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Published: August 7th 2007
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Hotel Belmawr
This was an ecoresort hotel. The decorations/linens were made locally at the CASEM. The hotel grows their own veggies, etc Papa arrived safely (after some help from Joyce…THANK YOU JOYCE). Papa’s birthday was March 24th…so we started off his visit with a belated happy birthday cake. Grayson (like he did with Mokey) wanted to “help” blow out the candles.
The next morning we headed out to Monteverde cloud forest. This is an area we had not visited previously. The last hour of the drive (30 kilometers) was unpaved, rutted roads. Papa and Grayson bounced around a lot in the backseat, but they were troopers. We read there is a reason why the roads are unpaved and the area isn’t easily accessible…..they would like to keep it remote and hard to access so that it maintains a bit of its small town charm. Monteverde is an interesting little town and the history intrigued us. Monteverde was founded by 4 Quakers from Alabama. The 4 Quakers were put into jail in 1949 after refusing to register for the draft. After they were released they started searching for a place to live peacefully. They were not supportive of the Korean War and liked the fact that Costa Rica had abolished their army. So, they left (along with other Quakers) the US and moved to
Papa's Birthday
Grayson "helps" Papa blow out the candles Costa Rica to find a peaceful, tranquil place to farm and raise their families. The Quakers purchased 1500 hectares that is now a portion of the Monteverde cloud forest. Some of the original Quaker members to this area wanted to protect the land from squatters as well as development. They started campaigns to acquire additional land. They petitioned for the land to become a preserve and the preserve is now 5,000 hectares. The Monteverde area is remote and the cloud forest is definitely a different climate from other areas of Costa Rica.
One of the guide books mentioned a hiking trail up the mountain (close to our hotel). The trail was a clear path because it is an access road for the cable company. Kilon read you should be able to see the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean ocean, Arenal Volcano and Lake Nicaragua from the top. The tour desk told us it was about a 2 hour round trip hike. We began with a wrong turn which added 20 extra minutes to the walk. About 10 minutes after we were back on track I was saying more swear words than a sailor! This was one wicked hike UP UP UP a
walk around the pond
Kilon and Grayson take a walk around the pond mountain. I complained the entire walk….Kilon would periodically stop and say “do you want to go back”. I refused to be a quitter, so I continued to complain and trudged on. We were so close to the top when the flying beasts appeared! Bumble bees for days. Not just one or two bees….I’m talking hundreds. Their homes were holes in the walkway and they were flying everywhere. We walked about 100 yards through the bees and I did not see an end in sight. I chickened out and wanted to go back. We never made it to the top, but it was one heck of a workout!
We rode on the sky tram which was 1.5 hour ride through the forest. You could stop leisurely to take in the views. We spotted one interesting mammal and lots of birds. It was a very relaxing way to view a forest without hiking.
On our last day…..Kilon and I got up early one morning and headed to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Since papa was watching Grayson we opted to get a guided tour through the cloud forest. We didn’t know what to expect because we had visited the adjoining ~50,000 acre
horses at Hotel Belmawr
We loved the horse mane on the white horse 22,000 Hectares) Bosque Eterno de los Ninos and were a bit disappointed. The guide was informative, pointing out wildlife and fauna and educating us on the terrain, primary and secondary forests, history etc. Apparently one large tree can hold 200+ epiphytes growing on it. The cloud forest appears to have a sprinkler system running at all times which makes everything thrive! We briefly spotted a quetzal which is a bird that is becoming extinct in Costa Rica. It is a beautiful bird. Sorry…no pictures because in a flash the bird was gone. Apparently the areas famous Sapo Dorado (Golden Toad) and 20 of the 50 frog and toad species have disappeared in the last ~15 years due to global warming.
We also visited the CASEM which is a group of local women who make beautiful embroidered and hand-painted clothing, souvenirs and other cloud forest flora and fauna (our hotel was decorated with items from this store). Monteverde also produces coffee that is not sold anywhere else in the country.
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