…more monkeys, of course! Like this family that expressed it’s disdain for the camera wielding touristos below. Please note: There’s a baby on mama’s back. How perfect would this photo be if the baby had also been making a face at me! And, yes, daddy is sticking out his tongue… Don’t blame you!

The monkeys were on the grounds of the resort, where we started our day with a tour that included crododile lagoon. Or course, there were crocs!

In the afternoon, we visited Osa Interactive Garden, a truly amazing place. It is a privately-owned restoration project in Puerto Jimenez, the realization of Rainer, who explained that the jungle we stood in the midst of had once been clear cut, then planted with various non-native species in failed attempts at agriculture.

Today, it teems with life. Small ponds produce large numbers of the wonderful variety of frogs native to Costa Rica. They keep a few in captivity to use as animal ambassadors, models for photographers and teaching aids. Volunteers and staff carefully tended to the needs of our tiny models, keeping them wet and allowing them to rest away from the cameras at regular intervals.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the fer-de-lance, which Rainer and his crew had rescued. The snake had been hit by a car and for two months after they took him in, did not eat or drink. It has a spinal injury and can never be released in the wild. The fer-de-lance is highly venomous, but Rainer and Dennis, our local naturalist guide, carefully positioned him on a mossy log for our lenses.

And, folks, I can’t sign off without saying: A dragonfly found me! I’ll save that photo to share another day.