Monkeys, Monkeys, Monkeys!

Tearing ourselves away from Montezuma was hard (like getting out of a hammock), but had to be done. We set off for Manuel Antonio, a nature reserve further south along the Pacific. San Ginobli, as Nick calls it, is famous for its postcard beautiful beaches and wildlife. Ofcourse as we set foot into the park our camera broke! It's a shame, we would've had some our best blog pictures yet. We tiptoed past a 3 and a half foot iguana and the 3 of us sunbathed together atop a lookout over the park and Pacific ocean. We saw many Sloths high in the tree tops and even had the rare experience of watching a 3-toed sloth make its way down the tree to the jungle floor for its weekly bathroom break (#2). The whole thing took a long time. At one point as we were strolling through the lush jungle the trees around us began to russle and one by one, from the canopy and the ground, we were surrounded by White-faced Capuchins. There were monkeys everywhere, leaping over our heads, swinging on branches and vines around us and crossing in front of us on the ground. After many minutes of watching them in awe, we were taken back to see the dominant male and his buddy leap towards us within a few feet, hissing and showing his fangs and looking a lot bigger than we remembered. Needless to say, we ran for our lives!!! But man the pictures would've been great!
After a quick stop in San Jose (to deal with the camera), we headed to the Caribbean coast, our last stop in Costa Rica. Cahuita itself is a funny little town, but is home to a beautiful National park lining miles of white sand beaches. We took most of the day to walk the jungle trail which was scattered with secluded, scenic swimming spots, and ofcourse a healthy dose of monkey watching. The trees were literally filled with Capuchin and Howler monkeys. We don't have many beach shots because our entire memory card is full of monkey shots!

Adios for now, Pura Vida!!! and Happy New Years.