Costa Rica day 6

Wow another great day! Jo set the alarm clock for 5:30. I think we both woke up before that but by 5:45 we were through the gate and down the road heading to monkey country. We were there by daybreak and Jo saw several at the end of the road but too far to catch up to. We then heard one howling behind us in the trees but couldn't see him. I spotted something moving but it turned out to be a big gray squirrel. Much bigger than the ones up North and with a tail any redneck would be proud to have hanging off his aerial just below the confederate flag.
Giving up we returned to the digs and then headed in for breakfast. Met a lady from Calgary, Soleila. I think I know enough parlez vous to know her real name is Sonny. We got yacking and it seems everyone here speaks French but us. No matter, due to the archaic schoolboard of Canada I still know when I'm being talked about by a frenchman. Just kidding these are pretty nice people and right from France not Quebecois
After breakfast Jo and I headed down the beach to the village. We had copies made of our passports showing the entry stamp which we will keep with us while we lock up our passports for safekeeping. We then visited a couple of flophouses to see what it would cost to stay there the night prior to boarding the chicken bus at 8 a.m. the price ranged from $40 to $30, the $30 one being the better of the two.
We came back home without making a reservation to see what it would cost to get a cab to the bus station and still be there by 8 a.m. That's the way to go for sure. We'll be picked up at 7:30 for the 8 a.m bus. Sounds good to me. That way we can reach Escazu San Rafael and drop the bag off on Thurs., get a room and head to Arenal the next morning.
We spent the afternoon sitting in the shade by the pool. Jo sewing an inside pocket into my bathing suit for the hidden stash and me reading and having a cold one.
We headed out for the beach around 4 pm figuring we'd catch the 5 legged furry buggers before they went to bed. We got down there around 4:15, hung around wondering whether to go in for a swim or keep the binocs trained on the trees. Jo was the first to see movement and sure enough there was a monkey! Upon closer examination there was a whole damn family. At least two mothers with little babies hanging onto their chests, a couple of studs and a few jnrs. Altogether about 8-9. I gotta say that blew me away. I got a couple of good shots that need to be blown up and cropped to see the little guy but what a rush! First time I've ever seen a real monkey in the wild. Jo had a hard time getting me to leave. The french connection showed up while all this was going on and while I was videoing and recording their howls the *&%$#@@ thought they'd practise their @##$$%%^^&& monkey calls. Paul I hope you know how to separate frog calls from ape calls.
When we got back I was still on cloud 9. We walked to the grocery store and got a bottle of that Nicaraguan rum, some coke, Pilsen beer, bananas (what the hell are we buying bananas for)? and a can of beans. That's been our night so far. Jo's working on her log and I've been downloading pics and typing. I've got some great vids but they'll have to wait for a while.
Tomorrow we're going to see some wildlife (bloody well better for the cost of the tour) so stay tuned. Hope you enjoy the pics and we enjoy the comments.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25757&l=aab8c&id=680056043
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25763&l=489a5&id=680056043

INFO FOR THE WEARY TRAVELER

Some of the things we've found since our arrival:
We flew Amerian Airlines from Miami and Jo said she used the head en route and it was filthy! It's only a 2 1/2 hour flight so use the Miami airport.
Don't change your US/Can. money at the C.R. airport! They encouraged us to change more than we'd planned to get a better rate. For $500 we got a rate of 459 colones per 1.00 which made us look like millionaires. Our B&B was offering just over 500 colones for any amount so we got ripped off. If you need some colones just get $20 worth at the San Jose airport.
Use the chicken busses! They're as good as our greyhounds. No banyo on them so go first. The next level of busses I suspect has all the options. Our price for a 4 hour ride was under $10 for both of us. Our 1/2 hour cab ride to here was $25. Car's are very pricey to rent. Anywhere from $450 to $900 a week incl. insurance (and you sure as hell need that.) Even w/ insurance they want your credit card deposit for $1,000.
The water. It's perfectly ok here but we'll watch it when we go inland. We started using it in ice cubes for rum & coke but have had no regularity problems. If you have any doubts wait until you've got lodging for a period of time so you can stay close to a bathroom.
Laundry go light and don't bring a pile of socks or underwear. You can wash them out at night and they'll be dry by morning. Hint tie them to the overhead fan and watch your head. So far I think one pair of socks on the way down would have been sufficient. After that it's sandals.
A few things I thought of today while my mind was at work.
The hardest thing I've done down here so far is to have a shower and hold a drink of rum and coke at the same time without getting any water in it.
The 2nd most brilliant thing I've thought of is "the less hair you have the faster it dries." Now take those gems to the bank.
Bring zip lock bags. We've lightened our load and discarded socks, underwear, long sleeves, and so far no toilet paper problem after two weeks. 2 of everything is plenty.
Bugs (so far) have not been a factor (except for Jo who has sweet blood).
A good camera like I have will replace the need for a video camera and bring at least one extra camera battery and a 4 gig memory card. I'm loving this camera and it's attached at the hip (as is Jo)