The Dark Side:
Having lived in concrete jungles all my life, my natural instincts don’t work very well in the green jungles. I was hazardous to myself, other people and the wildlife. In my first few days in Costa Rica, I almost sat on a snake, walked face first into a poisonous spider web and stepped on an iguana. It took me a while to start recognizing animals, birds and reptiles, especially when they are still because they are perfectly camouflaged. The guide points to a black blob in the tree, it’s a monkey. I point to a black blob in the tree, it’s a termite nest. It was challenging and frustrating at the beginning but after a while, I started to improve.
Even my body chemistry is incompatible with the forest. I keep getting bitten by insects of all shapes, colors and sizes. The locals don’t even know some of those insects because they are either immune to their bites or the insects don’t bother with them. Bug spray doesn’t help much. It’s like fencing with a tooth pick. I must have encountered the Charles Manson of the insect world, they take no prisoners. I have bites on my palm and inside the hair line on my head. Un-$@#%ing-believable. I had to make peace with my insect bites and I have to say, that awesome feeling that you get from scratching an itch is almost orgasmic. Well, until it starts hurting, then you move to another spot. A form of self pleasuring, I guess. Eventually, my body does get used to the local insects, then it’s time to go explore another region of Costa Rica and start the process all over again. Welcome bites, self pleasuring, pain, acceptance. That’s just life.
Dec 29, 2015 12:52pm
Unconditional Love 