A Walk in the Jungle

23 May 2010. 1:00pm. Peak heat of day. But the jungle called me and I always heed the words of the jungle. The jungle is wise. She takes care of me. I don't know how long this bit of jungle will be around. Development continually encroaches it. You can almost feel her shiver in fright. Every trip I make into her depths I discover something new. I see a new small wonder. Or I hear a noise that never was heard before. Today it was the mosquitoes. I never saw so many in my life and I'm from Louisiana! There were literally millions. I heard them buzzing in anticipation when they saw me coming. And when I stopped walking to sit on a log or at the base of a tree, they had a feast. Luckily mosquito bites don't bother me... doesn't even leave a scar or itchy spot. I fed many mosquitoes today. They were happy I went into their jungle.

Why do I go out in such heat in the middle of the day? Because no one else does. I didn't see a single person. And that's what makes going into the jungle fun. It's just me and the critters.

Green. Life. What you can't see in this picture is the sound of birds singing, the clicking of bugs, the leaves whispering in the breeze, and the monkeys talking.

A dead tree covered in mushrooms. Even the dead are full of life.

The mushrooms were so cool. They looked so soft. I wish I could have been just inches tall and rolled in them.

They looked like an underwater reef. I kept expecting to see a fish swim by... maybe Nemo.

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Trees sometime fall down. I didn't hear this one fall. I wasn't there. I imagined it screamed a little when it realized his life was over. I patted it and moved on.

There were spiders. There were many spiders. They're all very quiet. I couldn't hear them. What does a spider sound like? Do they talk to each other. And why do they insist on making their web at my face level? I walked through many webs and carried many spiders along with me. I don't like spiders. Eight legged things kind of creep me.

The mosquitoes were so happy to see me. I fed them. I fed them all. But they're a greedy lot. They drank so much they would just fall off and wiggle on the ground. They really should learn how to control their thirst.

This is a jungle creature. He is hot. Not in a sexy way, in a physical temperature kind of way. Notice the reddish tint of his hide. Rare creature not usually seen by others in the jungle. I was lucky to spot one today. It has been recorded that this creature has been spotted in the NW United States and other parts of Asia. He was quiet but seemed to breathe hard. I don't think he was dangerous.

A 3 foot monitor lizard. They are usually very shy. This one let me approach. He told me about his family and I told him where to find a bunch of beetles. We exchanged phone numbers and plan on getting together for a bottle or two of stream water.

I poked my head out of the woods and saw this awful place. It appears there are many people there. I slowly and quietly backed away and disappeared into the jungle.

I squinted and zoomed in before backing back into the jungle. There were many tall buildings and too many houses. I saw the heat rising in the city. It was noisy and busy.

I sat down for a while and a small butterfly joined me. She was nice. I told her of my plans of meeting up with the monitor lizard later for drinks. She appeared hesitant but I think she'll join us. I promised her that Mr Lizard wouldn't eat her.

Dieffenbachia... House plants don't come from houses. It isn't their natural habitat. They come from here, the jungle, and then are removed from their families and placed in foster-homes. It's sad really if you think about it.

We've had rain so the local watering hole was well stocked. There will be a bunch of drunk and rowdy creatures tonight. You can be sure of that.