begin with the tourism industry, as we learned from Don Ricardo Guindon. His Quaker ancestors shaped the current economy of Monteverde with their attention to conservation after they settled the area and set up a cheese factory. They saw business opportunity with the factory, but eventually realized with the help of Quaker naturalists that the beautiful cloud forest could benefit them more when intact. This is when the shift began from agriculture to ecotourism in the Monteverde region. Foreigners like the Quakers helped local Ticos incorporate conservation into their economic approach, which has paid enormous dividends for both groups decades after European settlement. I was amazed by just how much of the area’s resources have been devoted to ecotourism. There are entire communities with restaurants, guides, and shops depending on the presence of tourists like myself.