2. Costa Rica Photographed by Jair (Yair) Moreshet,

3. The Tortuguero National Park consists of a system of Jungle Canals and a village. Since the area is not connected by road, your adventure begins here early in the morning, taking a light aircraft to an airstrip in the jungle.

4. Crossing from the airstrip to the jungle lodge.

5. Touring the jungle canals.

8. Howler Monkeys. (-Only lions can produce a sound that dominates the jungle like theirs.)

12. A Caiman.

16. A “Basilisk lizard” also called “Jesus Christ lizard” because it can actually run across the surface of rivers and ponds.

22. If you went to Tortuguero by water, this lovely Mariachi band is a part of the service on your way back.

23. The road to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is not paved, at least partly for the fear that a resulting flood of visitors will adversely affect the eco system.

25. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve.

27. The rare and elusive Resplendent Quetzal once revered by the ancient Aztecs and Mayas. (I was very lucky!) Notice the up to 3 feet long tail feather. Only the royalty was allowed to wear such a feather. Their ancient mythical god Quetzalcoatl supposed to have such. (The god Quetzalcoatl provided his people with Cacao, which they considered to be divine. He was supposed to return to earth in the year “one reed” and bring the treasures of paradise. When the Spanish explorer Cortes landed in the sixteenth century, in the year “one-reed,” he was mistakenly thought to be Quetzalcoatl and warmly welcomed by Montezuma, the Aztec ruler. This ultimately led to the enslavement and destruction of the Aztec people by the Spanish and eventually to the conquest of Central America.)

29. A Coati (related to the raccoon).

33. The tree that grew downward seeking the ground from seeds carried to the top of an existing big tree until covering completely the existing tree that eventually died and left a hollow core. The hovering bird (like a helicopter) is a Hummingbird.

35. A green Toucan.

36. The Manuel Antonio National Park, where the steep jungle hills meet the (Pacific) ocean.

38. A Capuchin Monkey (White-Face Monkey).

41. A local jungle Raccoon.

42. A sleeping Sloth. This strange mammal suspends on tree branches like monkeys but it is NOT a monkey. Being lazy and very slow it avoids going down to the ground for the fear of Jaguars.

46. Going for a tour of the Mangrove canals of the estuary next to Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast.

52. The trip ends in a glorious sunset over Manuel Antonio national park on the Pacific coast.

54. Can you feel the taste of the margarita we are having at this very moment?