The beginning of morning light was coming through the break in the curtains and woke me from my dreams. But this morning was different. What was normally peaceful and quiet was interrupted by the crash of what sounded like stones being dropped one by one onto the metal roof of my house. I thought it might be rain, but these were distinct thuds of something hard being dropped onto a tin roof. It got me up and out of my bed at 5:45.
As I got up I began to hear what sounded like a wild boar giving an excruciating birth, I was both in fear and also excited to go outside and take a look. The guttural moans became louder and continued back and forth between locations. It was a painful symphony of guttural moaning.
As I walked out onto my porch it was already dawning light outside. The endless varieties of trees were in a full spectrum of greens amidst the low light. I looked into the trees above my casa to see a colony of Howler monkeys picking nuts and throwing them onto my roof. They seemed to be find a sense of entertainment and humor in the situation and appeared to be almost smiling.
The howling and moaning continued to ensue. I knew that Howler monkeys were to be found throughout Costa Rica. I had seen two on my first morning walk. But this was an army of them, living in the trees just over my peaceful house and perhaps finding entertainment in throwing loud nuts onto my roof before anyone should be awake in the world.
I decided to try to communicate with them, uttering my own versions of guttural moans. I felt primitive and at one with my distant cousins in nature.
Follow Kirk’s Adventure from the start
- The Start – Five years ago I was quietly living in a small 1100 square-foot home just outside my native hometown of Austin, Texas.
- Day 1 – My journey to Costa Rica, the Rich Coast, began at 4 AM on a crisp Sunday morning.
- Day 2 – Arrival into Costa Rica was quite smooth and seamless compared to my recent experiences in Japan where things are done to another level of precision and detail
- Day 3 – This morning I woke naturally at 5am as the light was already beginning to make its way through my window.
- Day 4 – There is a stretch of beach to
- Day 5 – Last night I drifted off to sleep while reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
- Day 6 – I heard the morning songs of exotic birds I had never heard before
- Day 7 – I have been quickly reminded once again that one can starve in Costa Rica if one does not know the local routine
- Day 8 – I was abruptly awakened before 5:30 am to the sounds of what I can only imagine to be monkeys in the trees just above my house.
- Day 9 – I began my walk toward the mountain, noticing the blisters on my feet
- Day 10 – I was reading back through some of my old journals I packed with me from the last few years
- Day 11 – I have been fortunate to have glimpsed life and the world through a myriad of cultural perspectives
- Day 12 – Each morning seems to provide new and interesting sounds I have not heard before.
- Day 13 – As my afternoon meditation, the rain has been a constant, peaceful presence almost all day
- Day 14 -Just as I was writing this passage all power suddenly went down….everywhere
- Day 15 – I decided it was finally time to make the trek over to Tamarindo
About the Author
Kirk Lee is a Writer, Meditation teacher and nomad currently living in Costa Rica. Kirk has been an explorer on the journey for over 25 years having traveled to 14 countries culminating in a year living in Kyoto, Japan. Kirk writes about travel through the lens of simplicity and kindness to be found in people and places of every culture. Explore Kirk’s travel journals at https://zenandink.su
