Wildlife up close

February 27-hot as balls

All I wanted out of this entire trip was for Mandy to take me to see the world's largest sloth sanctuary.  Since I never get what I want, I settled for the Jaguar Rescue Center.  We tried one other time to see the center but there are only two tours a day and we missed both of them.  Now we are ready.

We chose to rent a couple of bikes to get to the center that is a couple of miles away near Playa Chiquita.  But first, we must eat breakfast. The problem is that the restaraunt is out of power (the entire town is), and we notice how quiet town is without this power.  It also means no hot shower anytime soon.  Walking through town, it's clear how this power outage has shut down most of the town.  Good thing we don't need power to rent and ride bikes!

Tucan wasn't afraid of anyone.  No, his name was not Sam. 

The Jaguar Rescue Center started out with a couple of Biologists trying to rescue a jaguar years ago. They then opened up their efforts to helping any and all wildlife that needs rescuing.  Today, people from all over the country call them to report or deliver animals in need.  Here, we were able to see numerous wild animals in one place.  We saw crocodiles, owls, forest frogs, deer, an eagle, monkeys, tucans, parrots, ant eaters, a margay and a sloth.  Most of these animals were within an arms reach and the tour groups were kept small for an intimate experience and in order not to overwhelm the animals.  I will definitely recommend the rescue center for anyone visiting this area!

Anteater just walking around by our feet

We topped off the trip with the freshest hummus plate and veggies imaginable at an organic restaurant paired with my rental bike breaking on the way back.  Only one thing to do while your bike beaks down on a small Costa Rican road...find some shade until the bike company can come pick you up.  Thank goodness it is our last day in the Puerto Viejo area.  At least the broken bike waited for our last day and wasn't our first.

Croc in the pond