¡Monos en los Årboles!

That's Monkeys in the Trees!! Talk about excitement! And just the day after seeing the troops go by in Bajo del Tigre. We feel so lucky. These are just the cutest monkeys! Even with their sharp pointy teeth. Francisco has told us not to show them our teeth as it is taken as a sign of aggression. And it could also scare them off and then you won't get a good picture.

Francisco also told us that it is illegal to keep these wild animals as pets. I've read about this on some of the Costa Rican sites I've visited. Sounds like the saddest animal in the world is a little pet monkey tied to a tree while all its relatives scamper through the canopy. Probably even sadder than the caged parrots that we see.

We see parrots flying overhead every day. You can hear their loud squawking as they flap by reminding me of the dog from the Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm.

After this one minute scene you never see the dog again except for those random moments when it runs through the farmyard barking. That's like the parrots going through our yard. They never stop! And they sound so happy. Not like these caged parrots we saw down a back alley in Santa Elena. They might look fine in this picture, but trust me, they are crying on the inside.

So back to the monkeys. How cute is this?

 Glad somebody is enjoying the bird feeder because the birds sure aren't showing up like I'd planned!

Okay, I'm tricking you on that last picture. Did you even notice it's a coati? While we are on the side yard looking up into the trees, the coati is in the front yard stealing the bird feeder bananas. Poor Hector is locked in the house through the whole monkey episode wanting out so badly! You can hear him barking throughout the video. No way was he getting out!

BigJohn shot almost all the video. It reminds me of when I would be at the Anchorage Hilton staying on an upper floor during an earthquake. You could feel the whole building sway. I'm thinking that it's BigJohn's height that is making him sway during the filming of the monkeys. Or maybe he is over-caffeinated? Either way, thanks for some great footage BigJohn! Keep in mind folks that we are not professionals here.

My favorite part of the whole monkey episode was the little guy who came up and took a banana and then waited politely for another banana. He seemed to be saying "Come on lady, give it up! I've got two hands here!"

But it was also cute to see the monkey hanging over the edge of the roof checking to see what BigJohn was up to on the patio. Also had one of them at the hummingbird feeder with it tilted sideways sucking up the juice!

I had planned on lots of Banana Cream Pies the next few weeks but plans can change suddenly!

Christmas Day Potluck

Our first Christmas in Costa Rica! Hannah and Francisco came over for fruit-filled crepes for breakfast. So nice to have family around for the holiday! They had spent Christmas Eve in Puntarenas with Francisco's family. Check out this cool bike they picked up for Francisco's niece Samara. I bet that was one happy 4 year old!

 And here's BigJohn getting in the Christmas spirit with some galletas (cookies).

 Hannah was feeding the horses their Christmas apples.

 Hannah modeling her new outfit that Santa brought. Cute!

 And we are off up the trail to the Friend's School for the Quaker Christmas Potluck!

 Francisco is wearing his new shirt he got from Santa.

 See the cat on the roof? He lives at the library and is always at the school for important events.

 The Friends had roasted a pig and cooked up lots of chicken and everybody brought a dish. The food was great.

 Pax's dog Yogi shows off his Christmas ribbon.

 A view of the crowd.

 That's us at the table in the back.

 Bennito was there with the baby sloth. Glad to see it is doing well.

 After the potluck there was a Christmas gift exchange where all the gifts were handmade. Check out this bench for Benjamin.

 BigJohn and I took a sunset walk to the viewing platform.

 And the end of the day was spent watching the Black Guans come and go from the trees. We are so lucky to live in such a place!

PS BigJohn hasn't once asked when the Christmas tree is coming down. I don't think he even notices it because it isn't taking up floor space or dropping needles all over. I bet I can leave this hanging on the wall all year!

Starting to Make Cents

The money exchange is starting to make sense now. And this is why -

My last stop of the day while out Christmas shopping was at the little gallery in Monteverde where I picked up some bookmarks for Christmas presents. The artist just happened to be in the building. This is him! His mother was working behind the counter so she's in the photo also.

 

I used a pocketful of change for payment and I think I'm finally getting to understand how all these colonés add up! Suddenly it became clear to me!

  

So if you're heading this way check out these sites on money and coins so you know what to put in your wallet and how much to tip. It also helps to know some numbers in Spanish so here's a cool website for practicing!

These dogs were hanging around outside the gallery having a good time. They wanted Hector in on the game but he decided to sit this one out.

Amigos for Lunch

We did a little Christmas shopping and then stopped by Amigos for lunch. They make great seviche. As to the shopping - this was a first. Signage to tell you not to bring your dog into the grocery store? Kidding, right? But then at the next grocery store I saw a person in line with their dog on a leash. That store didn't have a Prohibido sign.

 Here's BigJohn trying to figure out what kind of meat this is.

 This is one regular size bow. Costa Rica price is .485 so double that to get the price in US dollars. Almost $1 just for the bow! I miss Walmart!

 And this one's almost $1.12. Plus you already read in a previous post how they don't believe in candy canes. And you all say that Christmas is too commercialized. Just admit it. You love the shopping.

 I take too long so everybody is waiting for me at the restaurant.

 Trying out another Casado. Guess what the pink stuff is. Not jello! It's potato salad with beets! Yeah!

 BigJohn ordered normal colors for his lunch.

 And this place has such great service that while you are eating a vendor comes around to let you know what the latest movie releases are. To your table. You don't even need to stop by the video store.

 And guess what! The movies are only $2 each! And that's US dollars! Can't beat those prices. It must be the special US packaging that jacks the prices up. And here is Don Rafael showing us the latest releases!

 And here's where my Spanish comes in handy with my most often used phrase - "¿Puedo tomar un foto de usted por favor?" After I take their picture I have to look at it on my camera and say "¡Muy lindo!" Even if it's not a good picture I will still say that. But luckily they've all been pretty good. Except for BigJohn in this one below here. The waiter looks muy lindo though.