Monkeys, Sloths, and Other Cute Animals

Wow readers, it's been a long time since my last post. I was in Costa Rica for a LONG time and then upon return I had work to do for my job (you know, the one that pays me). But now here we are: you, me, and a full post about travel recaps from Costa Rica.

I'd like to start my travel updates by paying homage to a rescue center in Puerto Viejo called the Jaguar Rescue Center.  Visiting the center stirred a strange maternal instinct inside me, prompting dreams about adopting howler monkeys and building a lily pad pond for frogs in my backyard. 

Below is a list of my favorite animals from the center:

Cayman (shown below) are pretty shy. I think his cheeks are turning pink as I'm taking his picture. Our tour guide informed us that though closely resembling it's alligator cousin, they do not have the same instinct to attack humans. One way to tell the difference between to two is to approach it and if it chases you it's an alligator but if it leaves you alone it's a Cayman. I'm not sure how I feel about those odds.

Antisocial

This little frog is apparently covered in poison. It's ok to touch with hands but you can't get any of his outer goo in your mouth or on your eyes.

Girl I was poison

Sloths are the laziest animals in the jungle. They move so slow that I don't understand how they have not been triumphed over by some hungrier faster animal. I honestly think that the purpose of this animal was to induce snuggling from critters of the earth. I've never seen an animal that has made me want to hug it so badly. Pictured below is a baby sloth who had his two toes clenching a volunteer. Let's face it, sloth baby has hypnotized her with his cuddly magic.

Wanna be Gerber baby

Ok now let's get to the good stuff, the monkeys. For all of you who know me personally, you know about my deep seeded desire to own a monkey. I even have a "Monkey Portraits" calendar in my office. So when I heard there was a place where I could PLAY with real MONKEYS... I was there faster than you can say "banana boat".

The center had an abundance of howler monkey's that have been rescued from many places. One guide told us that a girl was keeping one for a pet and making her friends pay to have their picture taken with him at school. Probably the coolest job I've ever heard of.

Every day these rescued monkeys are taken on a picnic in the jungle with the volunteers. At the picnic, they are released into the jungle to socialize with other howler monkeys. If they decide to stay in the jungle with the wild monkeys they are released but if they decide to come back to the center after the picnic then they go back. Apparently monkeys won't stay in the wild until they've bonded into a clan of their own. I find this sweet and human like. We are also social creatures that build our lives around community.
I guess my main question is how I get invited to these monkey picnics. I would bring my own bananas and everything.

Three's company

New accesory

Will the real howler monkey please stand up?

Who you lookin' at?

On Our Way...

Ryan and I are leaving early (5 am.!) tomorrow morning for our trip to Costa Rica. I thought I'd make everyone jealous by regaling everyone with our itinerary:

March 6th- Fly to San Jose and drive to Poas Volcano. Have dinner at Poas Lodge.

March 7th- Explore Poas in the morning. Drive from Poas to Arenal Volcano in early afternoon.

March 8th- Eat some macadamia pancakes, Hike Arenal Volcano. Visit the Hot Springs.

March 9th- Drive from Arenal to Manuel Antonio. Hang out on the beach in the afternoon.

March 10th- Beach Day at Manuel Antonio Park, maybe some afternoon zip-lining or scuba diving.

March 11th- Day trip to somewhere else on the Pacific Coast. 

March 12th- Drive from Manuel Antonio to the Caribbean Side.

March 13th- Enjoy Puerto Viejo. Maybe day trip to Cahuita or Limon, tan on the beach.

March 14th- Swim with the fishes. Visit Coco's Bar for Reggae Night.

March 15th- Drive to San Jose and fly home to Boston.

We'll miss you (no we won't)!

Cake Pans Substitute For Costa Rican Currency

I am in the process of booking all our hostel/hotels/b&bs/inns/lodges for Costa Rica and I stumbled upon this great bed and breakfast in Nuevo Arenal, near the volcano, called Chalet Nicholas. It appealed to me because the owners, Catherine and Nicholas, have three great Danes, they are near various jungle tours, and they serve macadamia pancakes for breakfast.  I messaged Catherine and Nicholas to inquire about their availability. Upon reserving my room they asked me for a favor.  


E-mail from Chalet Nicholas-
"Hello Jessica:  I am taking a chance on asking but perhaps you will not mind.  If you can't do it, that's fine and please don't feel obligated.

Somebody didn't return my spring form cake pan and I am lost without it.  I also would love a new cookie sheet.  Recently I got some ANALON skillets from a friend who bought them for me in the states as a gift in return for favors I did for them and they are a WONDERFUL lifetime gift.   I am adding below two items I would really like to have.  Either I can order them here with my credit card and have them sent to you, or you could order them for me instead of sending a deposit."

Pan A

Pan B

This B&B owner is soliciting me to deliver culinary needs instead of paying her a deposit on the rooms.  These two large items will have to hang hooked onto my backpack carry-on while clinking around Boston airport. I'll awkwardly shove them into an overhead compartment to the odd looks of other travelers. They'll travel to Poas Volcano on the way to Nuevo Arenal. They will get to see the lush tropical country-side and a few dirty airports. These pans will have quite the exciting life before landing in the oven of this hostel owner.This request will be a memorable anecdote in my Costa Rican diaries. I will always remember these B&B owners as the strange people who asked me to bring them cook ware instead of money.

I wonder what the TSA security will have to say about a cookie pan and bunt cake pan in my carry-on. I've already thought of some clever things to say upon inquiry.

"Just thought if we crashed I could use the bunt cake holder as a boat and the cookie pan as a paddle. Precautionary measures."


"In case the apocalypse happens when I'm in Costa Rica I'll need my trusty helmet and shield to use against the zombie alien vampires."

Potential music wall idea

If all else fails I will tell them I'll be using this cookware for musical instruments in the Costa Rican Jungle. 

Tour Tuesdays: Mural Tour of Brookline

I'd like to start a segment where I give you tours of awesome cultural stuff in interesting places every Tuesday starting today because ... well it's Tuesday and "Tours" and "Tuesdays" sounds nice together. 

What many of you don't know about me is that I used to live in Brookline. I've only been a Southie girl for a measly 6 months now. I lived in kosher eating, Shabbat celebrating, bagel making Brookline for two years. As I revisited my old stomping grounds on Saturday, I was struck by how many murals donned the walls. After passing mural after mural after mural, I did what any normal blogger would do.... gave my coffee and bagel to my girlfriend and ran around deliriously taking pictures of each wall with my Iphone 4s.

Mural #1:

This mural is my favorite, probably because it's a big mess of different ideas rolled up into one big mural. There are a lot of artists, musicians, and free spirits painted on this wall. They are all about to be doused with a gigantic wave and then burned by the scorching sun... but besides that this mural is pretty sweet looking. Everything about this piece make me want to go to Yoga and start playing the harp.

Mural #2: 

This mural was painted in 2007 to celebrate Zaftig's 10th anniversary. It depicts all of Brookline's favorite local spots: the booksmith, the toy store, the Coolidge corner theater, ... the cars parked sideways on the road (which is not something you can actually get away with in Brookline). My favorite part about this painting is the fat lady flying through the air with her fresh kugal cakes.  I'm also curious why it says that Zaftig's was establish in "5757". Isn't 5757 in fact 3,745 years in the future? If that is the case, then this is the future of Jewish deli food folks. Get it before the fat lady eats your kugal. 

Pic one: "Fat ladies can fly"

Pic two: Again with the "5757"

Mural #3: 

This mural was commissioned to show off the Brookline neighborhood that JFK grew up in. JFK is seen coming out of Devotion school with a bunch of children. There are so many different races and religions in this painting that it has a very "Sesame Street" feel. I also want to know what the revolutionary war hero is doing charging into a street full of children two centuries in the future. 

Pic 1: "1775 meets 1963"

My favorite part of this mural, of course, is the young awkward Jewish couple tying the knot. I also love the old man selling tomatoes (or apples) (OR red bouncy balls). 

Pic 2: "Shalom"

Mural #4: 

This mural is on the wall adjacent Kupel's Bagel place. First thing you should do before going to look at this mural is buy a bagel... but not on Saturday, because it's Shabbat. In Brookline, you have to know your Jewish holidays and traditions because it's taken seriously in Brookline. You cannot get your kugal/bagels/lox/challah/matzah ball soup on Saturdays.  

I digress; this mural depicts the inside of a butcher shop back in what I can only assume was the "Leave it to Beaver" 1950s. I love the Hebrew type face under the name of the the butchery and the clearly political message "Combined Jewish Appeal" on the far left corner. 

Secretly political butcher

I dedicate this blog to Kay who held my Starbucks and watched me run in the street for 45 minutes on Saturday morning. Toda, as they say in Hebrew (thank you).  

Traveling With Half of My Orange

Ryan and I are leaving for Costa Rica in 10 days and I've never been more excited to leave my country  and get some freakin' sunshine (no offense USA).  In preparing for my travels I came across a few interesting phrases used in Costa Rica. By far my favorite is the one to call your boyfriend or girlfriend.  In Costa Rica, when you have a boyfriend/girlfriend you call them your "media naranja" or "other half of your orange". I have no idea where it derived from and am not sure it even makes any logistical sense. But I think it's kind of romantic. Nothing says love like sharing your fruit.

So far our Costa Rica itinerary consists of ...

Day 1: Pick up car and drive to Poas Lodge.
Day 2-10: Undecided.

I'm working on the rest of the itinerary though advice is always welcome. Here are some things I don't think my Costa Rica trip would be complete without:

1.) Seeing a Sloth.

Peek-a-boo

2.) Downing some Huevos Racheros.

Nom nom nom.

3.) Seeing something life threatening come out of a Volcano.

Smoke monster from "Lost"

4.) Getting a little too comfortable with some strangers in the Hot Springs.

Too many strange men, too little clothing

5.) Drinking an overly decorative drink out of an emptied out fruit shell.

One for me and one for media naranja

As soon as we have our itinerary I will publish it for all my readers.