This is a Jungle

Today was "Insect Diversity Day". Woke up at 7am after pressing snooze for a half hour. Another late night and early morning combination that is cured only with a big cup of coffee. It was a beautiful cloudy and misty day. Packed up my daypack filled with water, rite n the rain notebook, camera (ziplock bagged), journal, and raingear. Strapped on my boots and headed for the forest with the rest of the group.

The plan was to hike through the forest, over the continental divide, to an insect museum on the other side. Although this was a hike through a dripping wet cloud forest on a rainy day without the prospects of a beach on the other side, this hike turned out to be the best yet. It was muddy and slippery. It was uphill and down, through a trail that hasn't been walked on in at least a few weeks: overgrown, crowded. Seemed like the forest was trying to reclaim the trail as we walked through it. Ducking under trees and jumping over branches. Pushing leaves bigger than my body to the side and diving away from thorns that could easily make you bleed. All while the sound of your boots squished and stuck in the muddy floor below and the sounds of birds and rain echoed between the shiny green leaves in front of you.

Beautiful.












Walked across a few bridges that looked like they were straight out of Jurassic Park.





Then we got to the museum. It was weird. Again, man caging animals. Sure, it is for education and likely conservation. But it is still not as cool as seeing these creatures free. Nonetheless, got some good photos in the butterfly garden.





All in all, it was a super fun day. Been in Costa Rica for just over a month. Went by real fast. In a week and 2 days, I leave Monteverde once again for two and a half weeks to go to the Caribbean coast and Panama.

These next few months are going to fly by...