Aero: Patricia Wallace – Costa Rica 2013 – Biodiversity
Aero: Patricia Wallace – Costa Rica 2013 – Biodiversity
Aero: Patricia Wallace – Costa Rica 2013 – Biodiversity
We couldn’t have asked for any better weather for our trip. Even when we were at elevations over 10,000 feet we didn’t get a drop of rain or experience any fog. When we weren’t in the mountains, the temperature lingered around 80 degrees. It was comical to tell our host family that it was snowing and 20 degrees in New York. I’m sure anything below 50 degrees is unheard of and bone chilling to the natives.
This trip allowed us to have many unique and diverse glances of the rainforest. Zip lining and the hanging bridges were quiet opposite of one another. Suspended and zooming across the canopy, zip lining provided a quick glance of the magnificent views below and above. During the bridge tour we had the opportunity to climb up a hollow ficus tree that was over 70 years old. We also took a night tour of the rainforest in Monteverde where we saw a variety of bird species. In addition we took an aerial tram that started near the floor of the rainforest and elevated to the top of the canopy. Out of all these experiences I could never get over how much green the forest truly presented.
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Elementary school set my hopes too high for seeing animals in the wild of the rainforest. Yet I did get my fulfillment of native animals at the Peace Lodge. They had a variety of exhibits that included an aviary, butterfly garden, monkeys, hummingbirds, and jungle cats. There was an area in the aviary where trained toucans would hop on your arm for a great photo opportunity. After all the animal exhibits there were several large waterfalls carved out between the rainforest.
Outside of the rainforests, Costa Rica certainly knows how to “go green”. As we traveled to different areas around the country I consistency saw trash cans accompanied by glass and plastic recycling. I have seen a little of this in the U.S., however I felt that it was much more prevalent in Costa Rica. While touring the Doka Estate and exotic wood workshop we learned that Costa Ricans waste very little material. At the coffee plantation they burn the old coffee bushes and coffee bean shucks to operate the coffee dryer. The wood workshop takes old tires and turns them into a string material that is used to assemble certain wood pieces. It makes me wonder what Americans are doing to become more resourceful and less wasteful.
– Patricia Wallace
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