While I enjoyed all our port visits, Costa Rica was one of my favorites. It is a beautiful country.

While there, we visited the Sloth Sanctuary. It is an amazing place.

Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals found in the rain forest canopies of Central and South America. There are two species of sloths:two-toed and three-toed. Most sloths are about the size of a small dog and they have short, flat flat heads. Their hair is grayish brown but, at times they look grey-green in color because they move so slowly that tiny camouflaging algae grow all over their coats.

Some sloths stay in the same tree for years. Their huge hooked claws and long arms allow them to spend most of their time hanging upside-down from trees. Since they have a slow metabolism, they need very little food. They feed on fruit, leaves, buds, and young twigs. Sloths also sleep upside-down for up to 18 hours at a time. Mothers also give birth to babies upside-down. Babies cling to their mothers until they are able to take care of themselves.

While on the grounds, I spotted several sloths, 40 or 50 feet above me, resting in the tree tops.

We met Buttercup. the first sloth rescued at the Sloth Sanctuary.

She is very sweet and quite content to let all of us pose with her.

Buttercup, eating a snack.

Baby sloth.  .  . posed for us.

 

While there we walked around the grounds and saw some amazing sites. At one point, we saw hundreds of holes in the ground. We asked that made it, the answer, crabs! Did not know of such a thing. . . land crabs!

A close-up view of a crab.

The color was gorgeous, an indigo body with bright orange legs and mouth.

Everywhere we looked, we saw beautiful floral and fauna.

And some pretty strange vegetation!

This is the end of our Panama Quilting cruise. . . a great time had by all!!