Capuchin Monkeys and more…

We recently returned from a very enjoyable and relaxing trip to the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. While we were there, we spent a lot of time experiencing nature. We went on several self-guided hikes around the area we were staying as well as a couple of guided ones. One of the guided hikes we did was at night, which was definitely an adventure. It is really hard to explain what it was like when our guide told us to turn off our flashlights in the middle of the hike, just so we could see how dark it was. Considering that we were in a rainforest surrounded by snakes, spiders and several other things that could be potential be harmful or even lethal, just the thought of one or all of our flashlights running out of battery made me wish I had brought a backup. It was cool to be able to see all the stars shining so brightly above us, but when you can not even see your hand in front of your face because it is so dark and you know that there is zero chance of you getting out of where you are at without some light, it can be a little freaky.

One of the other cool parts of our trip was seeing all the animals. Everything from monkeys to lizards and possibly a couple of mystery or new discoveries. Marie seemed to make a habit of finding new things that the guides had never seen or heard of before. Which is cool, but a little concerning as well in that you have no idea if they were just cool or something that would end up being an inscription on your headstone saying, “here lies… killed by a newly discovered….”. I think out of all the animals that we saw while we were there it was the capuchin monkeys that were the most entertaining. At times they seemed almost like small children that were curious about why we were there. They also took the opportunity to pose for us just like kids do when you bring out a camera and tell them to smile. In general, they seemed friendly, but we had heard stories from others suggesting that is not always the case. For example, we witnessed a group of spider monkeys that were not all the friendly. One of the monkeys in the group tossed down a branch on a lady that was watching them as they passed overhead. She was alright, but all learned a good lesson of not standing directly under monkeys as they were passing overhead.

Another amazing part of our trip was the scenery. Pretty much the whole town, if you can call it that, where we were staying ran along the coast. An interesting fact back about the town is that it is very eco-friendly and pretty much off the beaten tourist path. As such you did not have little restaurants, well any restaurants, taking up space on the beachfront. About the only thing that you would see other than the few houses were the small groups of people either playing in the water or surfing. Occasionally we would see a boat cruising by or maybe one that had anchored offshore. This meant that for the most part you could walk out on a beach and be the only person there.

The roads out to Matapalo, where we stayed, were rugged, unpaved, bumpy dirt roads. While some might complain about the roads, to me they were perfect. In part they reminded me of the roads I would drive as a kid, but they also introduce a level of challenge for going places. That meant that for the most part there was not a lot of traffic, if any, most of the time. It also meant that there were not tons of tourist crowding up the place. I am pretty sure that the lack of paved roads helps to keep that part of Costa Rica pretty much unspoiled by development and over population. Which again, in my opinion, makes the roads perfect.

While our trip to Costa Rica and the Osa Peninsula was brief, I feel like part of us will always be there looking out over the yard at the place we were staying as the sun would set off in the distance, casting a warm orange glow over the yard. Listening to the symphony of cicadas with the occasional accompaniment of howler monkeys off in the distance which added depth and richness to the moments as the day transitioned into night. Very few moments in life are nearly perfect, even fewer of them are strung together day after day, moment upon moment. Literally, no attempt to put those moments into words could ever do them justice or even begin to paint a picture of how truly amazing and special that time was. As I said, in some ways we will never return from there and can only hope to return to those moments as many times as possible in the future.