June 6- Howler Monkeys

Yesterday was my second solo hike (and the first one in which I managed to get onto the proper trail and visit all of the study sites that I was supposed to- slow but steady progress on this whole "sense of direction" thing).  It was a clear and sunny afternoon, which meant that it was brutally hot, but the forest was stunning.  The jungle truly feels like another world.  The trees are enormous, and there are an incredible variety of them.  Vines and lianas are everywhere.  The forest teems with life, and you can easily tell that what you're seeing is only a tiny fraction of what's out there.  I was almost done my 5 km loop checking on ant nests when I spotted a group of howler monkeys feeding!  I spent almost 20 minutes just standing there watching them eat fruit from a nearby tree- it was truly incredible!