Welcome to the neighborhood...

Today is my sixth day in Nicaragua and I have a lot to tell: First of all, lets start with some pictures:

This is Annie

This is a picture of my house. I live there with Annie and Captain Jim and Tiger the Boxer/Pit bull/sweetheart.

The town is three blocks by four blocks. It's fairly small, but large enough that I won't know everyone. There are no street names. My address is " 1/2 blocks up the hill from the church" and people can find it!

This is my bedroom:

It is hard to see from the picture, but it is large compared to most Nica bedrooms. The ceilings are high and I have a tin roof.

This is our dog Tiger. He looks really scary, but that is to our advantage. The locals are scared of him 1) because he's "macho", 2) because he's big and 3) because he looks mean. When we're walking down the street, people clear out of the way. The kids run away from him and the men cross the street. It's an incredible power! We leave the house doors open even when we're away because nobody will enter with him there. At night we sleep with the back door open because there's a 15 foot fence and nobody will risk it just to get caught by the dog. The reality is that he's a sweetie. He puts his head on the bed and looks at you if you've slept too long. He leans against you when you pet him and he loves the water. Annie and I took him to the beach yesterday and made the mistake of letting him off his leash. It took us almost an hour to catch him!

This is the spider we found under my dresser!

It was quite the traumatic experience. Our neighbor Freddy came over to save the day. Freddy brought a jar and lo and behold, he was very dead. This is Freddy "catching" the spider:

Now let me introduce to you most of the monkeys on the property. Before I do, let me explain the situation. These are monkeys who have been abused and neglected by previous owners. Although to someone in the states, they may seem unhappy or not well cared for, these monkeys have got it made! They live outside and have harnesses attached to leashes which are attached to a run. This allows the monkeys to climb freely in the trees on the ground and among their toys. Each monkey has his or her own house and access to fresh food and water at all times. If the monkeys were put into cages, it would be a less-natural enviroment for them and they would get depressed. This way they can interact with eachother, the guests at the hotel and the staff and live happily. They are all black-footed spider monkeys except for Bonzai and William.

This is Bonzai.

She is a two year old feamale who is all play. She just leaps on to you and won't let go until you back away. She is the most friendly and the most socialized. This morning Bonzai got out of her harness and took herself on a little walk thoughout the grounds, with us trying to catch her. Every so often she can go without her harness because she won't run away, but we have a new monkey on the property and she wanted to show him who was boss (obviously not us) and Willaim, the new Capuchin monkey, was scared to death. The species don't get along in general, but with Bonzai dedicing she ran the place, it wasn't a good idea to have them together.

This is William, the white-faced Capuchin:

William was brought to us on Wednesday after a security guard found him being attacked by dogs. We brought him in, gave him some antibiotics and now he hangs out next to the clinic. He belongs to someone in town, but nobody has come looking for him yet. He is used to people, but is wary of us. We are unfamiliar and, although we have food, cannot be trusted. Today he took some bread from my hand and sat on Annie's lap, both of which are good signs. He talks to us and I think he's saying, "Where am I? Where are my people?" which is why he looks so sad.

This is Roberto, aka Bad Bob:

I'm not sure what his story is, but he will bite you if you even look at him.

This is Monica and her baby.

She is about 8 years old and is somewhat friendly. Her baby doesn't have a name yet. Right now Monica is very protective of her baby and nobody can get close unless you have food. UPDATE: The baby is Francesca, after her father (Francesco) who passed away before she was born.

This is Rosita and Veronica. Not friendly. I don't know their story either, sorry.

Last but not least, Emperador.

He is a lovey boy. Loves women and his male caretakers, but is very wary of men. I was holding him today and a guest came by asking about him. He got so angry and protective of me that the guy had to leave just to calm him down. He hugs you like a child and looks at you with these big brown eyes. He is my favorite monkey so far.

Now for a few other creatures:

Caracara, national bird of Mexico. He was shot and is in rehab to be re-released.

Maxwell, turtle. Someone his shell with a hammer. He has a silicone "band-aid" and will go live with the other 18 turtles soon. Favorite food: lettuce.

Also, there are three white geese, five guinnea hens, 5 whisling ducks, a pig, about 50 cats, a quite a few dogs and lots and lots of chickens and roosters. You'll see pictures of them eventually.

I'll try to get more pictures this afternoon. Hasta luego!

UPDATE: Tar Baby, a 14 month old female howler monkeylives with Dr. Jim at his home. She is that one who was brought to the clinic stuffed into a piece of bamboo about the size of a fist. A tourist bought her and wanted Dr. Jim to take the bamboo off of her. He did and the minute she was free she bit the tourist. Needless to say she didn't want the monkey anymore and here she is. Tar Baby will be re-released once she reaches sexual maturity at 3 years of age. Right now she has a house at Jim's but roams in the trees most of the day.