Day 3 Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Centro America

At 7a.m. we walked down the path to Richard's (American caretaker of our vrbo who has lived in CR for 15 years) house. He took us to the Cloud Forest Reserve in his vehicle. We climbed and climbed to about 5,000 feet.  He was our guide for the morning. After paying the entrance fee, we walked around on the different trails viewing the flora and fauna. It was raining during our 3 hour journey.  Luck was with us though. We got to see and hear holler monkeys and be awed by the majestic bird called the Resplendent Quetzal hiding up in the dense canopy. Having binoculars was important. Without Richard's keen eye, I don't think we would have seen the monkeys or birds.  At the hummingbird garden, the hummingbirds thought that the bright orange whistle attached to my backpack was a flower and they tried to sip nectar!  At first it scared me, but after awhile, I liked it. Bob tried to take a picture, but they were too FAST! We took a short break for a cup of coffee at a little Reseve Cafe. I have to say that the coffee here is THE best. Yum. Every cup has tasted delicious. How do you like the mariposa design on my cafe con leche?

After our morning hike, Jalapeno steak and vegetables and a cerveza tasted mighty good at Don Juan's Coffee Plantation Cafe. Richard took us to a travel place to arrange our van to Manuel Antonio on Dec. 9th. I rode in the back of Richard's vehicle on the way home. Quite the bumpy experience! He had to gas up, so we stopped and got a gallon of gas. He has a unique car and inside gas tank,  to say the least.  When we got home, we walked around our gardens viewing the orchids, pointsettias, etc. and gave Richard's cat Jasper some strokes. Since we had a grande lunch, we were content with snacks instead of dinner.

So far, the fresh air and busy days have sent us to bed early and have not danced at Das Gringos Bar.