We are currently staying in a local neighbourhood in Monteverde. It’s rather rural and a 100 meters away from Bajo de Tigre, a nature preserve, which is part of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest.(which Oriana will blog about). Finding this home was somewhat challenging, as smaller towns have no fixed addresses. To find our rental home the address reads: 300 Metros Norte de la Fabrica de Quesos Monteverde, Costa Rica. Arriving in the nearest town, we called our host and met him along the road, knowing to turn after Stella’s bakery but before encountering the Monteverde Cheese factory. The home is a spacious three bedroom with two bathrooms. The home does not have closets, so storage is wardrobes and dressers. The floors are all tiled. The outdoor and indoor walls are made of concrete. The décor includes mahogany paneling on the ceiling and some walls. Mahogany is endemic in the area and is currently protected from forestry. In this part of the country, windows are larger as the temperature averages a high of 18 degrees in the mist and wind. There are no screens on the windows, as there is a familial fear of rodents and bugs, we have never opened them. We are also grateful for the weather stripping at the bottom of the outdoor doors.
most dangerous creature in our jungle
Typically, Costa Rican homes have only cold water running through the taps, although there is hot water in the showers. In this home there is hot water only in the shower, the water is instantly heated as it passes through the showerhead. To cool the water, you increase the water pressure. This device is often run by electricity. The shower is the same size as our typical bathtubs; there are no bathtubs here. The shower is slightly lower than the rest of the tiled bathroom. Lastly, TP goes in the trash.
typical “hot” shower in Monteverde
The outside of Costa Rican homes are minimally landscaped. They are often fenced and gated. There can be lots of natural landscaping. This home is kept rather private from the neighbours, as plants create a green fence. We frequently see laundry drying in sun and wind. We have experienced a new way to wash up the dishes. We were provided with a dish washing paste. It’s made out of calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium dodecylbenzensulfonate, sodium silicate and glycerin (to keep our hands soft). You swipe the paste with a sponge, scrub your dishes and rinse with cold water. It does not foam and uses less water to rinse. I could not find liquid dish soap in the local Monteverde grocery store. Is it safe, more effective and more environmental? I don’t know.
Its take several days and many hours to get this post out. The internet is sketchy and off grid. The rain and wind take it down frequently. The same rain mists our faces so gently you can hardly feel or see it. The wind moves the clouds on fast forward. The joys of living under a cloud forest.