Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

Yesterday we set off to accompany Dr. Don's groups on their tours. Alyssa and Edek went to the Kekoldi Indigeous Reserve and Ali and myself went to the Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. A man named Tino was our guide. He showed us a bounty of plants and trees and told us about their purpose. We smelled the leaves that are the ingredient for the perfume Chanel No. 5, painted our faces with a chalky nut, and smelled a dozen different types of plants. We saw natural cilantro, lemongrass, ginger, sage, coconuts, coacoa fruits; tasted starfruits and oranges and a miracle nut.. SO much grows here in the rainforest.

We saw dozens of animals. Ali and I were able to hold a couple frogs, a baby bat, and a big spider. We saw sloths up in the trees, an anteater feeding on coconuts, too many insects, spiders and snakes to recount, caymans and turtles and toucans, howler monkeys - everything in its natural environment. We were so lucky to encounter it all, and the footage of these interactions looks fabulous. All of this was possible because Tino is an allstar jungle man. We tracked down a pack of howler monkeys as he ravaged the forest with his machete while simultaneously warning us of fire ants and covert barbed wires. It was a fabulously enjoyable eight hour hike and an amazing learning experience. Tino is an inspiration.