On our second day in Tortuguero we decided to go on a hike on 'The Hill'. This hill is only accessible by boat (like most of Tortuguero) and has some unbelievable creatures to view.

Ross was our guide. This fella knows more about wildlife of all sorts than I could even try to absorb. He was so much fun to follow around and pester with questions.

Charlie and I never ran out of questions for Ross, and Ross never ran out of answers. It was a perfect match!

Ross said we needed rubber boots, now we know why.

Charlie found this little guy on our walk. He was nestled between the leaves catching a snooze.

These little poison dart frogs were EVERYWHERE. They are pretty small but easy to spot due to their bright colors. Their name comes from the Choco indians that used a close relative of this species to envenom their blow darts. All it took was to rub the dart along the body of the frog to turn it into a lethal weapon. These little guys are not quite that poisonous, but I wouldn't go around licking them to see what would happen.

We didn't realize that our boots were not going to be tall enough for the water. The shot on the right is at just the moment that the water began to rush into Charlie's boots. You can see how happy he was about that.

The spiders in the rainforest were HUGE. I made sure to always walk behind Ross. This is not a creature I would want to run into.

This spider monkey was playing up in the treats eating a mildly poisonous leaf. Apparently they use it as a anti-parasite. Self medication, brilliant!

She loves them, then she eats them. Man, the animal kingdom is rough. I am happy with dinner and a movie.

Ross saved this one from nearly drowning. I think she was pretty happy about that. And it made a great shot.

We left La Fortuna at about 5:30 am and began the long treck down to Tortuguero. This was not a short trip. We drove our rental car back to San Jose, took a taxi to the bus station. The bus ride was about 4 hours. We waited about 3 hours for another bus to take us 2 hours to the dock. Then it was about an hour to tortuguero by boat.

Tortuguero is an amazing little town. You can only reach it via plane or boat, and the boat ride is incredible. You go winding through the canals looking for wildlife and typically end up soaking wet from the rain. The hot smelly bus ride and all of the waiting around to get to Tortuguero is more than worth it.

We spotted quite a bit of wildlife on our boat ride and I managed to get a a few shots despite the torrential downpour.

So bummed this little guy was facing the wrong direction... at least we can see the beautiful colors and patterns on his skin.

The rain that poured down in Tortuguero was incredible. I have never experienced such a massive dropping of water. And while it wasn't so conducive to many activities we enjoyed the time to read while listening to the rain dropping on the tin roof.

When there were breaks in the rain we took the chance to walk around the village and check out the beach. Here Charlie is sporting the latest in high fashion, Costa Rica style.

And I even got to have my drink from a coconut. More to come...

After spending time in the hot springs, zip lining, exploring the volcano and swimming in the waterfalls we headed off to Monte Verde Cloud Forest. But not without first saying goodbye to our little green friends.

We went to Monteverde via jeep-boat-jeep. As it turned out, just as we were leaving Mount Arenal was somewhat clear for the first time since we had been in Costa Rica.

After a four hour journey we arrived in Monteverde and headed to the Cloud Forest. Walking through the forest we followed the path which took us across about eight hanging bridges that run along the top of the canopy and give you a birds eye view of the park. I still can't believe how green it was.

Walking through the forest the light would spill in where there was a break in the canopy. The light was beautiful.

The next day we rode back around the lake. Poor Charlie wasn't exactly used to riding and ended up with a pretty good saddle sore. Next time he will probably choose not to wear shorts.

Yes, there is a ton of wildlife in Costa Rica. But I have to say, the cows were some of my favorite. They are mostly brahman and have the cutest ears and dewlap.

Charlie was a good sport and let me stop the car so I could get a few shots. Look at that face. How could you NOT love her?

So, I ate chicken for most of the trip.

This was our last night in La Fortuna. Next Stop.... Tortuguero.

I was done blogging for the day... I really was. But then, my dad emailed this picture with the words 'Shasta misses you.' Geeze. He knows how to get a mama's heart strings strumming. So, for all of those inquiring minds I thought I would give a little Shasta update. By the way, I thought I would mention that I got far more comments about Shasta than any other photography I have posted. I could take this two ways. Either I am a fabulous pet photographer or you all find my pet rescue stories far more interesting than my actual work. I am going to go with the former. Pet photography anyone?

So, on with the update. Shasta seems to be doing really well. We had to take her down to my parents place because we have a somewhat neurotic neighbor that is afraid of dogs. Rather than having to deal with her shenanigans we figured it would be easier to just give her to my parents until we can find a bigger place. My parents recently lost one of their golden retrievers so it was almost perfect. I say almost because I hate not having her with me. Shasta and I have a rather pathetic attachment to one another. And we both have a penchant for the dramatic.

Before I took her down the vet gave her a clean bill of health (thank goodness!). She is still struggling to put on weight, but hopefully that will change. Mom has been feeding her ground beef and eggs and anything else she can get her to consume. The dog eats better than most people.

Charlie and I go down to my parents place whenever we can. I take her for runs and spoil her rotten. So for now, Shasta is happy as a clam. Cute little critter.