Colibri Perk

Here are some interesting facts about hummingbirds:

With the exception from insects, they are the animal with the highest metabolism

A  hummingbirds heart beats 21 to 24 times a second

They’re wings beat about 75 times a second (although depending on the species this can range from 12 to 90)

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards

They inhabit the entire Americas, ranging from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska

The smallest hummingbird (and the smallest of all birds) is the Bee Hummingbird that has a length of 5 cm and weighs only 1.8 grams

Shift Tilt: Corcovado

A gentle shift-tilt from our trek in Corcovado

Corcovado

As Erik and I were doing some reading on where to go we stumbled upon the Corcovado National Reserve and couldn’t resist the urge to go. Here are some quotes from the guide-book.

“Labeled by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on earth”

“The largest river on the hike [River Sirena] is a neighbourhood hangout for sharks and crocodiles, so cross with caution”

“We constantly receive mixed reports from travelers detailing life-changing and life-threatening experiences in Corcovado”

“Corcovado is also prime territory for the deadly fer-de-lance snake”

“Every season travelers to Corcovado become injured, sick or even dead”

“The largest herds of peccary are reportedly on this trail. Local guides advise that peccary sense fear, but will back of if you act aggressively. Alternatively, if you climb about 2m off the ground you will avoid being bitten”

“[Ticks] approach megalithic sizes in Corcovado [...] it’s inevitable that you will pick up a few dozen”

I am happy to tell you though that we made it in one piece.

Sloth-Blog

In Cauhita we visited a sloth sanctuary. Here are ten fascinating facts about sloths:

1. There are two kinds of sloth you should know of – three toed sloth and toe toed sloth (and to generalize over sloths is blasphemy amongst sloth-enthusiasts)
2. It takes a month for food to pass through the alimentary tract of a sloth
3. A sloth only defecates once a week, and comes down to the ground to do so
4. Sloths are afraid of coming to the ground
5. Sloths are better swimmers then they are walkers
6. Three-toed sloths are the only mammal with 9 vertebrae and can turn their head 270 degrees
7. Two-toed sloths are more intelligent than three-toed sloths (there is no real evidence to support this argument)
8. Two-toed sloths like dog food
9. You only need to bath a sloth once. But you can choose to bath it as many times as you like. In fact, they like taking baths
10. Sloths only sweat through their nose

Miami

Stop over in Miami. Took a trip down to Miami Beach and almost got a tatoo..

These are the questions they made me answer from the transfer visa.

A) Do you have a communicable disease; physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict?

B) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or have been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or have been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities?

C) Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved, in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies?

D) Are you seeking to work in the U.S.; or have you ever been excluded and deported; or been previously removed from the United States or procured or attempted to procure a visa or entry into the U.S. by fraud or misrepresentation?

E) Have you ever detained, retained or withheld custody of a child from a U.S. citizen granted custody of the child?

F) Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa or entry into the U.S. or had a U.S. visa canceled?

G) Have you ever asserted immunity from prosecution?