Punta Uva

Kayaking. Is. Awesome.

Today we kayaked through the mangrove-lined rivers of Punta Uva, which translates to Grape Point, for which it is very literally named: it’s a point, punctuated by big clusters of grape trees. It was eerie and gorgeous, we were the only ones out and there was nothing to hear but cicadas and the occasional stunning roar of a howler monkey off in the distance; it felt like Disney’s river cruise, except real.

Punta Uva beach is also often called “Sloth Point” and for a good reason; it is positively littered with them, and, to our absolute elation, they were out in full force today! It was a cooler day, cloudy and overcast, and our guide told us it helped bring the usually nocturnal beasties out for a snack, or a drink of water. We came up-close to one climbing down a mangrove to get a sip of water, we sailed under one sticking his tongue out at us, we even caught a momma and her baby munching on some leaves; she left her young one on a branch for a bit and he had to catch up with her. One day soon, however, she will leave him and not wait for him to catch up. Mother sloths raise their young for four months only, and then leave them to fend for themselves. I’m not sure how they survive; I’m 33 and I still need my mother to tell me if I can eat the recently expired yogurt in my fridge.

(Hi, Mom!)

After kayaking, we hiked through the Punta Uva forest trails, probably the wildest ones we’ve hiked yet, steep and muddy from last night’s torrential rain. Someone in our party may have fallen on her behind. And her name might start with Miss and end in Park.

While the sloths may be some of the most impressive animals of the rainforest, the land surely belongs to its most tiny residents: the ants. We came across a huge compound of leaf cutter ants; it spawned at least six feet. We watched as what must have been thousands of ants rushed back and forth, carrying tiny bits of leaves and flower petals to the compound; our guide told us they used the greenery to harvest fungus. In a sense, these ants are farmers. There are three types of ants that reside on the compound: minis, who keep the trails clean, medios, who carry the leaves to the compound, and the considerably larger soldier ants, who protect the nest with fairly gnarly-looking pincers. Our guide stood by one of the structures and stomped his feet and these soldier ants came rushing out of the holes to assess the threat; it was fascinating to watch, from a safe distance. He told us that the indigenous people use the solder ants’ pincers as staples, to keep wounds closed. They separate the heads from the ants’ bodies, and close up the wounds with a series of pincers. Quite the visual, sí?

Leaf cutter ants aren’t the only ants in town to watch out for, however. As we turned a corner, our guide grabbed a tree for leverage and encountered some angry fire ants (he told us, at the beginning of the hike, to not grab anything without looking first… he should have taken his own advice!) Fire ants have a nasty sting, and when you scratch at it, it looks and feels like a burn. They are nothing, however, compared to the bullet ants, whose sting, akin to that of a scorpion, allegedly feels like being shot. And the pain does not subside for 24 hours. Ow.

We don’t want to leave you scratching at invisible ants (stop it!) So here are some gorgeous Punta Uva viewpoints. Until mañana, mis amores!