Sloths and Monkeys and Deer... OH MY!! Part2

So Sunday morning I woke up bright and early at 6am. I looked out my patio window at 6:15 am and what do I see but Spider Monkeys playing in the trees. They played in the trees for 15 minutes or so before scampering off to visit the other areas of the hotel. I tried to get a picture of them but they are really quite fast.

After a quick hotel breakfast we headed off to Manual Anotinio Natural Park. It's hard to explain what the park is like. Everyone has been to a park before but the number and frequency of wildlife encounters here is just off the charts. About 5 minutes after entering the park we saw a group that was staring up at a tree (hint... follow the guided tour groups and when they look up look where they are looking). What they were looking at was a Two-Toed Tree Sloth that was sleeping in the trees. Many of the creatures in the park are Arboreal animals that live in the very tops of the trees hundreds of feet above your head. Some of the creatures I just couldn't get photos of. The sloth was really cool and after we left him another 2-3 minutes down the path we saw a Howler Monkey sleeping. Another couple minutes down the path we saw a second species of Two-Toed Tree Sloth that was sleeping.

Another couple of minutes down the path we saw one of the coolest encounters we had... A Three-Toed Tree Sloth... and it was awake and moving. We watched for quite a few minutes while he slowly pulled himself through the trees. They really are a deliberate, slow moving creature. They won't be giving any cheetahs or rabbits any competition in the speed department but they do move with a torpid efficiency. Well except for the time the sloth got himself in a jam where there was no branch he could reach and he had to back track. FYI... the photos of the sloth are down below in the photo album.

After the sloth we had some active encounters with Howler Monkeys that were... howling... of course. You can hear them all over the forrest. The trail does a turn after a bit so that we start going parrellel to the ocean. Gorgeous beaches, blue water, white sands, you know, the usual. Bill wanted to climb up to Cathedral Point which is a bit of a hike up and down these staircase like blocks. Entering the Cathedral Point path is like entering a sauna. I did mention this is a jungle right? Hot, humid, sticky jungle. The Cathedral Point path is a bit more... jungley... and alot more humid. It was in this path I had my coolest critter encounter yet. Really Jenn what did you see? I saw a deer.

Please no groans... I know you are thinking you could see a deer 5 minutes outside any town in America but I doubt you would have an encounter like I did. Partway thru the path we came upon a group who were looking at this deer just off the path. Of course we slowed down and were amazed by how close this deer was to humans. Pretty soon it climbed onto the path and started using the path as it's own personal buffet line, stolling down the path occasionaly stopping to munch on leaves. We started descending the path right behind it. It stepped off the path for a bit and pretty soon we were ahead of it. Next thing we knew the deer was on the path behind me and approaching me. I froze and it came right up next to me. Slowly, very slowly I reached out and petted it. It apparently liked having it's chin rubbed because it leaned into my hand. The next thing that happened was the strangest wildlife encounter I have ever had... The deer started to lick me. Not a quick swipe of it's tongue but a full on tongue lashing up and down my arm. Deer tongues are slightly rough and thick. The deer stood there for several minutes licking me until I decided I was done being a deer lollipop and started down the trail. Apparently I taste pretty good (White Girl: It's the other, other white meat) because it started following me down the trail. It followed me for a good half mile until we reached the junction with the main trail. What I suspect happened is that since I was sweating like a crazy in the heat the deer thought I was it's own personal mobile salt lick.

After the enounter with my new dear, deer friend we headed back to the entrance and ran into a troup of Spider Monkeys. We saw about 12 monkeys including some mothers with babies. Some of the monkeys came within 2 feet of us and never acknowledged we were there. They just went about their monkey lives. Later we passed by "iguana row" were we saw progressively larger iguanas, including one missing it's tail. Overall we were in the park 3 hours and saw more creatures than you see in a zoo in the same amount of time.

After we left we headed back to the hotel where I took a shower and washed the deer saliva off me. A couple of hours of lazing by the pool and we headed back to the airport in time to fly off into the sunset. (pics below). It was an amazing weekend.