Mistico Hanging Bridges

All the leaves on trees and bushes in a rainforest have pointed ends. Do you know why?  Because they get so much moisture that they need a way for it to run off and not pool on the top of the leaf. This is just some of the information our naturalist, Marvin, passed on to us today as we walked along the forest floor then up to the treetops. Mistico is a privately owned reserve but the current owners are making a great effort to up grade the paths and keep everything in as natural state as possible.

We saw two 'Eyelash' vipers whose name comes from the two scales over each eye that look like eyelashes.  They are extremely poisonous!  We also saw a hooded lizard who was nearly invisible as it waited on a tree for its prey. Leaf cutter ants marched along or over the trail in several places. They cut the leaves from the tree tops, carry them back to the nest and then chew them into a paste which covers a certain fungus to preserve it. This fungus is their food, not the leaf as I always believed. And, of course, more birds!

The steel palm and broccoli tree were just two of several trees we studied from the ground and from the treetops. Another palm was called the walking palm since it put down roots in a way that moved the tree from one place to another. The broccoli tree has a beautiful, lacey, umbrella-like canopy and the steel palm has such huge palm branches that it held a prominent position in the eco-system. 

The hanging bridges were 50 to 330 meters tall and up to 30 meters long. We had to tread lightly to prevent the bridge from swinging. They offer a wonderful view of the forest from the top down. 

After naps we hired a taxi so we could explore the nearby town of La Fortunate. We found a $2 beer bar, souvineers shops, hikers' hostels and several interesting restaurants. We dined at a nice place that featured grilled meats. It turned out that the chef's wife works at the front desk of our resort.