Back Road Whispers: Pura Vida - Monkeys, Butterflies and a lot of Green

Very little verbiage on this post - just some of the beauty of the country and some of its inhabitants. I wish I could have done it the justice it deserves.

Manuel Antonio National Park gave us an opportunity to walk through the jungle looking for monkeys, birds, sloths and of course the beautiful vegetation.

But first.....

The day started with me putting out my suitcase at some ungodly hour to be loaded on the bus. I opened the door and this greeted me.

That's my suitcase handle right outside my door to give you an idea how close he was. He took great interest in what we had in our room and if he thought it was worth dashing in for a quick shopping trip. A slammed door took care of that in a hurry. Not sure if this guy was part of the family or just a loner but soon we had Daddy, Mommy and Baby hanging around. Couldn't get Dad but got a couple of shots of Mom and Baby.

OK, off to the jungle - what we saw in no particular order or reasonable presentation.

These are two of either 6 or 8 babies. Mama crossed the road and turned around and told the kids, who had been hiding in the brush, to come on and not dilly dally. As you can see they minded. All of them raced across and then they ambled off into the forest.

On the way back to the hotel, which was gorgeous as you can see, I was stopped by the guard.

Not sure what I might have done but visions of eternity in a Costa Rican jail existing on stale bread and stagnant water flashed through my brain. Instead he put his finger to his lip telling me to be quiet and pointed. There sat this cute little Shining Honey Sipper.

Headed toward the room for a much needed and wanted shower after tromping through the jungle and my friend was waiting for me

After a quick game of peek-a-boo the shower was more appealing than his cute face.

On the way to San Jose that afternoon we stopped at the Manuel Ortega Aerial Tram for a view from above. While we were waiting for our turns on the tram over a transitional forest we visited the butterfly garden. Enjoy.

Too soon it was time to climb on the trams and soar above the forest. Different views from our tram.

Beside the tram cars was a beautiful flower. Beside it was another one that was just starting out. I thought it was on the way out but my guide assured me that the petals were coming from what I thought was actually what was left after the petal fell off. Below the three pictures is a testament to my mighty stature. I tried and tried to reach the camera up to shoot down on the flower - guess I need to carry a step stool from now on.

and here are the outtakes - oh well.

Time to get on the tram and soar above the forest. Some of these trees are 20 stories tall.

This is a termite nest made of termite spit and poop (think I will stick to brick and mortar). There is no danger to the trees they build their nests in because termites like dead wood.