When I was a naturalist tour guide, I met a couple of amateur photographers who I traveled with for a while (I shared their passion for photography. We had been in different areas of Costa Rica and wherever we went, I could see their passion for finding beauty in the most simple places. But what they really taught me is that you can have and enjoy a photographic eye even without a camera (or phone) in your hand.

It happens every day in the sunny season. People in Monteverde gather in different places to see the sunset. There are a couple of spots with benches where visitors and locals get together and see the magnificence of the multicolored sky reflecting in the stillness of the distant Pacific Ocean.

A few days ago, talking to a friend, he was saying how indispensable his smartwatch was becoming in his life. From my side, with a different lifestyle and living in Monteverde, I told him I didn't have a watch since a long time ago, nor a clock anywhere in my house. I guess the phone clock is enough for me.

“Mom, I am going to take you to the best Italian restaurant in town,” my daughter said, starting the car when I first arrived.  She had lived and worked in Monteverde when the pandemic started and when she visited later on she treated me to the best dinner in Monteverde.

When we arrive in Monteverde for the first time, we may not realize how many reserves there truly are to appreciate the breathtaking nature of our region. 

Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.

According to the U.S. newspaper The Washington Post, “Costa Rica is one of the most versatile vacation spots in the world,” remarking the fantastic diversity of places you can find in our small country.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, established in 1972, is regarded as one of Costa Rica's most prized natural areas. This 4,000-hectare (9884-acre) private reserve safeguards a fragile and endangered ecosystem: the tropical cloud forest.

Costa Rica was featured prominently on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show  The actress showcased the natural beauty of Costa Rica during the premiere week of what has become one of  CBS' most popular talk and entertainment shows.