End of Day 6

**Disclaimer - we have not been able to upload pictures but as soon as we get a chance we will add them to the blog**

So after our canoe tour with Castor Hunter we decided to go back and relax at the hotel. Since we had to get passes to the Tortuguero Park anyway for our canoe tour we decided to walk through the park to see what wildlife we could spot from land. We were not disappointed. Before we even enter the park we hear a group of howler monkeys in the trees at the entrance. Then further in we spot some more toucans and other beautiful birds. We also see a lot of interesting species of spiders and other insects. The banana spiders are all over the place and are huge and really creepy.

There are trails that lead from the main forest trail out to the adjacent beaches so we decide to head out there to see what we can find. There are turtle tracks everywhere! It almost looks like a monster truck rally was held out here. We see tons of nests, but no turtles. They only nest at night time.

On the way back out of the park we come across a family of Spider monkeys. They are literally right above us, about 50 feet away. The dad is leading the way with one little one thats about 1 year old and an even smaller one that looks like it may be only a few months old. The father and the littlest one make it to one side of the forest but the yearling cannot figure out how to make it across. So he swings back and forth and back and forth trying to make it to his family. Finally, the dad gives up on and he and the little one come back to get him. They head in another direction that is a little more conducive for the less athletic sibling. After spending a good 30 minutes watching the spider monkey we leave the park and return the rubber boots we had to rent in order to enter the park.

We then wander aimlessly around the town for a bit. After only 2 days it almost feels like we live here. We know some of the locals and even the dogs are familiar with us. We meet up with our two Scandanavian friends we had met at our hotel in Tortuguero, Joel and Stephanie, for dinner. We sit down at an inexpensive restaurant along the main street to eat when some other friends we met from La Fortuna - Kierran and Sheila from Bath, England - find us. We met this couple on our tour of Ecocentro Danaus with our awesome guide Arturo a few days prior. They are a really cool couple, probably in their sixties and have no kids. They remind us a lot of an older version of ourselves. Interestingly enough, Joel and Stephanie remind us of a younger version of ourselves. Also, we come to find out that Stephanie and Joel already know Kierran and Sheila from the bus ride down from La Fortuna! What a coincidence that all of us know each other and we all hit it off fabulously. We decide to all go for dinner instead at Miss Junies which is known as the best restaurant in town. We have an amazing dinner! The food was excellent and it was like having dinner with a bunch of old friends that we have known for ages. The four of them are scheduled for turtle tours that night so they have to leave at 9:30 to meet their guides. Kathy and I spend the rest of our night laying in a hammock with our newly adopted dog that we affectionately name Daisita. We sneak her into our room with us where she stays all night. I know...we are weird.

The next morning we are heading for Cahuita along the Caribbean coast.