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Another Day in Paradise: Exploring an Island Jungle


This is where we ended up--on the beach. Our guide Sam brought us here. We met him just by chance when we were walking through the Ngobe village on Solarte. Its set on a hillside and smells of fresh cut grass. Small houses, simply built, stand between banana trees and towering mangoes. All now in full fruit.

Sam knew us from town and when he saw us he waved and said hi! It was only  moment before he was running out of his house and offering to show us around,

I am so happy he did.
The view from up on the hill was amazing. We could see the mountains on the mainland across the bay.


And when we left the village and entered the jungle, we found a hobo (ceiba) tree--very important to the native people here and considered sacred.



We found these huge spiked fruits which were not quite ready. Sam didn't remember their name, but I think it might be jackfruit, a soft white and very sweet fleshy fruit that we tasted when our friend William brought from the Dark Land for us to sample.

We saw two tiny red frogs and I got to hold one. They are called poison dart frogs because they have a venom strong enough to kill 10 men, but there is no danger in holding them (just don't eat them) He was so tiny I could barley feel him on my skin.


Our walk through the jungle ended at the beach on Hospital Point, so called because the United Fruit Company used to have a hospital here. 30,000 people died there from yellow fever back around the turn of the century and the hospital was eventually torn down. Now there is just a beautiful green lawn, a private home, and a beach with tremendous snorkeling just off shore.

It was a lovey day and Sam is a sweet soul.


Another Day in Paradise, 
Laura



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