Rock's Place: Costa Rican Refuge

The Costa Rican jungle holds many mysteries, but many others reside in those that venture into it. The first few days I stayed in a cabin, which was about 100 yards from the ocean, I learned quickly that this experience would be unlike any other I had had in my life: I knew I better take advantage of it.
We were told the first day in the Curu Wildlife Refuge that we should not wander alone; we should, at least, be with one other person.
Never one to follow the rules, I often woke up with the sunrise, because it hit me square in the eyes each morning from my top bunk in the cabin. And each morning, I would grab my mother's camera she had loaned me for the trip and take a picture of the sunrise. After each picture, I would quietly get up, dress, get my gear, and take off to find the white faced capuchin monkeys, my study subjects.

Capuchins are timid but occasionally bold small to medium sized primates that are active mostly in the morning. I know this well because my study provided me data on what activity they did and when. But I often went beyond the scope of my "scientific" study and attempted to communicate with them; I wanted them to understand that I only wanted to understand them better. In my hubris, I wanted them to become more like pets than study subjects.
Part of the thrill of waking up was figuring out where the group might be. Most often, they were held up in a grove of mangoes resting, eating, grooming, or, even on rare occasions, playing.
My experience in the jungle is that a jungle is not that much of a jungle. Not the steamy, romanticized one most people think about. More, it was a forest with very different animals: monkeys, cougars (puma or mountain lion, if you prefer), iguanas, red-stripe squirrels, insects of all kinds (most exotic), even crocodiles. More still, the plant and tree life was distinctly unique from my Midwest beginnings: bigger in leaf structure, deeper and richer green colors, and a more enclosing feeling.
Stay tuned for more from Rock...