Vivid Jungle Morning

Waking up in the heart of the jungle is incredible. All night, the buzzing of cicadas alongside the gentle purring of a fan establishes a metronomic white noise cadence like no other. At sunrise, melody starts to emerge. Birds chirp and sing, and fill the sky with graceful sweeps of colour. Distant moped engines begin to hum. There is constant sound, yet it simultaneously feels quiet; peaceful.

Without notice, you’ll be subject to a downpour one moment, then baked in sunshine the next. Dark clouds roll in from nowhere, then subside again by the time you next look up. Sometimes there is a breeze. Often there isn’t. Unfortunately, that combination of stillness, heat, and moisture brings with it mosquitoes. Having to lather yourself with insect repellant and sweating profusely at 6am isn’t the most pleasant experience, but you take the good with the bad, I suppose.

This rhythm of life occurs every morning, but highlight of this particular morning though, was that I made a new friend! Without doing anything, a beautiful hazel-coloured Kelpie crept up the stairs to our desk and silently lay down next to me. She just wanted company. I was extremely grateful for it, too. We’ve really missed dogs.

Having this tropical paradise right on our doorstep is hard to believe. I want to soak it all in as best I can while I’m here.