Day 8: Monkeys and Quetzals and Army Ants!

Okay, so our hotel is all forgiven for its bugs, for this morning we got to see monkeys! Right here at our hotel, they came right up wanting fed! They were so cute. There was even a mother and a tiny baby clutching her back. They were White Faced Capuchin monkeys

Today we went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and took a hike through the rain forest with an excellent guide. We got to see Costa Rica’s very rare bird, the Quetzal! (click here to see Google search images, this photo above was taken from my camera and is not very good.) Apparently, this bird is so rare that many bird watchers travel to Costa Rica with the only intention being to get a glimpse of the Quetzal. It has brilliant plumage, and is very endangered, with only about 50 couples on 10,000 acres of protected forest, It was the bird of the ancient Mayan empire, and many know it better as the Phoenix. We saw the female today, which is slightly less glorious than the male (missing the 2 foot long emerald green tail feathers), but was still an amazing site. She not only sat quietly while we were able to get photos and look at her in the tree with our binoculars, but then took flight in all of her glory to put on a show for us.

We also were lucky enough to see a yellow striped viper up in a tree (very rare to be able to spot due to its nocturnal nature as well as its blending capability), and happened across a slowly widening path of army ants. Apparently, army ants travel in groups of 10s of thousands, and really do eat anything in their path. If we had waited another hour or so, their 4 inch wide path across our trail might have been 5 or 6 feet wide. If you kill one of them, it secretes a chemical alerting the rest of the tribe, which WILL attack you. They can devour entire animals in a matter of hours. Apparently, if they enter a person’s home, you must leave the home (you cannot kill them, chemicals or otherwise, because they willl secrete their chemical and only draw 10s of thousands more to the rescue, invading your home for days rather than just hours). After about 4 hours, they will have cleaned out every food in your home, as well as any termites or rodent infestations you might have had. After they leave, you can return to your home. Apparently, the army ants' jaws are so powerful that Indians once used them to suture wounds: the tenacious insect was held over a wound and its body squeezed so that its jaws instinctively shut, clamping the flesh together. The body was then pinched off.

Me in the roots of a giant fig tree

Today for lunch I ordered a banana, strawberry, blackberry, mango smoothie with yogurt. It was so sweet and delicious that I just knew they had to add sugar to the mix, but I asked the waiter and he said no – just fresh fruit and its natural sugars. Wow!

Photo looking over Monteverde very near our hotel

Tonight I was planning on going out Salsa dancing again, alone this time. However, after looking around at the locals and not having the most welcoming experience in Monteverde, I don't want to push my luck.  Maybe I'll try my luck in a beach town with surfer-style salsa dancing Ticos.... 


Tomorrow, off to Samara and the beach to finish out our trip til the 30th!