I forgot to mention something about the sloth. Since I wasn’t allowed to touch him, I had to pick him up with a blanket when I needed to get him off the ground. So I would put the blanket in front of him so he’d just climb onto it and then I could wrap him up and take him back to point A. After an hour or so, when I would do that, he’d avoid it like the plague! Amazing. He knew that the blanket meant getting off the ground, back to a place he didn’t want to go. Wow. That didn’t take long at all. So then I’d have to pick him up from the top, but then his little claws would cling onto the grass and it was hard to get him. Smart little dude.
So just when I thought it couldn’t get any cuter…check this out. I was holding a different sloth and he started licking his lips and then yawned. I noticed when I’d rub his head and neck he’d yawn again so I was able to catch it.
- Ohhhhh sooooo sleeeeepy
So my other days at work were rough…demanding physical labor in the heat…not so fun. I did gardening which sounds easy, but it wasn’t. I found this frog on a leaf. For some reason I can’t straighten out this picture though.
Then a small howler jumped on me which seemed like fun until he peed on me. Well, I held his tail out so I didn’t get much on me. Now I know…he will no longer hang out on ME again!!
So I come home after a hard day and it’s dark. Out of the corner of my eye I see something on the ceiling that just doesn’t look right. HOOOOOOLY GOD…that is NOT a roach, right!?!? Yep…meaty, gigantic, scary, DO NOT FLY IN MY FACE roach. I flipped. I actually did a video of this monstrosity on my other camera and I didn’t want to get any closer to it. Hell, I didn’t want to be in the same COUNTRY. Had I not been so exhausted, I would have stayed up all night wondering where it was. It was at LEAST 4″ long by 2 3/4″ wide. And that may not sound like much, but hold out your fingers by those dimensions. Wow. AND they fly apparently.
So I leave you with that. Those of you who THOUGHT they wanted to stay with me…yeah…maybe not so much anymore huh?
It’s nice that you are giving us the full picture. Those of us with noses pressed against the glass, just hoping to get a glimpse of our very late spring, might be getting a little testy thinking about warm oceans and adorable animals. Monkey pee and giant roaches give a little different perspective.
Big news…The Washington Post Travel section ran a feature article on Puerto Viejo, CR today entitled,” Cliché Free in Costa Rica.” The article, which is also about Cahuita, mentioned being awakened by howler monkeys, walks in the National Park, pedaling/walking toManzanillo, and swimming with the fishes. Beware, the DC tourists may be coming your way!
Janet
You know, that little sloth has captured my imagination. I love him! Does he have a name?
You can keep the roach!
It took me ages to figure out that the frog wasn’t a rock. Strangest looking frog ever.
I am ashamed to say that I had a monkey for a pet when I was a little girl. In the early 1950’s people didn’t think about the horrendous experience of transporting baby monkeys for pets – we were just ignorant. Anyway, Pepe used to pee on me constantly. Solution? I put a diaper on him. He was a Spider Monkey and I adored him. When I was about 12 I went to kiss him in his adorable little lips and he, of course, saw a laughing mouth with big teeth (in braces) and was terrified. He bit through my lip and wouldn’t let go until my mother could pry him away. Who could blame him! Moral of story – don’t kiss monkeys’ – especially animal ones!
Haha wow…yeah, I remember that monkeys were popular back then. Horrible looking back on it, isn’t it? Some of the monkeys (females) are so aggressive that no volunteers are allowed to be around them, especially the female ones since they see us as competition. Apparently they gang up and can even kill a person. Yikes. Remember that face biting incident from the chimp a few years back? Yeah…they like to bite.
I think that was Tyson…they named him that because he likes to bite a lot. Then there’s Fernando and gosh, a few others but I can’t remember their names now!?! Sun has burnt my brain out.
That roach reminds me of the ones in Houston!!! Ugh! Glad you’re enjoying your work down there. I’m enjoying your posts and pictures.
So… My dad sends me an email to me and Carey yesterday in regards to this post to give us an update on Stephanie. I’m scrolling through the pictures of the sloths and howler monkeys and everything is looking eerily familiar. You finally mention the Jaguar Resue Center and I immediately realize where you are. My wife and I have been to Puerto Viejo twice in the past 5 years and visited the Rescue Center multiple times. We are the people who usually want to go somewhere new on each vacation but love PV so much we always want to return. Both times we vacationed there, we stayed down at punta uva which is pretty much the other side of that stretch. I miss being woken by the sounds of howler monkeys in the morning. Now we’ll know someone the next time we visit!
Hey Jeremy!
Good to hear from you! It’s amazing how many people I know who have been to this area! I haven’t been to Uva yet, as I still don’t have a bike, but looking forward to going soon. Not sure how long I’ll be here…life is good but a little rough living in the elements, not really knowing Spanish and not having any income! haha. But we’ll see…