CR Part 2: Monkeys Abound!

Howler monkeys are a force.

I’ve met howler monkeys before. This was not my first Costa Rican rodeo. It was, in fact, my third. But I had never stayed somewhere where the monkeys were so abundant or loud or close to my living quarters. Lizards also abounded, but they are quiet creatures. Except when they’re attacking and devouring crabs. But that’s another story. (Sidenote: I legit saw a giant lizard eating a crab by the pool one day. There. I said it. Crunch, crunch. Violent and crunchy.) These teensy-tiny monkeys sound like an 800 pound gorilla when provoked. How does one provoke them, you ask? How about staring at them too long? Talking too loudly near them when they’re trying to sleep? Shaking a nearby tree? All of the above. Their howls made me jump and even kept some people up at night. But watching them interact with each other and their babies was worth it.