Nicole and I were in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica for about three weeks in the summer.  We stayed at a rustic little house nestled in the jungle near Lake Arenal.

Our days were spent immersed in the jungle setting.  Each morning, we would sit outside on the patio taking in the incredible sights and sounds of the forest surrounding us. Dozens of species of birds would come to the feeder to partake in the leftovers from our breakfast—bits of mango, papaya and banana that we shared with our newly-found feathered friends. One morning we even caught a glimpse of some white-faced monkeys high above us making their way across the treetops.

The rainforest embraces your senses; smells, sights, sounds and textures are all infused with life-sustaining moisture. It was rare to have three hours pass without either a gentle mist or a powerful downpour.

Foliage shines, colours punch out. The competing shapes and shimmers are like neon signs on Kabukichō street in Tokyo – each flower doing its best to compete for the attention of pollinators that are passing through.

The rainforest exhaled a warm, velvety fragrance of moss, orchids and wet bark that enveloping the senses. But above all, there was the music of the jungle.  When the sun would assert itself, the cicadas would announce its presence, humming as if the jungle were breathing.

Each evening, as dusk settled into the trees, the daytime orchestra would lay down its instruments. While the birds slept, the frogs and insects that rule the night would take the stage filling the air with sounds of ancient wisdom.

Over those weeks, the extraordinary balance of nature became increasingly apparent to us. There are many thousands of species of plants, insects, birds, mammals and lizards—and all are in competition. Night and day. Even the plants jostle each other to be the one to experience a rare shaft of light that makes........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)