visit from the howlers

the other day after I came back from lunch there was a troop of howler monkeys hanging around the trees in the apartment complex. I counted 8, more than I've ever seen at one time in the wild here so far.
I laid on my hammock for awhile and watched them move about. Very acrobatic and nimble, these guys are.
Remember the movie 'Crouching tiger, hidden dragon'? Remember the part when they walk and balance on those thin branches....that's what the howlers remind me of.

They will crawl all the way out on these long really thin branches until they bend as far as they can go. They love to eat the leaves on the tree and move from one to another.
The way they transfer from tree to tree is fun to watch. The monkey wraps its tail around the branch being leaped from while jumping to the other limb.
I suppose the anchoring of the tail is like a safety harness in case the branch breaks. I have however seen some of the braver ones just do a flying spread eagle leap from one tree to another.

They don't seem to mind humans, I've walked up to them within 10 ft. That's about as close as they'll let you get before scurrying away. Sometimes if you make noises in their direction they'll answer back with a little howl.

The mothers carry around the babies around their stomach until they're old enough to move around on their own. Seeing a baby howler follow its mother around from limb to limb is one of the cutest sights one will ever behold Sometimes the mother will move at a much quicker pace onto another part of the tree, and the little baby will get nervous and make little chirping noises. So far I've always seen them able to make it up where their mommy is even if it takes them awhile.

I was able to recruit a Norwegian couple to the hostel I work for on my second attempt to the bus stop. Glad to get the first one out of the way, I was mad though that five guys from the same bus walked in afterwards. I would have made a lot more money since I get commission based on how many people and how long they stay. The ones I brought are only staying til tomorrow, the others a week I think.
Oh well, it's getting busier so I should be able to pull some more in. Still I was happy to get the first one done.

Sarah flies in to San Jose on Wednesday! First visitor here in Costa Rica. The owners of Blue Trailz happen to be going in to San Jose on Tuesday so I will be riding in with them, saves me like forty bucks and 3 hours sitting on a bus.

Sarah in South Padre, TX

They, like many others, refuse to spend a night in San Jose. I'll be there for two nights, I actually like going in to San Jose. A lot of travelers skip it all together by either flying in to Liberia or just hopping on a bus straight from the airport. I'll cover what I like about San Jose in the next entry.


Cowboys won another game and the Mavericks have been on a tear recently. Still watching all the local sports down here.