Monkeys and spiders and snakes, OH MY!

We have now seen all 3 species of monkeys (Howlers, Spiders and Capuchins) enough times that we have become nearly as blasé about them as the locals; Oh look, another damn monkey! It takes an endearing newborn monkeylette (about the size of a large rat) clinging desperately to its mothers belly fur to make us pause and degenerate into a slobbering, doe-eyed group of anthropomorphizing tourists. Shortly afterwards however, it is inevitable that we will also be treated to the sight of Mr. Alpha-males monkey ass which is made particularly picturesque by the impressive pair of swinging bolas he feels compelled to share with us (apparently all species of males are pretty much the same). Makes a person wonder how those things don’t get ripped off during the gravity-defying leaps they make as they hurl themselves from tree to tree.

We made another expedition into the swamp the other night to see what hidden jungle delights would reveal themselves to us under the probing glare of our flashlights. We were lucky to see several more beautiful frogs, a caiman who did not appreciate the intrusion and several other critters. It is at this point where I feel the need to explain the course of the evening……. Earlier in the day I was simply delighted to discover a still-fresh scorpion beside my bed that I had obviously inadvertently pinned with my computer lap-desk that morning. It was a clever scorpion who realized that it wasn’t going to be unpinned any time soon so promptly did what all scorpions should do and died. This left me with a sense of disquiet (cough) which lingered with me throughout the day. So……fast-forward to our swamp trek. Halfway there Bobby shines his light on a nearby log which has become the display platform for a spider the size of a dinner plate. To make it an even more special treat, and here I do not exaggerate in the tiniest way, the damn things eye was big enough TO REFLECT THE LIGHT RIGHT BACK AT US!!!!

OK, creepy but I must remain brave for my boys so I encourage them to gaze at it and their father to take pictures of it and for everyone to drink in the wonder of family arachnidae.
By this time I have developed goose-bumps that apparently have a life of their own and refuse to shrink back in to my flesh where they belong. My head and light-beam begin to swivel more quickly and erratically. I am still trying to narrate things in a sing-song manner, all the while my husband is secretly wondering when I’m going to crack. As we hit the boardwalk, Liam quickly spies the pretty little caiman so, thus challenged by the 9 year-old, we all set about trying to find special sightings of our own. I am looking very hard in all the reeds to find the frogs but doing so from the exact center of the boardwalk because by this time experience has taught me what lives under the rails. Sure enough, Bobby (again) lets out a bellow and begins to hop up and down in a frantic manner gesticulating at the rail nearest to him. Apparently a spider is lurking under the rail in a very menacing manner who has the effrontery to not only be huge but orange, crab-like and dragging behind her an egg sac that is the size of a large cotton-ball. Breaking-point is approaching at mach 6. Liam and I refuse to look or take part in any way in this fascinating sighting. In fact, we nonchalantly wander further down the walk and hope somebody will have the sense to fling it into the swamp (didn’t happen). Liam begins to whimper on the outside and I (still trying to be brave) begin to whimper and quiver on the inside. Soooo….because I have the best interest of my youngest son at heart I graciously give in to his pleas to be taken back to the cabin and escort him (quite quickly in fact) back through the forest and into the relative safety of our scorpion infested home.

Before bed that evening, all the corners were examined, the bed covers ripped back to assess for uninvited occupants, a flashlight placed within easy reach, open-toed flip-flops immediately ready where my feet would hit the floor and, most importantly, a potent sleeping aid gratefully ingested. I have since asked grampa Mick to come down and rescue me and for him to bring a big gun but I have yet to see the whites of his eyes.
MOTHER, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER THAN THIS !!

So last night, rumor had it that there was a large fer-de-lance basking in the ambient heat reflected by the warm concrete trail. So after dinner, at about 8PM, we felt that it would be a good idea to go and see if there was any merit to said rumor. So we all got on our jungle gear (except grampa and Liam who elected to stay behind) and began the trek out to marker 450 (apparently a portion of this particular trail appeals a great deal to snakes as Bobby [again] spied a coral snake in the same section the night before). It was pitch black, the mosquitoes were fierce and the trail was liberally littered with wet jungle debris making it difficult to distinguish between snaky fauna and snaky-looking flora. Sure enough there it was in a large coil, minding its own business while our troop of excitedly terrified gawkers intrepidly sidled up and shone their many obnoxious flashlights in its face. It was very beautiful but quite large; its body was probably the circumference of a large salami, and about 4 feet in length.
Well, Mr. Lance was none too appreciative of the attention so quickly uncoiled and made his way into the bush on the side of the trail. This was a signal for all the onlookers to take a sharp breath and make several backward steps until we could determine which way he was headed. As it was, as soon as he hit the bush he stopped and recoiled (all the better to strike us with), being quite careful to keep us firmly in his sight. During all this drama Bill is snapping off pictures at a furious rate and Dwight is following it with his flashlight so as to provide helpful illumination (!). Once Bill is happy with the number of pictures he’s taken we stop to take a look at them. This means the lights are directed away from Mr. Lance for a moment and pointed at the camera. Bill decides he needs a couple more shots so the lights are dutifully pointed back at the impressive serpent……..only to discover that he is no longer there!! Time elapse could only have been about 30 – 45 seconds and not a sound was heard! A decision was quickly and expeditiously made that we probably had enough pictures and it was time to head back to the cabins.


So, our adventure continues and we experience new and wonderful (mostly) things every day. More soon.
Michelle