The animals do…..maybe we should, too…
Last week, we took a guided tour of Manuel Antonio State Park. As I watched the leaf cutter ants march along with their pieces of green leaves, I wondered where they were all going and how they knew to go there. Instinct, of course! They just know that their job is to carry these leaves to a nest somewhere that could be miles away. On our walk through the forest we saw and learned about many great examples of animals using their instinct to survive and be more comfortable. The monkeys, for example, rub the juice of one of the plants that is a natural insecticide to prevents bug bites I thought it was fascinating!
Our day started early….7:30 am……UGGHHHH…..I have become a later morning person on this trip. But, somewhere along the way we learned that the early morning walks are better for spotting animals. As the day goes on and more people come to the park, the animals tend to go into hiding. Made sense. So, we decided to go early. We were glad we did! We also debated on whether or not to take a guided tour or tour on our own. After some deliberation, we decided on a guide. Again, a good decision! There’s that instinct kicking in……and also some research!
Our guide, Roy, was fabulous. We saw quite a few of the native animals to include monkeys (of course), sloths, iguanas, lizards, bats, butterflies, leafcutter ants, and all kinds of birds….we even saw an anteater! We wouldn’t have been able to find them on our own. Many times, their colors blended into the spot where they were perched and were difficult to pick out. And, sometimes they were tucked far away from the walking paths. We would not have had the expertise to find them. Roy used his eyes, nose and also some instinct to find them.
Roy also had a telescope attached to a tripod that he would set up when he was able to identify something that we should see. We all took a turn at taking a peek through the lense. We could also take pictures through the lense, which I had never done before. I thought that was fun! I have a few great shots of the animals….. and some flowers (that are not taken through the telescope) that I am including here.
We ended our day at the beach located inside the park. The beaches that are inside the park are said to be some of the best in the area. I would agree. The water was beautiful, calm and warm. Jody decided to take a dip in the water. I opted to just walk along the beach…..still getting over the ear infection. As, I walked along, I spotted a log near the water that was occasionally being slapped by a wave or 2. I thought it would be a good place to sit for awhile. Just as I was getting comfortable, a huge wave splashed up against the log…..and me…and I was wet up to my neck! HA! So much for staying dry! As I was looking around at the sand, I began to feel dizzy, which made me think my fever was kicking in again! Oh no! Then, I realized that the log I was sitting on was moving into the water…..with me on it! Needless to say, I beat feet to get off of the log and get back to my towel on the sand that wasn’t shifting. I don’t need the movement of the water and some shifting sand to make me dizzy. I can do that all on my own!
After some time on the beach, we headed into the town of Manuel Antonio to get some lunch before heading back to our house on the public bus, which I always find interesting!
So, it was a day well spent. I will add here that it is still quite hot and humid here and were, once again, drenched in sweat after all the walking at the end of the day. I probably went through about a dozen bottles of water as we walked along. Instinct tells me that hydration is key and that it’s OK to not care about the sweat in February in Costa Rica!
Ciao!
Travel With Betsy 
Leave a comment