Living in the jungle is often romanticized as an escape from modern life. But the reality is much deeper than that. It changes how you experience sound, temperature, wildlife, and even your relationship with the natural world.
This excerpt from my upcoming memoir explores what it feels like to live completely immersed in nature every single day — not as a vacation, but as a way of life.
I’ve mentioned a few times that nature keeps me going, but it’s more than that – I am completely saturated in it. Most people live in insulated houses designed to keep sound out, in cities with tiny yards or none at all, surrounded by constant noise. Even if a bird is nearby, they might never hear it.
I have wooden louvered windows with screens (to keep the mosquitoes out). That means there’s barely half an inch of material between me and every sound the jungle makes.
I hear everything. Sometimes, when the morning air is still, distant traffic noise makes its way the two miles down my road. On weekends, a neighbour’s music drifts across the river. But mostly I hear birds and shifting weather during the day, insects at night, and in the rainy season, the chorus of amphibians. Day or night, the howl of howler monkeys reminds me they are never far away.
Many people live almost entirely indoors. Life revolves around comfort – TVs, couches, and things. Unless I’m eating, working on my computer, or sleeping, I’m outside. Most people need a doorbell to know someone has arrived. I can hear a vehicle coming down my road five minutes before it reaches the house.
The temperature inside my home is whatever it is outside. The only insulation I have is a roof, and when it does rain, my insulated roof does a very good job of insulating that noise.
Sometimes tree frogs, small snakes, or even scorpions find their way inside. From my deck alone, I can often see ten or more bird species at a time. The truth is, I can’t escape nature even if I wanted to.
When most people step outside, they see streets, sidewalks, vehicles, and streetlights. When I step outside, I am surrounded by the jungle. And while wildlife sightings are always a matter of chance, the possibility of encountering a boa constrictor, a jaguar, or a mountain lion is real. Living with that kind of possibility every day does something to you internally that most people never experience.
When I lived in Ontario, it was depressing knowing the closest real wilderness was 340 kilometres (211 miles) away at Algonquin Provincial Park. After mt first bike tour, I loved living in Vancouver because, even though I didn’t visit the mountains, I could see them. I could look up and know wilderness was there.
In Belize, every sense is immersed in nature – every hour, every day, all year long. And this isn’t a two-week escape. It has been my everyday reality for more than four years.
Experience the journey beyond the ordinary
Living in the jungle has taught me lessons about nature, simplicity, resilience, and what it means to build a life differently. Join the journey and receive future memoir excerpts as I share the story behind this life.
