Monteverde to Liberia

Ok so we liked the night hike so much we awoke the next morning to go on another hike in Monteverde. (This proved to be a little more difficult than it sounds because the hotel was having it's annual Christmas party for the employees. Ticos like to party and it was quite loud that night! However, we managed to make it to the 7:30 tour. Our guide promised us Quetzals so we were hopeful. Our first Quetzal sighting was a female, a short way into our hike. She was pretty impressive and quite beautiful. As is the case with most birds, however, she paled in comparison to her boyfriend. After hiking to a waterfall and back---and visiting this really awesome tree---

which is actually a strangler fig that has completely killed it's host tree (they send roots down from the top--tarzan vines) so the inside is completely hollow.

We finally got a gander at not one, but two or three male quetzals. Here is the picture Isaac got--isn't he lovely? After a long visit to the hummingbird feeders (amazing!) we rushed back to check out of our hotel and get on our way. We did manage to stop at Sofia's--a really amazing restaurant in Monteverde--highly recommended!

So we drove back down the sketchy dirt road (which seems much less sketchy when its not raining) and headed toward our first couchsurfing hosts in Costa Rica who lived in Liberia. On our way we caught our first glimpse of Howler Monkeys on the side of the road.



I don't show it here, but there was actually a "mono crossing" sign (monkey crossing) beneath the tree in which we saw these little boogers. I guess they like it there.

Anyway, we made it to Liberia which is a large-ish town in Northern Costa Rica and we found our house--The Gato Tribe! Los Gatos consist of Reba, Jorge, and their daughter Ama. They were delightful. They have just finished building a beautiful house and were nice enough to take us to a gorgeous waterfall the next day at the confluence of two rivers. One river has crystal blue water and the other is clear. There is also a place where little six-year-old girls (and 36-year-old girls) can jump off into the water.


That evening Jorge, Ama, Isaac and I all headed to the movie theatre to see Avatar (movies are only like $3 there--and Wednesdays are 2 for 1! We said our goodbyes on Christmas Eve and headed for the coast.

Isaac and I wanted to find a place near Tamarindo because we had heard there was good surfing there and, more importantly, because we had read that this is where the Leatherback sea turtles come to shore to nest. There are many sea turtle nesting places in Costa Rica, but only the Leatherbacks are active at this time of year. Luckily, we managed to find a little cabina at Luna y Sol in Playa Grande and we're now waiting patiently for the turtles to come ashore (they say the average wait is 5 hours---ugggh! I don't know if I'll make it until midnight. Maybe since it's Christmas Eve, the turtles will be generous?