Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge

I love a good muddy hike but perhaps I should control myself when I have no belt and one pair of pants after packing out the apartment. Nevertheless, a tropical forest needed exploring and animals needed seeing so we set out to visit the Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge about 20 miles north of Recife. I couldn't tell you which exit we took or the dirt road we followed and Google maps was downright wrong- but we got there anyway. All thanks to an amazing and kind, new friend- the kind of friend you wish you'd met years before. She suggested this hike couple of weeks ago as a personal favorite venture of Pernambuco- so a reservation was set with my responsibility being to find 10 people to join us. From toddlers to teenagers to moms, our group was surprisingly cohesive and enthusiastic for something different than the beach. We toured the forest, listening to hidden birds and crickets, the chattering of kids, and one person who couldn't contain herself from blasting out "isn't this great?!" at every new sighting.

After the hike we ended up at their HQ, where the animals get rehabbed and eventually let back into the wild. Some were injured from forestal circumstances, others came from homes that survived on meals of rice and cereal. The armadillo, for example. He was so overweight he could not roll into a ball and needed nutritional intervention. Fat or not that little guy was strong, aggressively trying claw its way out. We pet lizards and crocodiles, cooed at the sloth and enjoyed the slithering creep of a python upon our necks. We met an animal resembling a possum sized hedgehog that was so strong it could pull down the 20 foot tall palm fronds and shred them to pieces with its claws. I loved it, and walking back to the car it really hit me: I would be leaving this tropical paradise in a matter of days. Am I really ready?

Fully grown teeny frog.

Morcego/Bat

Weird bug- the guide had no name for it.
No filter, it really was that pink and blue.

Hot dog, pepperoni, cheese, and cracker sandwich.
Gross. She made it, didn't eat it.

Iguana

Teju lizard

The orange-gold spot on his back indicates its a male.

Hey, so smiley!

This guy kept making fart noises.
I swear. 

Ouriço cacheiro/hedgehog
He did NOT like his picture taken.

Too bad.

Fat armadillo.

Deets getting very hands on.

Margo too...

...until we tried to get her to wear it.