Dream come true. Again!

By Oren:

We are currently staying in a place called Paso del Mango in the Sierra Nevada mountains, not far from Minca. It is tropical forest here and today when we were in the jungle walking, suddenly my mum said, “Oren come quick. Quickly!”.  At first I wondered what she had seen, and then as I saw the look on her face it dawned on me. Was it monkeys? It was!!!!!!!!  

When we were planning our trip to Colombia this time, I didn’t really expect to see monkeys, but I thought if we did see them it would be in the Amazon. I definitely didn’t expect to see them today, only an hour away from the city of Santa Marta!

When we spotted them they were balancing on some giant bamboo on the other side of the river. Even though I couldn’t see them very well it was still the best feeling ever! We used our binoculars to look at them and my mum tried to get some pictures (she only got a couple of blurry ones though). I thought things couldn’t get any better, but they did…

After a 5-hour hike through the foest, we were returning home along the same path, all a bit tired, and I was in the lead. A mango dropped out of a tree and I looked up to see where it had come from. That was when I saw them. Seven howler monkeys were in the tree directly above us.

I was so happy and shocked that I almost forgot to get everyone else to come and see. This time I could see them so clearly even without binoculars. Time went really fast but we stayed there for at least half an hour watching them move around in the branches above us. There were at least two babies – sometimes gripping tight to their mothers, and other times trying out their strength by swinging and climbing. It was unbelievable how lucky we were to see so many up close, and our guide said that it was very unusual for howler monkeys not to run off at the first sight of people.

This reminded me that people also told us how lucky we were the last two times we saw monkeys in Colombia.  We seem to have a special connection – somehow our experiences have been extra special, with monkeys staying near us for ages and ages allowing us to watch them in a really relaxed way. This time I was struck by how similar the movement and behaviour of the howler monkeys was to the documentaries I have seen of orangutans.  We watched the dominant male scratch his spine along a branch and the younger ones playing and hanging just by their tails.

It was such a magical moment and even if we don’t see monkeys in the Amazon I will still be more than satisfied. It was incredible.

9 thoughts on “Dream come true. Again!”

  1. Wow!!! Just caught up on all your latest adventures. What amazing fun you are having. Wonderful experiences and making lifetime memories.
    Keep posting!
    Love the Webb’s xx

    1. Hi Laura. So glad that you are reading our blog. I am so amazed how many incredible experiences we are having. They will stick in my head forever!
      Love Oren xx

  2. Tremendous post, Oren — so vivid, so happy. The photos are astonishing. How they bring back our encounter with the Capuchin monkey family at Iguazu last year! Being looked at steadily by a capuchin, for minute after minute, was as close to being in another form of life’s non-shoes as I think I’ll ever get. So great that you have the experience so young.

    1. Hi Grampa. So glad you are enjoying the blog and that it is bringing back your own memories. I agree being stared at by a monkey is something I will never forget and I am incredibly lucky to be having these experiences at my age!

  3. Hi all, hope you’re having a good holiday. We had a brilliant time in Disney but home now (boo hoo).

    Sam, Ben & Luke
    Xx

    1. We are having a great time here thank you. There are so many new experiences. It’s good that you enjoyed Disney. From Oren and brae xx

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