February 19, 2018
After two adventure filled days we decided to spend one more night in San Ignacio so we could recoup and catch up on things like laundry and school for Brendan and Taylor. There was a raptor center which we thought was not too far away that had a free bird show, so we went with the new Brendan in a cab to the raptor center. The cab ride ended up costing much more than we thought due to the condition of the roads. We were the only ones there for the show, and it was really awesome as we got to hold the raptors and be a part of their training. This center rehabilitates birds who have been injured (by car, by shooting, or captured by humans) and has the goal to release them back into the wild however, some have been injured too badly to be released. We learned how intelligent the different birds were and got to hold the second rarest falcon in the world. The orange breasted falcon is predicted to be extinct by 2032 but is currently the fastest animal on the planet. It can fly in a straight line 65mph and can go over 200mph while in a dive.
We really enjoyed holding the birds and getting such an up-close experience with them. Not wanting to spend more money on the cab ride back, we decided to walk almost an hour back to the hostel. We were a bit unprepared as we did not have enough water or proper footwear to do such a long walk. We all made it though and stayed for our last night at the Old House which became one of my favorite hostels thus far.
Amazing Birds! Love the sleepy kitty too. Shanti you look like a born Falconer! You could be in the movies for sure – great experience!