Continued- La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Snakes!

I happen to like snakes...or rather I can admire and respect them from a distance. And some are truly beautiful! Such as the Green Vine Snake and the Golden Eyelash Pit-Viper.

But this is one snake I hope I never encounter other than in an exhibit like this.

The Fer de Lance

Irascible and highly venomous this snake is responsible for 46% of all snake bites in Costa Rica. (I looked it up!) I was in Costa Rica a few years ago with my friend Jocelyn at a wonderful Eco Lodge on the Osa Peninsula. The naturalist on staff there told us a harrowing story about a guest suffering a bite from one of these babies and being medevaced out to a hospital in San Jose. Needless to say when we were on our night hike we wore thick rubber boots up to our knees and he went ahead of us with a big stick beating at rocks and logs and rustling the vegetation. Yikes!     

Jungle Cats

I felt bad for these animals even though they were in really nice enclosures. It seemed cruel. But they were from a facility that had to close do to lose of funding and La Paz took them in. They were either old, injured or too accustomed to humans to be released in the wild. La Paz is hoping to release any offspring they may have in the future.

Puma

Puma

Jaguar

Okay, here are another couple animals I felt bad for, These two big old oxen just standing there all day long while tourists climb into the wagon behind them to get their photos taken.

This is supposed to represent how the peasants transported coffee to market back in the day. 

Waterfalls

The first picture is where we came from the second is where we were going. You can see Marcia in the blue t-shirt. Not bad for someone who is having knee surgery the next day!

We're in the jungle!

The hike back to the top was made better by the shuttle that took us part of the way. Still, my calves were sore the next day. Marcia's old knee certainly got a work out on its last day!

  

Tomorrow is the big day!