Cataratas, sloths, and hot springs

---

As I write this we are in for the night and experiencing the rains you get when you are in the rain forest mountains of Costa Rica. For the past twenty minutes there has been a wall of water falling from the skys, it is so loud you cannot hear the river that runs past our cabin. But we missed the rain during the day and had some great adventures.

The day started with breakfast, served by Felix, seeming known as Cinderella in the neighborhood. He comes by the name due to his ability to lure birds of all shapes and sizes to his hands with bananas and fruits. Right where we sat for breakfast, on the patio around his home, he has a large 'bird feeder' which he fills with fruits gathered from the yard. So we are treated to tangiers, hummingbirds, parrots and more with our breakfast.

After the meal we set out for Catarata Rio La Fortuna, a beautiful waterfall (catarata) reached by descending 500 steps....the same ones hou have to climb to get back out. The walk was worth it, a great introduction to the forest.

From there we stopped in at local woodworker where John could trade stories and get invited back into the workshop. The woods here are varied and rich in tone, none of the them cut, just harvested from the forest floor. John has been invited to return to purchase a block of the native wood to take home for his own work.

Off to a forest walk of some three hours with a guide who, while trekking us through the forest, pointed out numerous birds (including a rufus matmat, crested owls, green hermit--a variety of hummingbird, and toucans), reptiles (a helmet headed lizard), and a two toed sloth. We also heard howler monkeys but were. Not able to spot any. The other feature of the walk were seven suspended footbridges, the highest was 75 meters, as in 150 feet off the ground and above a river.. Several times the guide asked George to lead the group over the bridge...did someone forget to tell him that GW does not like heights?

On the way back from the forest hike we dropped John and Katelyn off to enjoy the hot springs...heated by the still active volcano that sets above La Fortuna. They went to one that the locals use, not having to pay for the privilege of enjoying nature's bounty at one of the nearby lodges.

The day ended with a great fish dinner and some chocolates purchased while strolling the streets of La Fortuna. More adventures tomorrow.

Make sure you check out all the photos below.

---

Photos

Felix and his friends
Every morning Felix joins us as does his feathered friends.

Sloth
Doing what sloths do for about 20 hours a day....sleep in a tree about 70 feet above us.

Green Hermit hummingbird
Green Hermit hummingbird
Check out the beak on that thing, in order to get into the Bird of Paradise flower.

Toucans
Our guide found these, even though they were over a quarter mile away, due to their calls. Photo through a spotting scope.