Monkey Business

I love traveling to different countries to experience the cultures, the people, the foods.  But one of the things I am always looking for is wildlife.  And for those who know me, I do have sort of a primate fetish.  So does my sister Linda.  For that reason, Linda’s and my sole purpose for going to Playa Venao today was to see the howler monkeys.  We drove the 40 minute drive on some challenging roads only to be told that they often hide out on rainy days.  And it was a rainy day.  Needless to say, my sis and I were very disappointed.  Then we went to the beach and the waves weren’t very good for boogie boarding.  Bruce and Stan were disappointed.  We were striking out all the way around.  So what were we going to do?  I looked at the map and we decided to drive to this nature preserve hoping that would be interesting.  As we were driving, all eyes were looking in the trees hoping to spot some howlers.  Stan was the first to see them.  Linda and I were thrilled.   Watching a baby interact with his mother was hysterical.  I really think the young howler was a little male because he acted like such a boy. We watched them for quite awhile and then headed on our way.  I know Linda and I could spend the afternoon just watching them.  When I look into their eyes, I can sense their intelligence and watching the mothers with their young is like watching a human interaction.  This community of howlers had approximately 10 with 3 or 4 young.  They coordinate their moves, they communicate, they groom each other and they play.  There is nothing better than seeing primates in their natural habitat and nothing hurts my soul more than to see them confined.

Our ride to the nature preserve was quite a long and difficult one.  There were pot holes the size of craters and when we bounced we flew out of our seats.  Bruce took it slow otherwise we would have felt as though we were on a bucking bronco.  And all of that to get to a mud flat and a swamp. This was not worth the time or the wear and tear on our bodies.  However, I read in a National Geographic Traveler book on Panama that this island nature preserve is the home of several nesting turtles and that they have overnight accommodations to see the turtles.  I probably should have read that earlier today so we would have known what the preserve was all about.  Maybe in the future I will do the overnight trip.

The four amigos were very hungry by now – it was noontime and we never had breakfast – so we headed back to Playa Venao Restaurant where our favorite waiter, Javi, waited on us.  I had a great lunch of tilapia, salad and rice.  Linda did as well but with the papas.  The boys had fish and chicken sandwiches.  The boys went off to boogie board and Linda and I watched the surfers, chatted and drank coffee.  The breeze wasn’t as powerful as the other day so it did get slightly warm.  Bruce and Stan did not last long.  Bruce tried to boogie board but the breaks were too close to the shoreline and after Stan saw Bruce eat sand, he decided he wasn’t even going to try.

Linda and I wanted one more chance to see the howlers so off we went one more time.  I spotted them high in a tree on the other side of the road.it wasn’t a great place to take pictures but it was great to see them again, probably for our last time.

Our drive back to Pedasi was uneventful but we did decide to stop in at Lupe’s for coffee and pastry.  We all needed something sweet.  On our way back to the lofts we stopped by Timo’s place to check out the houses he has for rent.  Timo is back in Bogota so Margaret, his property manager, showed us the places.  Very nice.  She also manages the places where we are staying now.

A beautiful Moringa tree was cut down next to our place.  The Moringa tree is a source of healing.  In fact, the green macaw was eating the seeds from this tree the other day.  The seeds can be cooked or roasted.  The leaves can be used in salads or teas.  Even the bark and the roots of the tree are medicinally beneficial.

This is the Moringa tree and the pods as well as the endangered green macaw eating the pods.

What a mess in front of my place today.  And the tree cutters are coming back at 7:30 tomorrow morning.  I guess I will be up early tomorrow.  I want to get some of the Moringa tree.

Tonight we ate salad and bread for dinner.  We played cards again and the boys won.  It’s now 16 to 11 – they are gaining on us.

It’s been a lovely day – any day I can see monkeys is a great day!  Oh how fascinating all this is!