monkey sanctuary

When Richard answered the door in his boxer shorts glaring at me, I immediately regretted agreeing to meet with him. The man was impossible! (If you haven’t yet, read “Richard (Part I)” to understand). But, I was there and I had a few things to say to Richard, so I stayed. Sitting outside on his beautiful patio overlooking a waterfall, Richard started telling me about the monkey sanctuary.  It turns out he wasn’t rude to me because he disliked the volunteers who came to help; he  was struggling with [Read more…] about Strangers Along the Way: Richard (Part II)

Sometimes you are certain you will like a stranger on first sight…sometimes, you are so very wrong.

In 2014, I was traveling through Mexico and ended up spending a week volunteering at a monkey sanctuary about 7 km outside of Tulum. Prior to my arrival, I read a number of stories about its founder, Richard, and immediately knew he was the kind of person I would like. Out of pure compassion, after a hurricane devastated his 20+ acres in the jungle, he gathered fruit from local vendors to feed the monkeys [Read more…] about Strangers Along the Way: Richard and the Monkeys (Part I)