At 5:45am, I woke to crisp cool air and a symphony of jungle sounds – a troop of howler monkeys to the north and birds singing in the trees all around our gardens.
I lounge in a rocking chair, enjoying a cup of coffee and the orange sunrise light over the jungle and ocean. September and October are my most favorite months in Nosara.
This is the quiet time of year when tourism slows to less than a crawl and many businesses close while their owners travel. For those of us who stay through the rainiest time of the green season, we embrace the tranquil pace and cooler temperatures.
Though, it’s largely because of Mother Nature that these are my favorite months.
Girlfriend is wildly active! The tree canopies are full, bright green and the branches bounce with life—monkeys, birds, iguanas, bug-mud houses and even coatis are gettin’ their climb on. There are butterfly parties dancing on mangoes fallen from trees, an occasional snake being relocated away from a home, horses happily rolling around in pastures and sea turtles nesting in the local shores.
Waterfalls flow and new ones form, the rivers swell making roads impassable and creating an easy merge with the ocean for crocodiles to make their way down to a neighboring river mouth.
And what captivates and demands your attention more than crazy amounts of rain and a booming thunderstorm? A little frightening yet exhilarating.
If lightening is your thing, you may even get up close and personal with an occasional bolt of charge, I did. After putting my son down for a nap one afternoon, I took a seat at the kitchen table when I heard—not saw—but heard a bolt of electricity rip through the sky and strike the earth somewhere near by. There was a flash outside followed by an easy current that ran from my feet up through my body. Crazy, scary, cool!
Though in all of Mother Nature’s raw awesomeness, what I appreciate most is that she has a way of reconnecting me to my present moment. In her presence, I slow down, reflect and really feel gratitude for my family, friends and the natural world. I feel inspired to return to my simple, personal joys – laughing with my son, morning cuddles, nesting, cooking, free-writing, the feel of freshly laundered sheets, taking pictures, and my coffee time with the jungle when I wake.
For me, this time of year is so much more than just wildly beautiful, it’s pure joy.
It’s hard for me to sum up why I suggest visiting Nosara this time of year. The words that come to mind are exhilarating, expanding, replenishing. tranquil. Words that don’t make much sense to the typical traveler looking for a Costa Rican beach vacation. Though there is a quote from the book, The Republic of Tea, that I think will resonate with the indiscriminate traveler,
“Its the kind of place that reminds you of your own true nature, and it makes you wonder how it was you ever came to forget.”