From the cool windy cloud forest we drove down bumpy winding roads to the warm sun of the Pacific coast and the Pan American Highway which runs the length of the continent, but despite its name Is still largely 2 way traffic with opportunities to get stuck behind long slow trucks and tractors, where extra long vehicles slowly overtake long strings of even slower vehicles on the wrong side of the road regardless of oncoming traffic. We stop at a bridge to look down on some 40 crocodiles, fat bellied, armour plated 3 - 5 metres long, basking in the shallows and banks of the river below. Crocodiles live in all rivers on the Pacific side, occasionally venturing out into the sea. They congregate under the bridge as some unscupulous guides have broken the law and fed them to entertain tourists. We also screech to a halt when our sharp eyed guide spots some scarlet macaws in a tree across a field, the first time we have seen them in the wild, brilliant red, blue and yellow they appear to be fighting but actually part of their mating ritual.
The resort at Manuel Antonio is lovely and we get a chance to relax by the pool and to swim in the Pacific at a sheltered beach in the national park. The first beach is beautiful, yellow sand, the azure water very inviting but surprisingly empty until we hear a crocodile has been spotted on the shore. One local goes in anyway, many expectant tourist cameras are raised, but a ranger runs up blowing his whistle and yelling before he can ruin the country's tourist industry. We get to swim in the gentle warm swell of the second beach, despite a sign warning about crocodiles, but we trust our guide.
We leave the park on the far side of the beach across a shallow stream, but are not allowed to wade across, for a dollar we are ferried 10 metres in 30 seconds, the shortest boat ride ever, thankfully croc-free as I don't think the small boats would have been much protection, more like floating open cans of croc ready meals.
Walking in the national rain forest park we see sloths, lizards, insects, frogs and birds. Millions of years of evolving camouflage are wasted on our guide who is an encyclopaedia with laser vision. Without him we struggle to see anything the next day on the resort's nature trail, where some rare shy squirrel monkeys can sometimes be seen, although not by us, instead three white faced capuchins find us. We had seen some before with the guide, fairly cute in the trees or trying to get water from taps, watching tourist groups with caution or disinterest, but one of this group stared at us menacingly, made its way down to a fence post, staring all the while, grimacing and baring its teeth like a gremlin fed after midnight, looking ready to pounce and very scary. Martin was snapping away oblivious. I remembered the guide explaining that they are very territorial and guarding our bags while we swam as the monkeys can snatch them or open the zips looking for food. I grabbed our bags off the table, alerted Martin and we retreated rapidly. This was clearly their territory and its not called wildlife for nothing.