I never thought I had arachnophobic tendencies until I found myself in the middle of the jungle at a seven-day yoga retreat in Costa Rica. Samasati Nature Reserve, a vast expanse of rainforest, is perched atop a mountain ten miles inland from the Caribbean, near the town of Puerto Viejo, just north of the Panama border. The name Samasati derives from what are said to be Buddha’s last words. This single word means, “Remember you are one with the ocean, trees, and stars. Remember you are Buddha.”
At Samasati, one is quickly made aware—you are also one with the scorpions, cockroaches, bullet ants, geckos, frogs, snakes, and giant horned beetles easily mistaken for small, low-flying helicopters. I was no stranger to the outdoors. I’d just come from eight days of mountain biking, river rafting, and trekking. Samasati was supposed to be the relaxing part of my vacation.
My first night there, however, was anything but. I sat bolt upright, awake in bed, hyper-vigilantly listening and watching for anything that moved or looked as if it might. A phobia is an irrational fear. Mine was substantiated. I’d just brushed my teeth spitting toothpaste on a scorpion trying to fight the stream of water to keep from going down the drain. I thought I’d won, but one could never be too sure.
Bullet ants are the most feared of all insects in Costa Rica, spanning two inches in length, (the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the species). I wasn’t sure if they were called bullet ants because their bodies were shaped like bullets or if the sting felt like being shot by one. Bart, who swept the steps with bleach to keep the slippery moss from growing, warned, “It is a pain like you will never forget.”
My bungalow was one of ten on this 250-acre rain forest with a spectacular view of the sea, far surpassing what the Web site promised. The décor spelled organic rainforest—hardwood floors, walls and ceiling, accented in ivory linens, fresh-cut rainforest flowers, and an inviting hammock on the veranda. By day it was relatively peaceful except for an occasional toucan squawk. At night, the jungle reverberated with a cacophony of thousands of frogs, howler monkeys, and locust-like creatures. Alone in my bungalow, I felt like a human trapped in a bug’s jar.
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