Enjoying a delicious cup of Panamanian coffee together, I asked our guests how they slept last night when one of them hesitated... Sleeping beneath the rustling jungle canopy with the terrace doors open to fall asleep to the crashing ocean waves, the hum of the cicadas, and surrounding jungle animals sounds so relaxing and paradisiacal, but that's also when the jungle shines and comes alive.
The sounds of nature are indeed calming and fascinating but if you're not used to it, you might find it hard to fall asleep to. Far from a quiet night, the sounds of the jungle might be better compared to sleeping during a Taylor Swift concert. Remember how we learned the decibel levels of cicadas and howler monkeys? Taylor has definitely got it going on and despite the millions of dollars in sparkling microphones and speaker equipment, she's got nothing on a howler monkey.
As our guest was trying to get some rest after her great day of surfing and waterfall hiking, she told me there had been a bird trapped in her room that had been frantically chirping all night. When she was finally able to rouse herself out of bed to find said bird, she was unable to locate the soloist keeping her from a peaceful nights rest.
Flabbergasted and exhausted, she surrendered to her cozy bed with ear plugs and slept until natures alarm clock notified her it was time to get up and surf. As she was describing her night, I knew immediately who her little nocturnal night nuisance was - a gecko!
Native to southeast Asia, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago, the common house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus was introduced to Latin America in the late 90's and has been thriving ever since. Great news about these cute little lizards is that they are currently listed as least concern on the IUCN Red list which is bad news for the bugs of the nighttime jungle who are their primary prey.
Geckos provide entertainment in the dining room at night as they defy gravityrunning on the walls and ceilings hunting for bugs drawn to light sources though they are arguably not so entertaining in our guest rooms as they chirp to communicate with each other. Their chirps can be quite loud though they don't usually last very long.
We love having them around not only for their entertainment value but also to eat bugs. In fact, in our bar, we might just have a few that are becoming a bit too accustomed to drinking our micro beers though we can't blame them, our col-col beers are tasty.
I hope you are looking forward to snuggling up in one of our cozy beds and embracing the nighttime sounds of the natural world around you as you dream about your next day of surf, adventure, and time in this magical place.
Your Friends in Morrillo,
Cari and Ryan Mackey
Owners and Hosts
Morrillo Beach Eco Resort