The last 18 miles of the road leading to the Monteverde is full of ruts and potholes by design, and takes over an hour and a half to bump your way in. The locals like it that way, and they choose not to fix it because then it would be a little too easy then for tourists to visit.
That may not sound all that hospitable, but it illustrates the emphasis Costa Ricans place on conservation. And the cloud forest, which I visited prior to Covid as part of an Overseas Ad
A flash of brilliant red, blue and yellow, and a loud raucous squawk, and you know you are in the jungle. There is nothing quite like the sight of wild Scarlet Macaws flying overhead or contentedly gathered in bunches in a treetop to give you the full feeling of being in the tropics.
Their distinctive noisy cry carries for miles, so you usually hear them before you see them. When you do sight a Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), they are a breathtaking rainbow of colors – fire engine red bodies with suns
We set out down the beach under a leaden sky stuffed with clouds. It was 8:00 at night, close to my bedtime (I know, I'm on Costa Rica "country" time). At first it was hard to see, with the nearly full moon sliding in and out of clouds; but soon our eyes adjusted to the dimness. A light mist began to dust us, and not a soul stirred nearby.
We were on sea turtle patrol.
Five of us were decked out in dark colors to blend with the night. Sea turtles don't like bright lights – and, ergo, light-colored
Connecting poverty eradication and environmental sustainability is the "make or break" for the world's future, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In this realm, small countries such as Costa Rica can rise to be world leaders.
"Small countries can pick up new ideas for sustainable development more quickly than large countries. Costa Rica is a good example of the path to be followed for the world we want," said Helen Clark, UNDP administrator.
The UNDP partners with people a
