It's barely 6 AM, but Munro can hear the surf outside the car, so off he goes to explore. I'm bushed from doing most of the driving the past day, so I'm wrapped in my sarongs and napping away. I do convince him that since Mono Feliz is a sanctuary and not the Ritz, and the folks running it probably won't be up until about 7 or so.
Munro, true to form, explores everything, including the Mono Feliz grounds. As he's sauntering around the kitchen/dining room, he walks to the main house and Allegra pops up out of bed, scared silly (as we're not expected at all and no one is expected at 6:30 in the morning) and says "Who the hell are you???" in her lovely Australian accent.
Introductions are made, coffee is put on the boil, and Munro comes to fetch me. As I head up the beautifully tended path, I'm struck by how eco-friendly all the work done is. We find out later that every stone and rock is picked by hand from the beach and put down by John, Allegra, and Osvaldo. What a back-breaking labor of love! Birds are chirping wildly, I can hear howler monkeys in the bush far away and I'm delighted beyond belief to find that there is coffee in my future!
This is where the magic starts - Mono Feliz Sanctuary. As I look back on this time, I can't believe it was real. For more pictures, please visit our photo gallery. Note that all photos are copyrighted to us and our company, Acorn Interactive.
The kitchen dining area is large, airy, thatched, and has a sink with running water! John is an engineering genius -there are toilets, showers, and a beautiful built-in swimming pool. It's breathtaking.
Allegra and John are delightful, warm, and passionate about their guests and the monkeys. They are also in awe that we arrived via the beach at 3 in the morning! The barking dogs are theirs and split up to keep watch on the guest houses when there is company. Two of them were at the beach cottage, and that was the noise we heard. We are awarded "most adventurous" arrivals.
Seated at the table, I feel a light pressure on my sneaker-clad foot and look down - there is a squirrel monkey untying my shoelaces!! I give a start, and he jumps on the seat next to me, on to my shoulder and hauls off me to the top of Munro's head and uses that to hop into the tiny hammock hanging from the rafters. Thus we meet Elvis, named because he has dark sideburns. He and Mickey are the resident rescued monkeys, along with several dogs and a cat in heat.
We are delighted as the monkeys play with us and hop around. We're warned that they will steal anything shiny and love to play. They will also take food off your plate or from your hand, take your sunglasses, and generally run amok and "help" with everything you do.
Elvis is the oldest and Mickey is the baby. Both still get bottles for extra nutrition. We grab our food supplies from the truck and share our fresh fruit with John and Allegra as we sort out accommodations and get the "guest list of dos and don'ts." Both the beach house and garden house are taken, but the guests are leaving that day. We will have our choice and decide we want to stay in the garden/forest house.
The ONLY bad note during our visit occurred during breakfast, when we met the other guest, Harry. Harry is a land speculator from New England who now lives in Bouqete and is in the process of buying as much property as he can and developing it just like the States. High density housing, shopping centers, and more. Ugh. He’s also swearing he’s an ecologist and wants to set up a competing hotel/eco-tourism place near Mono Feliz. He’s so horrible, such a carpetbagger, that I’m appalled. Robert and I listen as Allegra gives him an earful.
Later, after he’s left, I offer to help her hide the body should he return. This part of Panama is so lovely and fragile and needs to be protected. The clear cutting of the forest for cattle grazing and farming has left the monkeys living in isolated troops and without food. Allegra is working with friends and the government to have all of Punta Burica declared a national park and Mono Feliz a non-profit wildlife sanctuary.
As we get settled, we are face with all the choices in activities. We opt for a swim and a walk on the beach.
A word about our “cottage.” It’s painted green and is concrete. The concrete walls come up to about my ribcage and the windows are open to the elements. The tin roof comes low enough to protect the area from rains, and there is a net for nighttime bug repellent. I see a coil for mosquito repellent and hope that this won’t be a repeat of Bocas. It isn’t and within a day the blisters on my feet have gone down. I still do bear the scars from the fang punctures, but they’re tiny and fading over time.
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