The turn of the year is always an interesting time. We say goodbye to the challenges and victories of the year before, and we take new lessons and a spirit of hope into the year to come. 

A Year Made for Thanksgiving. I read somewhere that Albert Einstein had said that the most important question that any person can ask is whether or not the universe is nice. 

What We’re Looking Forward to in December in Monteverde. It is December! In Monteverde, the sound of the wind hums in the forest. At times, it sounds like a stormy ocean. Every now and then a soft drizzle will cover the leaves in shining sunny droplets. 

“Sustainability in Monteverde is a state of mind, a way of relating with the environment embedded in the code of the people who have lived here since they were babies. It perfectly matches Costa Rica's aim to be a carbon-free country and the generalized national idea that all industries must be sustainable.”

The wind is blowing; in the afternoons, the forest looks more beautiful than ever, shining in its splendor while the drizzle makes everything shine. In its windy season,  Monteverde announces a time for gratitude and the start of a season dedicated to family and community. 

Conservation, Tourism, and The Future of Monteverde. Last week on our blog A History of Monteverde Part 1 we discussed the founding of Monteverde, drawing from Costa Rica’s incredible natural origins, to the origins of the nation, and finally to the founding of this small settlement grounded in the values of peace, education, and conservation.

The Founding of Monteverde. I live in paradise. It is truly heavenly in more ways than I can count. Monteverde is not only breathtakingly beautiful and strategically adapted for people to see it in all its splendor, but it is also a sustainable and supportive society. Here I feel incredibly safe. The community sense is powerful, and although I thoroughly enjoy my solitude, I am never truly alone.  

As a naturalist tour guide in Costa Rica and as the nomad I am, I've lived in several different places in and out of my country. There is nothing like Monteverde. It is as simple as that. At least not for me. 

In a previous article, I told you all about the meandering path that brought me from chilly Canada to sunny Costa Rica. Judging from the number of happy expats that I’ve met since my story isn’t as uncommon as you might think.