Postcard from Costa Rica

"No more monkeys, Daddy, no more monkeys!"  Our naturalist guide, Marco, quotes his children when asked if he takes them on nature walks through the Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica, near their family home.  As we trek through the misty forest, we spot white-faced monkeys, poisonous coral snakes, fragile butterflies, and an astonishing number of birds, all which Marco can name and call.  We are hypnotized by small ants carrying 20 times their weight in leaves to the "city" they have built on the cloud forest floor.  We are in awe of the cascade of orchids, epiphytes, mosses, ferns, and brilliantly colored flowers at every turn.  The monkeys catch our attention as they jump from tree to tree high above us.  Their chatter becomes louder and more frequent.  Suddenly, pieces of bark and other "matter" rain down.  The monkeys are purposely  throwing things at us!  They want us to leave.  Maybe this is what Marco's children mean when they say, "No more monkeys!"  But we are fascinated and reluctant to leave.  Why do I travel?  To see the diverse forest through the eyes of those who live there.  (March 2008)