BIG tiny World Travel

Costa Rica is known for their wide array of fauna.  From crocodiles to sloths, birds of every color, bugs, frogs, etc., there’s so much to look at and appreciate.  While we were there, we went on numerous canopy tours and boat rides, all to catch a glimpse at the elusive wildlife.  And Costa Rica delivered.

But which was our favorite animal encounter?

A difficult decision

This was actually difficult to determine, as we came home with so many fun memories.  We sadly didn’t see any sloths, but we had a very friendly resident gecko – many, in fact – at our hotel.  The squirrel in Alujuela had fun playing with Aaron’s camera, and I was delighted to discover “windsurfer” ants.  We even saw rare macaws, and we pet crocodiles.

But I think the experience that makes me smile hails from our visit to the Isle of Tortuga.  We took a small boat from a dock in Punta Arenas and sailed to Isla Tortuga.  There, we snorkeled, rode on banana boats, and ate a delectable prepared lunch on the white sand.

The residents of Tortuga

This island was also home to a beautiful peacock (that terrifyingly sounded like our Holee meowing in distress) and an apathetic boar.  With daily visitors, this boar grew accustomed to receiving scraps from the makeshift kitchens and was quite friendly to the tourists… almost too friendly.

He came trotting into our camp area like it was nobody’s business (which it probably wasn’t) and promptly claimed some poor boy’s sandcastle as his new napping spot.  Rutting in the sand, the boar demolished this kid’s hard work (right in front of him), then stretched out on the resulting mound, amidst the boy’s protests.

But the kid wouldn’t be deterred.  As the boar settled into his nap, the boy calmly pet the animal and then began to pat sand on its hooves and around its body to tuck it in.  It was a hilarious moment for all who saw it, and it was one of the memories that sticks with me.

Have you ever had a fun animal encounter?  What happened?

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