Monkeys and parrots and snakes, oh my!

A little ways outside of Boquete is a wildlife rehabilitation and refuge center. They have some common animals--goats, a horse, chickens, and a wild rabbit--as well as exotic ones. Some of the animals have permanent injuries while others stay while they heal (if injured) or until they can be released elsewhere (if their habitat was disturbed).

The friendliest of the inhabitants was a spider monkey named Daisy.

She would reach out to hold or wrap her tail around your hand...

Wenley makes Daisy's acquaintance.

Next door were white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus). They're energetic little buggers, jumping around the enclosure, swinging from a tire, bouncing on a trampoline-like net, and shaking the cage walls.

They can also have quite the attitude...!

In with the capuchins was my favorite, the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica).

When we first walked over, the coati was sleeping and the capuchins were wreaking havoc. I felt bad for the coati until it started playing too!

"Wake up! Play with me!"

"Come on!"

"One, two, three, wrestle."

"Ha!"

"Where'd you go?"

There were also some gorgeous birds:

...one of which wanted to open backpack zippers. First Chhaya's backpack (on Wenley) and then mine.

And the most spectacular bird in residence, the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao).

Lastly, there were snakes: several boas and a ball python (Python regius) that we were allowed to hold.

Wrapped around Chhaya's arm.

And when we thought we were done, we looked out over the surrounding forest and saw these two pretty little blue-grey tanagers (Thraupis episcopus) flitting around:

Waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls

One day over spring break we decided to go for a hike to see just a few of the (many) waterfalls in the area surrounding Boquete.

We took a taxi up into the mountains and got dropped off right at the trail head. Walking past a farm with a rather loud dog, we soon reached a pretty stream:

There were many pretty flowers along the way...

Cute little bromeliad on a tree.

There were lots of gorgeous Calla Lilies.

One of the really interesting things about the area around Boquete is the mountain farming. The climate is more suited for food production than lowlands, but the topography is quite the challenge. They farm steep slopes in a fascinating patchwork pattern of different crops and row arrangements.

A farm outside Boquete viewed from the waterfall trail.

Close up of the patchwork of mountain farming.

And, the part you've all been waiting for...waterfalls! There were three waterfalls along the path, though we only had time to see the first two. We came to a sign that said "Waterfall, Waterfall, Waterfall", one on top of the other,  and were amused for a moment before realizing that the thin lines connecting them comprised a map with times to hike the side paths to each one.

Here's the first glimpse of a waterfall through the forest...

Waterfall #1 through the dense forest vegetation.

And the unobstructed view.

The top...

Water spilling over the cliff and a bromeliad enjoying the wet conditions.

and bottom...

I love all the small side rivulets.

And waterfall #2...

The view from a little ways down stream (taken standing on a rock midstream).

...which sent waves through the pool at its foot.

On the way back we had to walk a little farther to the bus stop and passed these two pretty horses who peered at us curiously.

Overall, a pretty, interesting, and satisfying afternoon hike.

Back to Bocas

After a week in Coiba (and an overnight in Cerro Punta, up in the mountains--a nice relief from tropical heat) we're back in Bocas for the second half of our coral reef field work. There's a relatively extensive STRI compound here where we have dorms, a dining room/living area with panaromic screen windows, and access to an air conditioned teaching lab where we can use our laptops. We've been advised against using our laptops in the humidity...apparently students' laptops in past years have died gruesome deaths.

The general schedule of our course both in Coiba is as follows (though often changed to accommodate the tides):

7:00 - Breakfast
8:00 - Lecture
9:00 - Departure by boat to field site.
12:00 (ish) - Return for lunch.
1:30 - Departure by boat to another field site.
4:00 (ish) - Return.
Before dinner - hang out on the beach/swim/read/shower, etc.
6:00 - Dinner.
Evening - work on projects/identify fish/play games/read/go to sleep early from exhaustion.  (Snorkeling for 5+ hours a day is tiring! And coming home in Coiba involved 120 steep steps up the side of the island...)

There will probably be more project work and less game playing as this week progresses and we work on our final projects as opposed to our preliminary Coiba projects.

Anyway, I have internet access again if any of you wish to talk to me, and I'll be posting pictures from the last two weeks soon.