#or like the quetzal bird which i think has the longest tail in the bird universe proportionally

[luimagines]

I thought I would show you at least the female version of what it's going to look like the male version I'm still working on I know for flight they have to have short tail feathers for easy flight but also really like peacocks maybe I could do something like how dear antlers shed an idea that I'm sticking to but had as well is that the bird that will be yours is the one that tries to kill you

[meanderful]

The Takeover Continues...

My takeover tactics backfired - turns out Helen and Sam were only too happy to outsource their updates to someone else for the time being and so (in exchange for on-demand milkshakes) you are once again treated to Jo’s take on our latest exploits...

Bosque Nuboso Monteverde

We headed to the tropical cloud forest of Monteverde. Upon arrival, we immediately got a sense of the environment - the howling wind, sheets of horizontal rain and thick fog enveloping the trees definitely added the ‘cloud’ to this forest. 

Our guide, Eduardo, started by setting the scene for conservation and national parks in Costa Rica. If you buy land in Costa Rica now, it is illegal to cut down any tree that you have not planted yourself. Costa Rica is remarkably ahead of its time in acknowledging the value of their forest, both in economic and environmental terms. The following infographic shows Costa Rica’s initial deforestation throughout the 20th Century and the subsequent turnaround since the 1980s.

Eduardo went on to impart valuable knowledge about the cloud forest ecosystem as we walked the paths. We saw where a mother hummingbird had tirelessly built her tiny nest of moss and spiderwebs ready for her eggs and we identified strangler trees which start life by seeding at the top of another tree, then growing roots downwards until they hit the ground, slowly taking over until the origin tree is completely enveloped and ceases to be. We marvelled at thorn bugs, incredibly camouflaged as they slowly moved along the stem of a plant, looking for all the world like a couple of thorns, and we shone a light (literally) on the huge tarantula safely hiding out in its hole waiting until the vibration-causing humans went home.

However, the highlight of any trip to a Costa Rican cloud forest was catching sight of the Resplendent Quetzal. These beautiful birds only live in cloud forests so can be found in just a few spots in Costa Rica. We were lucky enough to spot both a male and female quetzal on our visit. As you might expect, the male quetzal was particularly glorious with his fiery red breast, long blue tail feathers, colourful crest and yellow beak.

Parque Nacional Palo Verde

You’d think, this being our fourth national park visit, that we would be fed up of national parks. You couldn’t be more wrong. This is where Costa Rica comes into its own with its amazing diversity of ecosystems, which in turn support a wide range of flora and fauna. Each and every national park we visited presented its own unique environment and Palo Verde felt very different to the others because of the intense, dry heat. It was sweltering and we were all vigilantly on the look out for the ‘legendary mosquitoes’ promised by the Lonely Planet guide. I saw one mozzie, it was average, don’t believe everything you read.

Driving along the main track through the park was slow going despite me being on self-appointed iguana-watch: maladapted to cope with man-made vehicles, the creatures would sit still in the middle of the track, barely visible until you’d almost run them over, when they would then scurry across the road and into the bush.

We drove along until we reached our destination, the river. With no one else in sight we ended up on a private tour out on a motor boat with an excellent and very friendly guide. For me, being out on the water, surrounded by the forest and jungle inhabitants was one of the highlights of the trip so far.

After our boat tour, we explored the forest by foot too. Walking out on a platform into the wetlands, the wind doing its best to blow us clean off the walkway, we saw - and heard - an eclectic mix of birds. 

My favourite short hike was along a steep, rocky trail, gradually climbing higher until we emerged atop a rocky lookout. The 360 degree view, from the mountains to the wetlands to the river and beyond was spectacular.

Canopy Tour

One day, we awoke and were happy to mooch about the place with a book or radio or binoculars for peering at the hummingbirds (or all three). This was partly a choice and partly forced upon us; the night had been a windy and rainy one and we awoke to find our power and internet wires down and blocking our driveway. Eating cereal can only carry you so far and by late morning our house comprised of three grumpy tea-less Brits and two grumpy coffee-less zombies, who were thus delighted when the cables were sorted and we could venture out for supplies.

After lunch, Sam, Helen and I all headed off to take part in a canopy tour in the foothills of Arenal Volcano. Over the course of 12 wires, the longest being 430m long and 50m high, we zip-lined our way down the mountain, moving from tropical forest to open pastures.

Leaving Behind Mountains and Forests

On our final full day in Arenal, we were still without wifi thanks to the incident of the previous day. This wouldn’t have been much of an issue if it wasn’t for… football?! A recent joy in Helen and Sam’s life (and an intermittent one in Dad’s) was to tune into Liverpool matches. Nowhere nearby was showing the game, so our excellent property manager suggested we spend the afternoon next door at another house she manages where the wifi was good enough to stream the match.

More to the point (for me and Mum) the property had a pool, not to mention the luxurious pool-side terrace and glorious garden. It was a lovely way to spend our final day in our home away from home away from home.

This past Sunday, we packed up all our belongings, bid adieu to our casita and private tropical forest and drove the two hours to Playas del Coco, the beachside town that has been Helen and Sam’s home for the past two months. In the next ten days until the end of our family holiday, I only have two items on my personal agenda: beach and diving. It’s a hard life but I reckon I’ll manage.