Sloths, Monkeys, and Rainy Rain Forests

When I say Costa Rica, what comes to mind?

                             Mountains?

                             Coffee?

                             Coral reefs?

                             Rain forests?

                             Sloths?

                   Sloths???!!!  You mean like the guy in Zootopia? The one who was the clerk at the DMV?

                   Yup! The same!

                   Sloths are on the same level as Narwhals, just ask any kid!

                   So…. when we went over the projected itineraries of the various excursions in Costa Rica and saw Sloth Sanctuary……  well jam those brakes on and stop right there! Cuz, here we come!

                   It didn’t hurt that this Excursion also included an aerial tram ride through the canopy of a rain forest, a chance to see the tropical critters up close and personal.

                   Driving in Costa Rica is a classic case of “Ya can’t get theah from heah”. Well, maybe it’s not as bad as Maine, but the roads are narrow and winding because the places we were going were up in the mountains.

                    One way in.

                    One way out.

                   And there were destruction zones.

Oops! I mean construction zones!

Anyway, the bus was immaculate and our Tour Guide, Dan, (short for Daniella something) was awesome. We learned everything about Costa Rica, its government, banking system, standard of living, indigenous peoples, environmental policies, critters… flying, crawling, slithering, swimming, and walking. She had plenty of time to convey all of this information to us, as we had three one and half hour rides, to and from our various stops for the day.

                   Our first destination was the Sloth Sanctuary.

                   In all fairness, it was a Sloth and Lot’s of Other Critters Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Half-Way House and Hospital.

                   But, that’s a lot to fit onto a business card. The facility is staffed with volunteers from around the world who come and stay for various lengths and reasons. Our Guide, Beth, was getting experience before she applied to Veterinary School.

                   They specialize mainly in sloths, monkeys, macaws, and parrots. There was a smattering of some others, like the turtles, but they mainly stick to their specialties. The animals that are here for the most part, will spend their lives here because they (for various reasons) can no longer survive in the wild. There are some that they are nursing back to health, being careful not to make them dependent on that care, so that the animals can be successfully re-introduced to their natural habitat.

                   The tour was very informative, you could tell that these folks not only knew their subjects, but obviously cared as well….. a lot! When it was over, they provided us with what most of their inmates (?) ate on a daily basis.

                   Fresh Fruits!

                    It was all obviously delicious!

                   Back on the Bus.

                   Another hour and a half.

                   Up into the mountains, down a windy, bumpy, dirt (but graded) road we found the Rainforest Aerial Tramway and Butterfly Garden.

                   There was a certain familiarity to this place that I couldn’t put my finger on…. But it would eventually come to me later in the tour.

This was where we were scheduled to have Lunch. Our guide explained that it would probably consist of Rice and Beans, the staples of this area of the world and I was determined to participate, you know, immerse myself in the locality (even the beans). Paula on the other hand, needed no persuasion as Rice and Beans sounded absolutely glorious to her!

                   We got on the food line and much to our (my) delight Rice and Beans were just a small part of a great buffet that this place serves up. You could tell that they cater to the Cruise Industry as there were many large tables set under an open-air pavilion and the buffet line was geared for larger groups. They even had a system for identifying each bus and its passengers to facilitate the orderly process of moving us through the entire experience, from unloading, eating, tram ride, butterflies, gift shop (of course!) and back onto our busses.

                   Paula and I were the first ones finished and over to the tram. We had hoped to get the front of the tram (it sat eight or nine victims, four couples (2,2,2,1) and a single in the rear. Unfortunately (and thankfully) the experienced handlers knew how to set up a long, narrow tram suspended high above the ground, for optimum safety and weight distribution.

                   The heavier ‘tramsters’ needed to be in the center.

                   We did not get the front.

                   I knew that the French Toast I had for breakfast would come back to haunt me!

                   This tram is nothing more than a ski lift with no snow and no way to embark or disembark unless the entire lift came to a complete stop. Hence the “Fifty-Minute Ride through the Canopy of a Rain Forest”.

                   Now, please note that there two words in that very official designation:

                   Rain and Forest.

                   In our case, Rain was the far more significant member of that term. Maybe they should call it a Downpour Forest.  

Luckily, there is a canopy over each tram for cases like this.

Luckily #2, we had our Handy-Dandy-Emergency–Caught-In-The-Rain-Ponchos with us. Have you ever tried to unfold one of these things in a narrow tram when you are already wet (just try and slide that over wet clothes) and trying not to stand up and rock the proverbial boat?

          I helped Paula get hers on first.

          It went well.

          Then I put mine on.

          Backwards.

          This is where those suffocation warning labels come in handy as the hood fit very nicely over my face.

          It’s a good thing that the Poncho Police don’t get paid enough not monitor Tramways. It was embarrassing. The guy behind us was quite amused.

          In the meantime, our tram-mates could be heard, “There’s a butterfly!” and “I think I see a bird!”

Anyway, it’s hard enough spotting jungle denizens when the weather is good. In fact, these guys really don’t want to be seen. Let’s think about it. I’m in the jungle and I know that I’m just someone else’s snack. I’m gonna try my best to blend in and not make myself a target.

The snackers that are bigger than me and that are looking for me, are professionals at this.

So, what chance do a bunch of city yahoos have dangling way up in the air of spotting me?

          We are the laughingstock of the rain forest.

          Three quarters of the way through the tram ride we determined that the downpour was probably the best thing that could have happened as it gave us a story to tell.

          Then it happened. The lady in front of us….

          “There’s movement down there!”

“Look!”

“The tree tops! They’re moving!”

          That’s when it hit me!

          I knew where I got that feeling of seeing this place before.

          Jurassic Park.

          I also knew exactly what was down below us.

          Velociraptors!

While we were waiting for the cables to break at this very inopportune time, and upon closer examination, it was determined that it was a monkey.

So our drenched foray into the wilds of the Rain Forest was not for naught!

Not only did we see a butterfly and a bird, but now the expedition was complete, and we could return to base with our heads held high!

          And here’s the photo to prove it!

The Butterfly Garden did leave a bit to be desired. In fairness, maybe it was the wrong season for them as there were only two species available and we saw only one of those. But it was still fun, and the butterflies were huge!

After the Butterfly Garden we went along a trail that went through a Botanical Garden of sorts where we encountered The Bats.

Paula was still wet an hour and a half later when we arrived back at the ship.