Baby Monkeys Outside My Window

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Price to fix my phone/internet line-???????

The rain is here and the once peaceful skies have transformed into a stormy battlefield.  Maybe it’s just my imagination, but even the shape of the clouds look menacing: dragons and daggers pierced by fierce bolts of lightning.  It casts a shade of gray on everything below; it’s easy to want to hunker down and stay inside.

Along with the bad weather come a number of unpredictable issues. I have no phone or internet and the prospects of getting it fixed anytime soon looks unlikely. The phone company (which is also the internet and electric company in most areas of Costa Rica) claims their line is good. I foresee many trips to the internet café and the phone company’s office in the future.

I’m used to having high speed internet and enjoy the ease of searching, streaming, and downloading. It keeps me connected to my family, friends, and ties me to the rest of the world.  High speed internet also charges up my nervous system in an artificial, virtual way. I can tell that I’m often happier when I am off-line. Although my mind is racing on the computer, my body remains stiff and immobile.  My internet might be DSL, but my exercise level is dial-up. It’s easy to fall into this trap, living more of a virtual world than an actual one.

Now that I’m not distracted by the internet, I’ve been looking outside my window more. I count the monkeys and realize there are many more babies than a few weeks ago. Some are so small they have yet to learn how to climb the branches, clinging to their moms while watching their siblings hang upside down. It appears that the rainy season is the time of year many animals give birth.

We decide to take a drive out of our flooding development and pass a field where many baby horses stand alongside their moms. They’re brand new, their spindly legs barely able to bear the weight of their body. Baby calves are not far away, their large black eyes out of proportion with their smaller heads. They’re sniffing the fresh air and staring at us with amusement.

My husband and I take this moment to pull over and watch as the animals eat the overgrown grass.  Suddenly, one of the horses gallops away from the others and runs across the field. He stops a quarter of a mile away and stands against the misting wind. He doesn’t seem to mind the rain, the mud, or the couple parked along the road watching him. His life is about occasional bursts of speed, eating grass under his feet, and finding a nice companion to enjoy a romantic interlude. He runs because he loves to run, and something inside urged him to move from the pack at that moment. We all have something inside us that we love to do. If we look to nature we may decide to keep it simple. Perhaps humans have started to evolve beyond the point of bettering our lives and more towards complicating them.

We come back home and check the phone. Nothing. I turn on the faucet to wash my hands and find we don’t have water either. It’s an interesting thing to come back to one’s home to find you have lost more utilities than you had before setting out. It’s also ironic that there is enough water around me to float a Carnival Cruise ship, but none to take a shower.

I make a cup of coffee with the remaining water I have in the refrigerator and set my chair out on the terrace. A baby monkey wraps her tail around a branch for balance. She’s testing out her first independent steps under the watchful eyes of her mother.

I’m always learning something new here; whether it be having more patience when losing utilities or taking more time to notice the baby animals on an ordinary drive through the countryside. There is a good reason the Costa Ricans use the phrase Pura Vida as not only a greeting, but also to mean relax and go with the flow. Many things may be unpredictable here, but staying present and observing the small surprises that fill the day is the perfect way to staying happy even in the most challenging circumstances. It turns out the rainy season is pretty amazing, even without a phone line and running water.

I finish my cup of coffee while watching the baby monkey swing back and forth; her joyful play makes me want to go zip-lining. If I can’t have my speedy internet, I can at least fly through the canopy attached to a steel cable.  I love the feeling of dashing through the air, the occasional burst of speed that makes life worth living. And like the galloping horse, I’ll be sure to point my face into the misty wind.

 

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:36-04:00 October 31st, 2011|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , |31 Comments

About the Author:

Nadine is the author of the best-selling series, Happier Than A Billionaire. Join her as she navigates living as an expat in the sometimes confusing, always beautiful, country of Costa Rica.

31 Comments

  1. A Boom in Tourism August 1, 2016 at 11:58 am - Reply

    […] excited. Everywhere you look people are smiling and discussing the excursions they have booked. “Have you seen the monkeys?” I overhear one tourist say. “Did you book the estuary tour?” another says to his wife. […]

  2. Miriam (Mira) Shaw January 21, 2012 at 2:32 pm - Reply

    Finished your book a few minutes ago and have been enjoying your website. Loved reading about your experiences and laughed a lot. Learned Spanish in Mexico 20 yrs. ago and since then have spent time there as well as Costa Rica and Guatemala. Still dream about retiring in one of those places, but my kids are here so probably won’t.
    Lucky you!

    • admin January 22, 2012 at 8:14 am - Reply

      I’m glad I can make you giggle! It’s been quite the adventure and looking forward to writing more about my experience. Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Sandy December 21, 2011 at 11:11 am - Reply

    Just finished your book and really enjoyed it. Lived a couple of years in Japan in my twenties and know exactly what you mean about opening your mind to living in the present, just as it is. Am planning on retiring to Costa Rica in 2-3 years, so your adventures are especially appealing to follow. Can you tell me what the music is playing with your Baby Monkeys video? Can imagine dancing through the cleaning chores with it playing.

    • admin December 22, 2011 at 10:17 pm - Reply

      I’m not sure what the music is, I will have to get back to you on that. I believe it is French, if that helps at all.

      If you have any questions, just shoot me an email. You must be so excited! Nothing like the goal of living under palm trees to keep one motivated. And I’m sure it will all come to fruition. Until then, the baby monkeys will be waiting for you!

    • Anonymous February 28, 2012 at 7:29 pm - Reply

      the song is italian, ”TU VUO FA’ L’AMERICANO”, and here is played by QUADRO NUEVO, it’s a new version of an old song, played by thousands of bands and musicians.

  4. Annamaria December 12, 2011 at 1:34 pm - Reply

    That’s amazingly fun. I AM sure that anyone can spend hours watching nature eat and play naturally. We need to learn more from what we consider species lower in the evolutionary scale!!

    • admin December 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm - Reply

      I have so much fun watching the animals here. They are so wonderful to observe and only take what they need….unlike humans.

  5. Lucinda Mcleod December 7, 2011 at 7:24 pm - Reply

    Hey Tammy! Not just the monkeys, but your way of looking at life.

  6. Annamarie M November 4, 2011 at 7:05 pm - Reply

    Amazing! I wish I could see what you see everyday. What a wonderful thought process you have on life. I think more of us need to adapt to that way of thinking.

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:34 pm - Reply

      This place definitely makes you think differently. It made me have such gratitude for even the littlest things. I’m so different than how I was in the office. Costa Rica has really changed the way I look at the world.

  7. Scott Blair November 3, 2011 at 6:46 pm - Reply

    Just finished your book on my Kindle. Absolutely loved it! You guys are doing what many of us wish we could. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in years. Keep living your dream.

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:33 pm - Reply

      Thanks Scoot, I’m glad you liked my book. And I’m really glad I got a few chuckles out of you!!

  8. Elaine from Lancaster November 3, 2011 at 2:48 pm - Reply

    Oh my what wonderful words and descriptions. You must take pictures and write a childrens book. I await all of your stories. What a marvelous outlook you have.

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:32 pm - Reply

      Thanks, would love to write a children’s book.

  9. Robert November 3, 2011 at 11:51 am - Reply

    Great post. Not having the Internet or a working phone is actually something I’m looking forward to when I get there. Actual nature is way better than any nature channel.

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:32 pm - Reply

      Absolutely, I remember I had a patient who said she didn’t want to travel anywhere because she could see it all on TV. Some people just don’t get that actually being in nature is SOOOOOO much better than staring at a 17 inch screen.

  10. Deb November 1, 2011 at 2:53 am - Reply

    What a lovely way to spend time. First you find yourself anxious and unsettled and then you realize hours have passed while you watch simple creature live their lives. A wonderful reminder to stop and listen once in a while.

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:29 pm - Reply

      They really make you want to reflect on how wonderful life is. And it is truly fabulous down here.

  11. Annie Summer October 31, 2011 at 10:51 pm - Reply

    Really love this post. I can feel it all…

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:27 pm - Reply

      Thanks Annie!

  12. Brett October 31, 2011 at 10:39 pm - Reply

    All I can say is SWEEEEEET!!!

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:26 pm - Reply

      I love it when I catch them playing. So darn cute. You can’t be in a bad mood with these little creatures outside your window.

  13. Cheapchik October 31, 2011 at 9:00 pm - Reply

    Ahah! I knew there had to be a reason that you hadn’t posted in over a week – you are such a faithful blogger. Enjoy the baby monkeys.

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:26 pm - Reply

      Hey Tammy! Yes, lots of issues going on. Water back on though. Still can’t complain. Hope is all is well up north.

  14. Jennifer October 31, 2011 at 7:58 pm - Reply

    Beautiful. Not just the monkeys, but your way of looking at life. Pure life. Unplugged. Thanks for the reminder to get out and live. Take care, hope you get your basics back soon!

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:25 pm - Reply

      Water is on, but internet is spotty. No phone either. But it’s like taking a vacation from technology, which is nice.

  15. Carla Rountree October 31, 2011 at 7:48 pm - Reply

    Monkeys of any kind are so much fun to watch – baby or adult! A friend of mine living in India saw a monkey riding on the back of a bicycle and drinking a cup of tea. What I wouldn’t give for photographic evidence of that…

    • admin November 4, 2011 at 9:25 pm - Reply

      I wish I could see that here, I would definitely take a pic of that!

  16. Maria October 31, 2011 at 3:35 pm - Reply

    Baby animals are fascinating, especially acrobats like this!

    • admin October 31, 2011 at 6:28 pm - Reply

      I love my baby monkeys. I swear, I can watch them for hours. I love how the one slid down the tree.

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