Monteverde

"A local woman, otherwise known as a tica, waits in her car on the main street in Santa Elena, Costa Rica, Wednesday, June 30, 2010."

I am currently in Costa Rica for the first time and what an adventure its been in the first 24-hours.

Last night, I got in and traveled from San Jose to Monteverde - it's more than a three hour drive.

Not only did I have a busted down rental (got screwed over after making the reservation), but it was dark the entire way and the roads were sketchy.

From winding roads up and down valleys to the same thing, unpaved and one lane, it was no easy task.

Not to mention, add in litters of sleeping dogs in the street (I estimate I passed easily 50 stray dogs), lots of fog and bad windshield wipers, I was mentally drained by the time I got to the hotel.

But today was amazing up here in the cloud forest. And the main street has a lot of character.

And while I didn't shoot too much, boy does it feel good to just shoot for myself.

The Internet is in-and-out at my current location, and well, I don't want to be on the computer right now. My room has no a/c, no tv, no phone. Simply listening to the bugs and critters is all I need.

Check back for more, maybe, throughout the week.