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Part 6: Costa Rica — A Three-Legged Thief, Capuchins, & a Gorge
(by Patti Day-Miller - March 24, 2008)
We had about a ten-minute walk from where we departed our bus to get to the gate at Manuel Antonio National Park—one section meant crossing an ocean inlet (at low tide, one steps into a little rowboat, for a small fee, and then walks to the end of the boat, stepping onto dry ground). Rolando had told us which of the three trails was the best for spotting wildlife, and he warned us that capuchin monkeys were very brazen and would steal anything left unattended. He noted that it was not unusual to see a woman running down the beach chasing a capuchin who’d stolen her purse, or to see one sitting in a tree tossing items out of a woman’s purse—a bra, a wallet, keys, etc.
We no sooner had arrived when we saw a three-legged raccoon steal an item from a woman’s purse. (Rolando didn’t warn us about the raccoons!) The woman was reading, leaning against a log, and her purse was to her left and slightly to the back of her. That raccoon took off in a hurry, deposited his treasure, and then went back for more, but by then others had warned the woman, and the raccoon ran off.
Some people decided to enjoy the beautiful beach and Pacific Ocean first; so they changed in the little changing room. We decided to hike first. Everyone deposited either their swimming gear/towels or their clothes/cameras on a table, which Rolando then guarded for the next couple of hours.
Dave and I hiked off to see what we might discover along the trail. I believe a sloth was our first sighting, followed by different of types of monkeys, many butterflies and more outstanding, tropical flowers. It was a long hike, and I was soaking wet with perspiration by the time we arrived back at the table, but it was a great hike, because we could again hear the jungle life, not just catch occasional glimpses of it. Then Dave had a refreshing swim in the ocean on that gorgeous beach.
When it was time for us to leave, a capuchin monkey, in a tree, was eyeing a table full of plastic bags, some with food inside, and I’m quite certain waiting for the right time to grab a quick snack. We also saw, as we were walking out, a mother raccoon with three or four offspring, who walked right across our path about five feet ahead of us. If one had a day to spend there, I can only imagine what wildlife could be viewed.
The tide at the little ocean inlet was a bit higher, by the time we left, and required two rowboats to get from one section of dry land to the other. When we boarded the bus, we were each given a box lunch (a sandwich and many types of fresh fruit) to enjoy on our drive back to Puntarenas and our resort.
Once back at the resort we quickly found a much healthier Allison (she’d been able to keep down a light lunch), and an enthusiastic Doug and Tyler, who’d been enjoying their day swimming in the many pools, as well as the ocean. Dave quickly went off with Tyler to watch him being tossed around by the ocean waves, while I stretched out on a lounge chair by the pool to tell Doug and Allison all that we’d seen that day.
Dinner that night was another huge buffet, where Doug helped himself to two large plates of mussels. We spent some time in the bar area that evening learning about the lives of some of our tour-mates. We had a great, and varied group of people on that tour.
To be continued in a future issue …
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