Ideal Absolutes

From my Flickr uploads of Samara Beach

Vacationing in Samara Beach provides you the opportunities to snap tons of wild life pictures. Costa Rican Howler Monkeys, for example, roam freely through the area. Our stay at Las Palmers, we took some footage of the howlers coming down from the mountain and “walking” along the road to Nosara. Just north of the Las Palmers condos, at the foot of the mountain, the family of monkeys followed the unmarked path. Both morning and night around the same time they feed while heading east away from town.

Looking back on our vacation I remember feeling very much the outsider. As you can see from my previous post on Samara’s Howler Monkeys, this is their rain forest. It can be a tad unnerving to suddenly turn around and see a group of monkeys, only a few feet away, silently watching you walk past them. It’s the mix of that knowing look and curiosity written on their faces - especially the eyes - that creeps you out. As if you are being sized up. *Don’t smile as it makes no difference to them.

Digging around led to this page on Samara Beach Costa Rica. Notice how on the eight picture from the bottom you find that you are being watched. The rest of the family is moving along the powerlines occassionly stopping to eat fruit while this one watched the photographer.

Just outside the wall of the “compound” condo retreat, across the street at the Howler Monkeys. You’d never guess by listening to him that this guy is only about the size of a cocker spaniel, he sounds like a roaring gorilla. In reality, as you can tell from the picture to the right, they’re quite small and a bit vulnerable. Threats to howler monkeys include being hunted for food and captivity. From what I saw they live in groups up 18 or so individuals. Judging from their ease of limb walking these guys are native to South and Central American forests. Monkey is a monkey does - they have prehensile tails. Go figure.

Leaf snatching starts early around 7:00 each morning. This morning trek has them beginning from closer to the ocean then heading off towards Mel Gibson’s chunk of rain forest. Like 40 million dollars worth of chunk. Judging from the crazy prices I saw at Samara Beach, Mel’s slab can’t be too terrible.