Quick note and correction from yesterday.
NOTE
Please keep the youth ministry comunity in the US in your prayers. In the last week a diocesan director had a sudden heart attack, feel, injurded his brain and died days latter as well as another office closed. I recieved an e’mail with the suject “new direction” and knew the bad news before the note was opened.
CORRECTION
sloth the sin is pereza
sloth the creature is peresoso or perezoso
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
So after waiting an hour in the wrong spot for the bus yesterday, I made my way to the right parada (bus stop). Asked the woman behind the bar if I was in the right spot. “sí” bearly looking up from here text messaging. I asked when the next bus was and she just waved me away. Bought a malted beverage from her with hopes that I hadn´t missed the last bus of the day.
Finally a bus came. I told the driver where I was going and paid. It was pitch black out. I couldn´t find the cord to pull to single a requested stop, and i had no idea what it would look like if i could signal. My hope was the drive would just stop.
As we drove it became clear that the tarain had chaned, I was thinking I missed the stop. My panic look gained the attention of the man across the aisle. He asked where I was going. I told home. Yes, we missed the spot. He looked at his watch and said once we got to Límon there would be one more bus going the other way. Just to be safe he asked the bus driver about hit. The driver said he would help. Then with in 30 second there was a bus coming the other way down the road. He flashed his lights. The exchanged a few words and I jumped form one bus to the next.
There really are nice, kind people all over the world. We are so blessed. It happened so fast I never got to ask my angle on the bus.
BOAT TRIP
I was up at 545a to hop in a canoo with Cali to go exploring. For two hours he paddled up and down the Río Estrea. We enoutered many birds (tocans in the wild, he called it a blessing because they live at higher elevation), crabs, howling monkeys (who produce the most amazing sound), and a sloth.
After the boat ride I had breakfast. Freshfruit, omlet, beans and rice, and toast with jam. Then it was on to the sloth education center. I saw a shot vidoe called “The Sloth Ballet”. It was narated by a wacky british man who sang a song about all the things a sloth could do (such as right play and conqure the world) if only he moved a little faster. The video show the easy the move in the trees, the clumsness on the ground, and the gracefulness of them swimming. (Yes sloths swim. Who knew?)
The facilty is a sloth rescue. I recieved a tour. Saw the sloth who where going to be nursed back to health and released as well as the ones who will never be able to (mostly because they we resuced before maturety, meaning they were never taught how to be a sloth. I never got to hold a sloth, but did get to pet a few. Met both the two toed and three toed.
It facility is the only sloth resuce in the world and they are doing important reserch in to how to help both two and three towed as they face the growing encrouchment of man. (Image a sloth trying to cross a road, not perrty).
Fun facts:
* sloths have full ecosystem in thier fur, including moss growing which camfloges them and moths who eat the moss
* sloths main forms of defense are stealth, thick hids, and being still
* they also service becasue of thier abiltiy to are able to heal from major wounds, included fall of 90 feet and having thier hearts stop because of drownding for as long as 14 minutes.
* two twoed are ominvours (three twoed herbavors) eating leaves and slower moving animals (though I can´t image what those would be)
* they can live 30 years
* they only come out of the trees once a week to deficate
* they sleep 18 hours a day
* they are able to matabolizethe mostiure out of leave, there for never need to drink water
RAIN RAIN IT´S OKAY
It is the rainy season. Today it has rained most of the day. It is 65 and perfect. I love the rain. Have a hat and rain gear for the heave stuff, which seems to come for about five minutes every hour. Today waited in the rain for 25 minutes to take the bus into town. It is nice to be in such a lush wet place. If anything it keep th heat down. Maybe because I grew up in a place with out rain it is such a treat.
REST OF TODAY
The rest of the day is going to include food at Cha Cha Cha´s, so reading, a strool on the back sand beach, a nap, and packing.
TOMORROW
bus to san jose then to montverde few a few days in the cloud jungle.
May 26, 2006 by Gene
Rain
• • • • •