Capuchin Camera Thieves

What makes Quepos such a beautiful beach seven kilometers away. Manuel Antonio National Park. I heard that it is home to some of the most beautiful species living in Costa Rica. I hear howler monkeys every night. Maybe I'd finally get the chance to see one! This was to be my last weekend in Quepos, so I obviously didn't want to miss my chance.

The Texans at D'Amore were planning on spending that saturday afternoon on a catamaran. As much as I love maritime keggers in Costa Rica, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore the park. So in the afternoon Lenay and I walked the beach to the park entrance. The tide was up, so some locals were ferrying tourists across a three foot deep pond to the park. We paid the ten dollar entrance fee at the gate and beheld Costa Rica's greatness.

A dirt path ran adjacent to the beach, underneath a heavy canopy of jungle foliage. It was a lanscape of green and blue and brown. We walked on this shaded path until it lead into the forest. This subtropical forest was dark and silent. I could hear nothing except for the scurrying of unseen animals on the forest floor. baffled by this sound, I continued until I saw the strangest animal. I found a neon orange and purple crab, smaller than the palm of my hand flee from the sight of me into it's dug out den. And then I saw another crab. And another. This place was filled with scurrying neon crabs, sounding the chorus in an otherwise silent place. I found this simple sound to be one of the most otherworldy qualities of the park, absolutely alien to me. This place was awe-inspiring.

The park is home to hundreds of species. I saw the typical iguanas, frogs, birds and coatis (jungle racoon). Two toed sloths are a common sight. One can imagine my excitement at the one living outside of my school (favorite tropical animal). We were even visited by a white headed capuchin monkey. These white faced devils will steal anything from tourists, looking for food. There are stories of monkeys even stealing cameras, trying to eat them. Then they chuck 'em back down. That is just the funniest story, but I guess monkey feeding has become a problem here.

We spent the remaining hours exploring the beaches and appreciating some jaw dropping views of the pacific.

We left the park in the rain. Costa Rica is in the wet season, but this particular storm only served as a precursor for my bike trip the next day.

Manuel Antonio National Park= Awesome Neon Crab Forest