El Refugio
(Kelsey, you’ll like this one.)
This morning Chico and I visited a wildlife rehabilitation center that’s been in operation for about four years, just a short walk from our casita. Chico was able to get really close to a few toucans at last, and we were even able to let one chew on our fingers (gently!). A dream come true.
The center takes in orphaned and injured wildlife, primarily howler monkeys, two- and three-toed sloths, caimans, birds, and snakes, rehabilitates or raises them to maturity, then re-introduces them to the wild when possible. It seems to be well-run, with healthy-looking animals and lots of trained volunteers making sure even those animals we are allowed to touch are treated appropriately by the public.
Chico’s little friend found the tallest tree in the group and wouldn’t leave his perch for about 10 minutes (even giving Chico’s neck a little clean-up with his tiny squirrel tongue!). 
And here is a really cute 3-month old howler monkey:
I got to spend a bit of time in the enclosure with the monkey babies, and just before it was time to move on one came to curl up in my arms. She had to be pried away–too cute.
The sloths are not quite so cuddly. This three-toed sloth was willing to take a leaf from my hand. They are such strange-looking animals!
Okay, our connection is very slow tonight, so that will be all for now. We have more photos that we’ll share later.
We’ll be heading to a local chocolate farm tomorrow to see how cocoa is made. Yummy!
Pura Vida 2011 
AAAH MOM that’s ridiculous!!! Was this the Aviarios Rehabilitation center, by chance? I’ve been spending (literally) ALL of my spare time on Zooborns.com, and they frequently feature updates on two-toed sloth babies at Aviarios in Costa Rica!! I was gonna write to you and see if you could visit it and take pictures for me. But looks like you read my thoughts.
It looks like so much fun!
Miss you guys, can’t wait to see you again,
Kelsey
This place is called Jaguar Rescue Center, actually, though they don’t rescue jaguars. I don’t know where the Aviarios place is. I don’t think it’s near here, though.
We miss you, too and are looking forward to seeing you soon.
Love, Mom and Dad
Hey, I’m so enjoying your blog. It was so lovely to see your face in this entry! You look so tanned and beautiful! That monkey baby looked just precious. I bet that was a really cool place to visit.
All is well here, missing you and looking forward to having you back. I’m sure you have mixed feelings about that. Can’t wait to catch up.
Marcia 🙂
Thanks for the nice comments, Marcia. I am actually looking forward to getting back to work with surprisingly few mixed feelings. I’m just worried I will have forgotten all I know about doing my job! But I really look forward to seeing you and catching up as well. It won’t be long now.
XOXO