What? Behind the Iguana?

Some people who have been reading our blog for a long time will remember our friend the crazy bear lady from way back in Yellowstone. I wonder if she knows these people: We were on a beach in Manuel Antonio National Park when a single iguana strolled out onto the sand to lie in the sun. A nearby group of teenagers seemed very alarmed. Whenever anyone came onto the beach they would yell “LOOK OUT! ON YOUR LEFT!” and seemed confused when people weren’t scared of it.

“Do they speak English? They must not speak English.”

They warned everybody that, “they can jump! watch out!,” and when Lanie went within five feet of the basking iguana , they yelled, “Someone get that little girl away! It’s dangerous!”
Before you start worrying about our safety, let me say that we see iguanas almost every day and they’ve never so much as walked toward us. All they do is lie in the sun and amble away if we come too close.

Feeding time in Muelle. Lanie survived with all her toes still attached.

You might be in danger, however, if you happen to be covered in cabbage. Remember our trip to “Iguana Corner” in Muelle a few weeks back — feeding time was a sight to behold, even if the giant iguanas were pretty tame once their salad was gone.

At the end of their time at the beach, the teenagers at Manuel Antonio walked out one at a time past the iguana, calling out who should go next. ” Tom, you go. Okay. Mary, you next.” Let’s all hope they didn’t get mauled by a sloth on the way out of the park.