Iguanas and Crocs and Birds Oh MY

Thursday, after school and the mandatory walking around and shopping, we went BACK to the school for an Iguana and lagoon tour. First, we piled into Brian's illegal vehicle and went to the Iguana Sanctuary. It was amazing, and amazingly simple. There were HUGE pens of Iguanas. Mostly green ones, a few black ones that are native to Mexico. THOUSANDS of Iguanas. Three giant pens and a smaller holding pen for baby's that won't be released until October. He is repopulating them to release into the wild. He also had a pen of Crocodiles that will be bred in 2 more years (they were all female and all the same age despite a HUGE variance in size). And he had turtles as well. A few red ears that are not going to be released because they don't belong here and then native ones that are being bred. In the middle of the pens and cages was his "living room" - really just a hammock set up beside a few snake cages and a chicken pen. Right beside that was the bedroom, a bed built with rope and covered in mosquito netting and situated under a beautiful tree. I don't recall seeing the cooking fire, but it would have been around there somewhere! With all the rain, i can't figure out what kept them dry while they slept.......

We then picked up a guy from the village and he crawled into the back of the bronco. We went down some dirt side rows, coming to a gate, which was locked and was the entrance to the lagoon preserve. We walked through rows of pines and swarms of mosquitos and came to the lagoon and a bridge in various states of decay. Thousands of birds and hundreds of crocs and millions of fish live in this lagoon. No fishing, hunting, or loud noises allowed! We boarded a small boat which was propelled by a long stick and ventured out. Imagine, if you will..... Its about 7pm. There are dark storm clouds in the sky and the air is still. The mosquitos buzz and are flipped with human horse tails made of branches. The air smells fresh, yet a bit rotton with growing algea. There is no sound aside from our breathing, the lap of the water against the sides of the boat, MILLIONS of birds, and the sound of the ocean waves breaking on the otherside of the trees. The green tree line was absolutely saturated with bird life. White birds and black birds and pink birds, adult birds and baby birds, birds in flight..... My camera couldn't even begin to do it justice. It was a bird haters nightmare and my mother would have been in heaven. I stared, open mouthed (until a mosquito flew in) in wonder. (though the girl behind me looked a little bored). We also saw a couple baby crocs sunning on sticks above the water. Was it worth the mosquitos? For me, yes! I took it all in through my mother's eyes and found it absolutely delightful! (especially all the nests that were full of sparse feathered babys!)