How Do I Feel About Bugs?

Recently Jeff and I learned that when someone asks, “How do you feel about bugs?” – to get really CLEAR on why they're asking a question like that.

It hops, it flies, it tickles.

I answered by explaining that I'm not too concerned about bugs but that Jeff is getting a bit more concerned lately. I thought that was sufficient – though later I realized that I hadn't understood the question.

Call it a June bug or scarab beetle. It's real buggy.

And so blithely starry-eyed, we moved into the “Owl House” at Saramandaia, a 36 acre verdant, jungly hillside in Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica, preparing for a lovely one week long retreat in the wilds of Costa Rica.

Granted, the home is “rustic” with functional yet unsophisticated furniture, appliances and cookware. But rustic is fine. It works. What we were excited about was the setting: in a tantalizing, non-muggy jungle on a hillside complete with a fantastic view into the canopy. Colorful butterflies flitting about, hummingbirds buzzing around all day long, green and red parrots charging by in flocks overhead, multitudes of types of birds we've never before seen – most of which move too quickly to get pictures of.

And this doesn't even include the troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys that cruise by the house several times a day, often gifting us with close-up glances of what it means to be truly wild and free. What a marvel to gaze directly into the bright eyes of such an intelligent, though non-human, being.

Hi 

But during our first full evening in the home, my mind kept returning to our host's initial question: How do you feel about bugs?

You see, sometime around 7 pm every evening this pleasant research station converts into a war zone of buzzing, whizzing, flying, running, bombing BUGS. It's like a witching hour. The flying beetles find their way in and circle the room. June bugs bumble about. Certainly the most voluminous population is the moths – of all sizes, followed closely by all manner of miscellaneous tiny flying thingies. Then unexpectedly from no where, an inch long flying cockroach launches into the room or darts out from under the cushion I'm sitting on – and runs across the wall. Get anywhere close to it (to smash it!) and it suddenly flies off again, and again, and again.

The infamous flying cockroach.

Everybody's texting these days.

And every so often one of the half dozen 3-4 inch-long geckos that are also cruising the walls during these eventful evening hours, nabs a cockroach. It's amazing to see it happen. The gecko dashes across the wall 3-4 feet in a flash, grabs the cockroach while running, and finds an opportune spot on the wall to somehow swallow that huge cockroach whole.

We OFTEN wished there were more geckos – more to eat up all the ants, moths, gnats, beetles, cockroaches, and other busy buzzy biting creatures that found their way into this most interesting abode. Who needs TV in a place like this?!

The problem is the roof: an intact clay tile roof – with no ceiling, no protective barrier between those artistic-looking clay tiles and . . . us, with just enough room in the joint between each of the tiles for harboring and breeding tons of insects. They live there all day long, until the evening witching hour when the indoor lights get turned on. Then they fly out, run out and simply drop out from every disgusting crevice to join in one helluva party.

Really a beautiful roof in very good condition.
It does not leak in a downpour, but bugs can get in.

The next time someone asks you: How do you feel about bugs? Please, ask why they want to know. Exactly why. We certainly will.

But other than the bugs in the “Owl House”, we really liked Ciudad Colon and would gladly return there for a very long time, given the right opportunity.

Stained glass window repairs are falling behind. Those darn earthquakes!

This beautiful relic is fenced off and falling apart. 

Ciudad Colon: 45 minutes west of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, is a homey and friendly town with it's own fun, attractive Saturday farmer's market. 

With a great community atmosphere, in the evenings the town park converts into a maze of soccer and basketball games, families picnicking, teenagers hanging out, exercisers walking, and skateboarders zipping about.

Nice place. Worthy of our consideration.

Now to check out San Isidro del General in the southern part of the country.