Tales From the Cloud Forest Part III: Las Chicas Aventureras y Skippy Jon Jones
Today was a full day. I'm exhausted, but satisfied. One thing that is great about this style of tour is not everybody in the group has to do the same thing. Our two companions opted to do something else while Tori and I went on what was called "The Safari Float." All morning we were gently floating in a raft in a nearby river, while our guide, the fabulous Hugo, showed us all the animals around. We got to see the "blue jeans frog". This is a red frog with blue legs that will make you hallucinate if you lick it. We saw a crocodile and a caiman....which is kind of a crocodile's mini-me. There were several brightly colored birds and butterflies. We also saw a baselisk....and lived to tell the tale. I found this especially amusing as one of Tori's nickname's is Professor Grundle, as her name sounds like she should be teaching in Hogwarts....I'm thinking in the Slytherin House due to her fondness for snakes. The nickname for the baselisk is the "Jesus Christ lizard"....because it can walk on water. We also managed to see some sleeping bats....and I grudgingly admit the long-nosed bat is kind of cute....but still pround of myself for getting that close to a bad without totally wigging out. We also got to see the famous howler monkeys. Fortunately, no feces were tossed our way Although I can report that when they actually howl, a surprisingly huge sound for such a small animal....it reminded me a bit of one of my former students during a meltdown.
The whole journey was spectacular. Doubly so because I know I never would have even imagined myself doing something like this a few years ago. Our guide dubbed us "Las Chicas Aventureras." Which I think sounds like a great name for a band, or a pair of superheroes.
Afterwards we had a snack of bread made out of yucca, fresh white cheese local to the region, and fried plantains. We were also entertained by an adorable kitten who bears a striking resemblance to the fictitious kitten Skippy Jon Jones.
This afternoon Tori and I went for a hanging bridge walk through the rainforest. The whole area kept making me think of Endor in Star Wars...to the point that I looked up Return of the Jedi just to make sure those scenes weren't filmed in Costa Rica. (They were filmed in California. Surprise, surprise!) The scenery was spectacular. We got an especially clear view of the volcano. I'm delighted to be able to inform you that despite my...ahem....lack of experience in certain realms.....nobody has opted to toss me into the volcano to appease the gods.
It was great to get a close up view of the rainforest....although the combo of rather rough paths, where you constantly had to negotiate your balance....and suspension bridges....reaaaaally wiped me out. Hence it's only 9 local time and I'm about ready to go to my room and crash.
One thing I've been delighted by on this trip is how I've gotten back into the Spanish groove. I don't think my Spanish has been at this sort of a comfort level since college.....to the point that one of our guides was surprised at first to find out I was from the United States. Woo hoo! Apparently my Mexican accent is still intact. The driver asked something about if I learned my Spanish in Mexico....I couldn't hear him, and responded "Mande?" ....which is a polite, really blatantly Mexican way of saying, "Huh?" Pretty much the English equivalent would be if I asked someone if they were from Boston and they made some response about packing the cah in Hahvid Yahd.
Tomorrow we head off to Monteverde....partly by bus, partly by boat and partly by jeep. I'm sure to have strange dreams tonight about Howler Monkeys, rafting and Skippy Jon Jones.