I observed Goof-Off Day in the cloud forest. The big one. Which helped put Monteverde and, by extention, Costa Rica, on the world eco-tourism map. Even here in Monteverde this isn´t just any cloud forest. This zone, being in the mountains, has many micro-climates, but the higher you go, the more moisture and the air gets cooler. I noticed a lot of people wearing jackets and sweaters, even though it was just comfortably cool. I was just in shirtsleeves, but this could be more a sign of being Canadian, though unlike some of my compatriots, I draw the line at wearing shorts and flip-flops outdoors in January, Hell, I don´t even wear them in August!
This increased moisture and coolness has an impact on the way the vegetation changes. The trees are huger, but this could be because they´re old growth, and there are more ferns and moss, and vines and epyphytes and other plants that weave around, hang from and festoon and adorn every available trunk and branch surface so that it appears that every tree is elaborately clothed and costumed and robed each in its own particular finery. The denseness of the vegetation is indescribable. This is truly a majestic place, one that inspires awe and silence and reverance. Is it any wonder that this magnificent cloud forest has become such an invaluable cash cow to the Costa Rican government and people? There is an admission fee, as is the case for all the nature reserves in this country. Before you whine ¨Unfair!¨ keep in mind what the revenues do for the local economy. I do understand that the locals pay a much lower entrance fee than the tourists. For the privilege I had to shell out the equivalent of thirty bucks Canadian. Which is why I´ve been waiting three weeks to go there. I really had to tightly budget and save. Besides this, I know I would have regretted not going during my time here. When I come to Monteverde, even though it´s been four times already, I never know if this is going to be my last time. I want to take time to savour every possible detail, visual, audial, olfactory, sensual, of the cloud forest, to carry this home with me, and to let the wonder of the experience somehow translate into my daily life and interractions with others when I am home in Vancouver.
While climbing some of the steep trails I again took care to take my time and to pause to rest periodically. I did this partly in deference to my age. It wasn´t as if I feared having a heart attack, nor that I couldn´t do it all in one bound. Had I known how high the path went I likely would have done it all without pausing, but I didn´t know this, for which reason I thought it wise to go slowly and conserve my energy. It was worth it. It also gave me a chance to stop and carefully observe, absorb and enjoy the marvelous details of the nature surrounding me, taking in each fern, epyphyte, leaf, vine and detail of moss and tree surface. While observing the way everything grows, tangles and hangs together in the cloud forest I also noted how interdependent all life is in its indelible sacred balance, that there is a clear need that every living thing has for every other living thing. This could be a different model for seeing nature from the classic competition and survival of the fittest model. I think the way we perceive nature depends a lot on our own belief systems and how we´ve been influenced by our culture and history. Since the dominant economic, and in many ways, social and political, forces in the world have been so hugely influenced by unfettered capitalism, I think that many of us are going to view nature, and many other things, as a competition for survival and dominance. If we instead are more inclined to a gentler, more human world view then I think we will be more inclined to see the harmony and interdependence of all life forms, and this will also influence the way that we fit, adapt to and influence the world around us.
I was also impressed by the presence, or should I say, dominance. of moisture. As I set out on the road to walk uphill to the reserve, a distance of three kilometres, I noticed how the road became increasingly muddier, the higher I went. The sky was overcast, or should I say, that I was already, because of the altitude, in the sky, surrounded by dense cloud. There was a constant mist, not exactly drizzle, and everything was wet, even the bench surfaces, making it next to impossible to sit down anywhere to rest while hiking the trails. While it isn´t a particularly difficult hike I think it´s better for those who are already reasonably fit. By the time I finished the hike my shirt was soaked, more from the surrounding moisture than from perspiration.
I understand that some of you reading this would appreciate it it if I would post images on this blog. Well, all I can recommend is that you go to dear Uncle Google and ask him. I do not own a camera. There are reasons for this. For one thing, they cost money, which I prefer to save for these trips. For another, I don´t like taking pictures. I am a decent photographer, by the way, but for me there is something about seeing my environment through a camerra lens that cuts me off from my surroundings, and when I am abroad I want to be as integrated into my environment as possible. There is still another reason. A mere visual image, no matter how beautifully rendered, is not going to do the place justice. You really have to be there, to smell the damp fragrances of leaves, moss, earth, rotting wood, tree bark and flowers, and to feel on your face the moisture and to get a sense of scale of the enormity of the forest and the trees. In other words, Gentle Reader, God has given you an imagination. Now use it, please.
I must have been in the cloud forest a little longer than an hour and a half. I stopped in at the local Cafe Colibri, or Cafe Hummingbird, to look at the hummingbirds cracking-out on the sugar water in the feeders, then to stop in for coffee, a piece of cake, and time to work on a drawing. I will furnish an image of the bird I just finished
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It is a species of euphonia. Yes, that is its real name!
You wouldn´t believe all the attention this drawing attracted. As many as six people or more, from England, Italy, New York, and locals, stopped to see, comment, compliment. One even, with my permission of course, took a picture of the drawing. I was asked if they were for sale and said that I wasn´t really pushing for that, but that I wouldn´t turn down any reasonable offer. I did get the drawing finished after a couple of hours of, well, goofing-off! There were also a couple of small birds, a species of tanager, I think, but not brightly coloured, coming into the cafe to pick crumbs off the floor.
Yeah, two of these little guys. Kind of cute, eh? But I´m not likely to represent them in my art. I seem to do highly coloured birds better. But you never know if I might change my mind in the future.
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