I'll Pass On Dessert...

Having just toured across Costa Rica from the Pacific to the Caribbean, my husband and I wound up in the town of Cahuita,a small village about 43 km southeast of Limon. Quite different from the Pacific side of the country, or for that matter the coffee growing interior, we were eager to explore the area. Passing on the offer of drugs from a man in a gold lame swimsuit, we headed to the Parque Nacional Cahuita, a small park right on the water, approximately 1067 hectares, hoping to catch sight of the elusive sloth. We were fascinated with the varied wildlife of Costa Rica. I was lucky enough to see my first toucan earlier in the week, and I was slightly disappointed because I had yet to see the three-toed sloth. Something that moves so slowly that lichen grows on its body, should not be so difficult to find.

We wandered along the trail that started out on beautiful white sand beaches. Soon we left the beach behind, and headed into the coastal jungle. Howler monkeys called nearby, their eerie voices sounding much like a baby's wail--but we could not locate any sloths. Tired and hungry, we walked back to the town in search of something to eat.

After living on beans and rice throughout much of our trip across Costa Rica, we were excited to find a restaurant that looked like it might serve Asian food. Some of the menu items were even carefully translated into English!

The air was electric with an impending storm. Fearing rain, we checked to make sure the restaurant did in fact have a roof (although no real walls). We dined on a lovely dish of noodles and vegetables, with a nice malted beverage that was actually cold! Near the end of our meal, a lightning show was in full force. As we contemplated whether or not to have dessert, there was a commotion just outside the restaurant. A German couple who had been dining near us was looking at the base of a nearby tree, pointing and talking excitedly. Our waiter rushed outside and picked up something that had fallen from the tree. We were quite astonished that he had picked up a sloth. The poor fellow was startled by the storm and had fallen out of the tree. Sloths normally don't travel well on the ground and usually only descend from their trees to defecate on a weekly basis. Staying in the tree canopies makes them less of a target to predators. The waiter, quite the hero, transported the lichen covered animal to another tree. The sloth seemed happy for the lift and carefully crawled up into the safety of the branches.

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