Costa Rica: toddler on board

My mother always recalled to me how much children are like sponges and this analogy fixed in my mind today as my twenty-two month old, her dad and I ventured off to explore the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica for the day. She started off having no idea how to retain her wiggles in the mini bus sans a car seat. Some wiggles and screams out of the way, we set about by boat floating down the Palo Verde River, where the salt of the sea mixes with fresh water creating a bird lover’s paradise.

But monkeys were on her mind, and frogs of course  -  after a grapefruit sized-frog hopped across our path in route to our hotel room on our first night in Costa Rica. Frog fever waned a little as the salty waters drove away our ribbiting friends. There were lots of crocodiles ranging from puny to the size of a very large grown man – but much longer!  Every time my daughter elevated to her tip toes and peered over the edge of the boat I had a moment of fear strike – those nasty crocodiles teeming the waters.

While we peeled our eyes for monkeys we came across lots of other fascinating animals. The snake bird was a particular favorite and the male iguanas with the spikes on their back. The tiny bats that I was sure were just bumps on a tree until one flew away as the sound of the boat’s motor approached were cute little herbivores. My daughter’s vocabulary grew by the second as she called out to the creatures, scaring them away more than hithering them to us. I am sorry to the rest of the boat passengers who missed a view due to her excitement!

When the monkeys were finally spotted she got off the boat with her dad and walked through the tall grass to call to the howler monkey. It called back and made known its feelings about being disturbed in it’s slumber. I wondered as I watched from the boat how much she would remember of this trip.

She ate a typical Costa Rica meal after we departed the river and questioned, “hear that?” every time a rooster crowed. She thanked everyone in sight for her “eggies” from the baby chicken and was quite pleased with the mango juice. As the day grew on she sounded more like a child familiar with Costa Rican wildlife than our toddler who left the city less than a week ago. While she may not remember the details of her excursions in this country, she’s coming back with pails full of new knowledge – a sponge for sure…

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