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      6-week-old and 3-month-old baby marmoset monkeys
      The Blue Banyan Inn
      Quepos, Costa Rica
      August 3, 2010

      Mike and I just got home from a week on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. July 30th was our fifth anniversary, so we decided to take a vacation/babymoon to celebrate. We wanted to go someplace warm and tropical, and completely different from our normal daily routine. Mike wanted a beach, and I wanted monkeys. So Costa Rica it was!

      We stayed at a miniature resort called the Blue Banyan Inn, near the town of Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park. The Blue Banyan is a bed-and-breakfast owned by an American-Canadian couple named Jim and Barbara. The Inn has just four cottages, a pool, and a restaurant where they served a delicious breakfast each morning. It’s quite a bit out of town, nestled in the rolling hills of the rainforest. The only sounds were those of the birds, insects, and frogs. The peaceful tranquility was divine, especially during a rare break from my busiest time of year.

      One of the greatest aspects of the Blue Banyan Inn is that is also the site of an animal sanctuary operated by a non-profit organization called Kids Saving the Rainforest. Barbara and Jim and the volunteers take care of 22 marmoset monkeys at the sanctuary, including these four orphaned babies. Every morning they would bring the four babies to the hotel, and let me keep an eye on them as they prepared breakfast. These baby monkeys were absolutely adorable, and one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.I’ll be posting our Costa Rica photos in four sets, starting with these photos of our hotel and the monkey sanctuary. Stay tuned for more!


      The road to the hotel — it was located about 15 minutes outside of town, along a dirt road through a palm forest. At this particular moment, we were following Jim and Barbara and their dog, Darla.

      Blue Banyan Inn cottage
      Our beautiful cottage

      Blue Banyan Inn
      Mike and me

      Blue Banyan Inn pool
      The pool at the hotel. The building to the far left is our cottage — we had the one closest to the pool, with the best views of the rainforest. The building in the middle is the restaurant.

      Blue Banyan Inn cottage
      Our cottage. We loved sitting on the front porch during the late afternoon rain showers, watching the forest.

      Blue Banyan Inn restaurant
      The Birds and Butterflies restaurant at the hotel, where we ate delicious banana pancakes for breakfast each morning. Almost all the restaurants in the area had no walls! Very cool.

      Blue Banyan Inn restaurant
      The inside of the restaurant. Mike taught me how to play chess during our trip, and we’d sit there during the evenings and enjoy some relaxing chess slaughter (Mike’s way better than me… so far!)

      Baby marmoset monkeys
      Each morning, Barbara and Jim would bring the four orphaned monkeys to breakfast, and let us play with them. These two were the youngest, at only six weeks old.

      Barbara and Goober. Because baby monkeys spend their first several months riding on their mothers’ backs, these little orphans loved to sit on Barbara’s head and cling to her hair. Goober was a total mama’s boy, and would cry for her until she placed him comfortably on her head.


      Here she has a couple monkeys on her head.Baby marmoset monkey
      One of the littlest babies crawled onto my shoulder and took a nap. CUTE.


      This little guy was disappointed that my orange juice glass was empty.Baby marmoset monkey


      Trying to steal Mike’s coffee.

      Baby marmoset monkey


      Standing next to our cottage. The scenery behind me was the view from our front porch.

      Macaw
      Tiki, the hotel’s bilingual macaw.

      macaw
      Tiki would greet us at breakfast each morning with a cheery “Hola!” When we left for the day, he’d call out “Bye!”


      Can you tell that I loved the monkeys?

      Kids Saving the Rainforest
      One morning, we tagged along with Barbara as she fed the monkeys at the sanctuary.


      Some of the monkey enclosures, all built and designed by the kid volunteers.


      Some of the marmosets in the enclosures, getting their breakfast.


      The stereotype seems to be true… monkeys love them some bananas.


      Here’s Barbara’s husband, Jim, the co-owner of the hotel.


      Tiki in the blue banyan tree for which the hotel is named.


      Mike with Maxime, one of the dogs who live at the hotel.


      Maxime and Darla are best friends who kiss each other on the face all day. I’ve never seen two dogs so affectionate toward each other.


      Happiness

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      COMMENTS

      We just booked the Banyon for March ’13. We are taking our four grown daughters. Your web site increased our excitement tremendously. Thanks.

      Barbara

      I’m so happy to hear it, Barbara! I hope your family has as much fun as we did.

      Looks like so much fun. Some day I am going to go on one of Roy Toft’s photo tours in Costa Rica 🙂

      these are great pictures! so exotic! i love them!

      WOW…What pictures…..from us folks at the Blue Banyan Inn …it was wonderul to have you guys as out guests. Thanks for baby sitting and hopefully we’ll meet again soon… love B&J

      Wow, these pictures are amazing!!! I can’t believe how wonderful they are. I am sending the blog link to Lauren right now. She will love them! This is great, you made my day!
      Jennifer
      Kids Saving The Rainforest
      Blue Banyan Inn

      Those are the cutest things EVER!

      Those are the cutest things EVER!

      I want a baby monkey on my head.

      Beautiful! The monkeys are so cute!

      And the colours on Tiki are just stunning!

      Costa Rica is totally on my bucket list! Monkeys are adorable.

      I don’t know which was cuter, Barbara with monkeyhead or you with napping monkey on the shoulder. Chock full of squeeee!

      Maxime must ba a distant cousin of Ally!

      So cute )
      Nice!
      Thank you for your potos )

      wow!!!

      What a fun and relaxing getaway! Beautiful scenery and hell, who doesn’t love monkeys? Especially… BABY monkeys!

      Loved, loved, LOVED this set!

      Hugs, Tina

      It’s wonderful journey!!!

      So cute )
      Nice!
      Thank you for your potos )

      I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Costa Rica, bu my husband has no desire, so I’ll live vicariously through your vacation pictures!!
      The photo of the money napping on your shoulder is SOOOOO adorable!!

      wow!!!

      What a fun and relaxing getaway! Beautiful scenery and hell, who doesn’t love monkeys? Especially… BABY monkeys!

      Loved, loved, LOVED this set!

      Hugs, Tina

      OMG the monkeys!!!!! 😀

      looks like a fantastic vacation, can’t wait to see the rest of the photos!

      It’s wonderful journey!!!

      I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Costa Rica, bu my husband has no desire, so I’ll live vicariously through your vacation pictures!!
      The photo of the money napping on your shoulder is SOOOOO adorable!!

      I love Costa Rica and have been dying to go back… I think I have just figure out where I’m going when I do.

      I can’t wait to see the rest of your pictures…

      The monkeys are SO CUTE! I almost didn’t even see the monkey on Barbara’s head in that first photo!

      omg! normally monkeys freak me out but these are SO CUTE! glad you guys had a great time :]

      OMG the monkeys!!!!! 😀

      looks like a fantastic vacation, can’t wait to see the rest of the photos!

      Amazing trip! Love the photos. So did my toddler. She screamed MONKEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and squawked with the parrot.

      Yay! Monkeys! 😀

      Glad you both enjoyed Costa Rica.

      Wow, what an amazing vacation!! Can’t wait to see more pics. 🙂

      The monkeys are SO CUTE! I almost didn’t even see the monkey on Barbara’s head in that first photo!

      Charlotte Geary

      CHARLOTTE GEARY

      Lifestyle, event, and portrait photographer with a vibrant, joyful style and 17 years of professional experience.

      Located in Reston, Virginia near Washington, D.C. and available for travel.

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