In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle, Where Everything is Supersized

Samasati Ecolodge (Caribbean Coast), COSTA RICA
Feb.3-10, 2015
[MAP II]

Actually, apparently I'm not really in the jungle, but rather the 'tropical rainforest'.  Jungles have thick undergrowth, while the rainforests and cloudforests have little undergrowth due to very limited sunlight getting through the tree canopy above.  So, there are no lions sleeping tonight.

However, there are ridiculously cute sloths, monkeys, toucans, all kinds of other screeching and tweeting birds, zippy little lizards and geckos, iguanas, snakes, itty bitty poisonous frogs, Very Big creepy crawlies, and armies and armies of ants.  And fantasic vibrant flowers.

I spent a week high up in the rainforest mountains on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, attending a writing seminar at an 'eco lodge'.  Hot, often wet during the day, and cool,

My room for the week

often wet during the night.  If you ask google "what is an eco lodge", it says:  a type of tourist accommodation designed to have the least possible impact on the natural environment in which it is situated.  I would add to that: "while creating a positive social and economic impact for the local people in the area".

In this relatively small lodge in the big rainforest, the creatures outnumber the humans probably a million to one.

It's a leaf... It's a bug...!

I only saw him because he moved...

My buddy Morton's coming for your food!  hisssssss!!

D'oh, Morton you idiot, you dropped it!

This fellow was perched a short distance outside my cabin almost the entire week I was there - this is pretty much exactly what I saw the whole time - a ball of fur:

Sleeping sloth

Stretching sloth

You can imagine the excitement and awe when one afternoon, he moved!  When these guys move, it is a sloooow stretch, a slooooow scratch.  They spend half their day sleeping, only come down from the trees once a week to go to the bathroom, and their fur is an entire ecosystem unto itself (often having a bit of a green tinge).  On my last morning, when I woke up and went onto the balcony to check on him, he was gone.

The howler monkeys wake up around 5am.  I know this because that's when I start to hear their other-worldly growls, howls and barking, which, upon hearing, you would think came from an enormous monster-like creature of your imagination's scariest creation.  It is rare to catch a glimpse of them, which makes it all the worse for your head.  In fact, they are just little black monkeys with very big lungs.

I only left the area once during my week there, for a morning guided walk down on the coast in Cahuita National Park.  Here, the rainforest meets the ocean directly - imagine walking in the forest, where only a couple metres of beach separate you from the ocean...  I had no idea iguanas hung out in trees, and would never have noticed if our guide hadn't pointed them out.  Our guide was a local indigenous lady (Bribri), and her description of plant uses - cooking, medicinal, internal, external - made me want to start my own rainforest back garden when I get home.

The writing retreat was run by two woman who make their living writing - Jeannie is from Canada, Leigh is from the US - Jeannie lives in Panama (for now), Leigh and her family live in Argentina.  Hmmmmm...

During an otherwise perfectly happy, hard-working, and extremely relaxing week, my only hour of angst came after a particular workshop discussing motivation and goals.  Leigh talked about her path towards becoming recognized as an expert in her field of writing, taking on speaking engagements, traveling to workshops and seminars around the world.

Wait a minute - that's where I was heading in my current job.  What the hell was I doing in the rainforest peacefully hanging with the animals, eating great wholesome food, sleeping like a baby in my simple cedar cabin, with a group of 10 lovely and inspiring women writers?!?!!!!!  How many hours, years, braincells, sleepless nights had I put towards my work, the people and relationships, the papers, the conference presentations???  You don't just casually walk away from all that, and go hang out in the jungle!  ...or do you?

Somehow, hanging out with the animals is soothing, relaxing.  They go about their business, inevitably interacting, the more complex ones finding moments of pleasure (although I do continue to wonder if insects or small amphibians do too).  And when another dead leaf falls from the canopy of the mighty jungle/rainforest, which they regularly do, it simply falls to the ground.

Sunrise - from my balcony

Sunset - from my balcony