Costa Rica 2000

Sunday, August 6, 2000  - Monteverde
 

After our Montevere Reserve tour, we went back to the hotel for lunch.  They served Octopus salad, fish, chicken, rice, beans, eggplant and a coconut dessert that tasted like flan on top.  Before we got on the bus after lunch, we saw a few Keel-billed Toucans fly.  Then in back of the motel we saw 20 or more White-faced Capuchins.  After lunch we went to the Monteverde Butterfly Garden.  It was the most wonderful butterfly garden I've ever visited.  In the visitor's center there were displays of all kinds of tropical insects including huge beetles and roaches, golden beetles and the assasin bug which bites you then deficates on the wound.  If you scratch it before you wash, you will die of an enlarged heart in 20 years.  Monarchs live here year-round and eat Asklepius Currasava Milkweed that has orange and yellow blossoms.  An American biologist moved to Monteverde 10 or more years ago and created this wonderful place.  After the visitor's center we was an amazing contraption built to attract moths.  I had always know to attract moths you needed a mercury vapor light (like on farms) or a black light, and a white sheet or wall.  At night, moths are attracted to this.  Here in Monteverde, a white wall was covered by a sliding garage door made of screen.  With the light on at night, the moths were attracted to the white wall.  Towards daylight, the door was closed, keeping the moths around so visitors could view them, and also protecting them from daytime preditors.  There were 5 buildings of butterflies, each maintaining a slightly different habitat.  We saw the Postman, Blue Morpho, species with clear wings and more.  The entire place was wonderful and educating.

As we were leaving the Butterfly Garden, I noticed 2 cows contentedly munching nearby.  The were in the road and eventually got in the way of other motorists.
Next we drove to St. Helena.  Main street is 2 blocks.  This is a photo of the grocery store.  It had a variety of regular grocery items plus an aisle of clothing, machetes and other local necessities.  The store looked fairly old, but they had itemized, computerized cash registers as good as any in the US.  The most popular ice cream brand in Costa Rica seemed to be Dos Piños.  I was surprised that they don't refrigerate the eggs.  A lot of condiments came in packages like our Carpi drink packages.  I'm not sure how you store the leftovers.