What is the appeal of the tropics, anyway? Several people have asked me this, and others may want to know. What would make me want to sell my perfectly nice western Oregon house in a nice neighborhood surrounded by nice people and move “down there?” Well, let me offer my perspective.
If you have followed this blog in the past, you may know that I don’t enjoy the cold. That in and of itself can serve as reason number one. Today is February 9, and the projected high temperature for Playa Del Carmen (on the Caribbean coast of Mexico) is 82 degrees Fahrenheit, 28 Celsius. That is warm. I like warm, and I’m willing to put up with the occasional cockroach to experience it.
And what about the beaches? Well, I do love the ocean, and a good walk in the beach is always a pleasure, but the reality is I don’t necessarily need the water if the warmth is there. For me, there is something else.
The tropics are alive. While you can find plant and animal life virtually anywhere, you can only find this teeming mob in warmer climates. Here in the Yucatán Peninsula, our apartment sits at the southern end of Playa Del Carmen, a growing city. Even though we’re away from the center of town, the habitat is disturbed; there are some construction projects going on and buildings are going up, but enough tropical forest remains in the two lots behind us for every morning to be a riot, an absolute riot of bird calls. Yucatán jays, orioles, flycatchers with yellow bellies, woodpeckers, doves, and parrots. Yes, parrots! We can see, hear, and feel this explosion of life from our backyard. Combine this with the heat, and I’m sold.
The adjective “lush” doesn’t go far enough. People say the tropics are lush, but I would say that “throbbing,” “pulsing,” and “alive” seem better descriptors. The jungle is a living, breathing creature, the very cradle of life. This vibrant pulse draws me; it makes me want to come here; it makes me want to stay. The sunlight and the heat are important, but if nothing dwelled here, the entire zone would quickly lose its appeal. Instead, it throbs. It pulses. It lives.
What places make you feel alive? Where in the world would you most rather be? Leave a comment here, and I’ll try to get a good picture of the parrots for you. They just won’t hold still long enough!
Oh love it and the birds and the tropical 🌴 🐠☀️ I’m right there with you and people who vacation in the tropics often wish that didn’t have to end when it’s time to go home, I’m grateful that for us, we are spending half the year here and experiencing fully what surrounds us! Great post!
Why thank you, and I agree completely!
I love birds wherever I am. They bring life to our jungle here as well. Owls, buzzards, great blue herons, even orioles in the summer. Saw What Bobby thinks is a white heron out at their place yesterday. Majestic creatures.
That is cool!