Costa Rica: Day 3 (Monteverde)

I woke up this morning thinking, no chance we can be as busy today as we were yesterday. I was wrong.

A few of us headed into town for another solid breakfast at Rainforest Cafe before the bus left La Fortuna at 8AM. We had a quick 45 minute ride followed by an hour-long boat excursion across beautiful Lake Arenal followed by another bus ride to land us in Monteverde. I welcomed the time on the lake; the water was clear, skies were blue and cloudy and the landscape…green and hilly as I’ve seen since I was in Ireland.

Next stop, Monteverde. Spanish for ‘green mountain,’ this area was founded by Quakers from the United States before the Korean War. It was well known that Costa Rica had disbanded their military and those that arrived were primarily objecting the war altogether and seeking a free lifestyle.

When we arrived, we made a quick stop to drop our luggage at the hotel and headed for lunch at Taco Taco for lunch (yes, that’s the actual name). We are the first guests to stay at this particular hotel since March of last year and I’m grateful that we are able to use this opportunity to pour back into the small-town business; the staff was so kind and you could tell, eager to welcome their guests back with open arms. On to lunch. Despite the motion sickness most of us were battling after the drive up and down the windy mountains and into 6K feet above sea level, we quickly devoured our fresh tacos, quesadillas and tortilla soups, and rallied knowing we were headed for our next activity the moment we finished…zip lining through the rainforest.

Zip lining was actually first created in Costa Rica and now, they are the home of the longest zip line in Latin America. After yesterday, this seemed like a fun, but relaxing, way to enjoy the treetops and it definitely did not disappoint. Once again, we were suited up, given a short lesson on how to sit, avoiding spinning and most importantly, brake when told to do so, and sent off for our first of 10 lines that we’d be taking throughout the 2-hour period. Between, we had some rope bridges, a free-fall and even a wild ATV ride up the side of the mountain. The 9th line was the longest and for this, we had to pair up. They told us the line was running ‘slow today’ and without a pair, we’d likely get stuck in the middle of the run; hanging just a casual 200m above the floor below. Ill be real honest, if that was ‘slow,’ I’m not sure I want to experience ‘fast.’ What a rush! I continue to be impressed by this group; while there are all kinds of levels of fear and hunger for adventure, everyone sticks together, braving and celebrating along the way.

When we got back into town, we had 2 hours before we left for our next activity so a few of us stopped into an adorable pizza and wine bar. After spending the day with the full group, I extra cherish these smaller group conversations; I’ve known these people for 4 days and yet, I feel like I’ve known them for years

Bus left at 5:45PM for our ‘nighttime adventure walk’ When we arrived, we were split into groups of 6. With me, I had the girls from London, Germany, New Jersey and my ride-or-die on the trip from Chicago, Christen. Our guide was named Joaquin. We knew, right away, that we were in for a treat, but I’m not sure we knew just how much. For the next 2 hours, we journeyed through the pitch black forest with nothing but flashlights and trust that Joaquin was not going to run us into a pack of venomous something or others… Every few minutes, we’d hear him yell “vamanos Chicas, rapido…con cuidado”(essentially, “hurry up, ladies, but do it carefully!) and he would take off running towards the next animal he spotted or heard about over his walkie talkie. 120 minutes later, unaware that none of the other groups were drenched in sweat and jogging the entire time, we had seen a boa constrictor, 2 tarantulas, a scorpion, a baby owl, a porcupine, 2 toucans, a red-eyed frog and 2 orlingos. The red-eyed frog and orlingos are only found in Costa Rica and the orlingos are extremely endangered. Taking time to ensure each of us saw the animals, understood the gravity of our time with them and answering the many questions we had, Joaquin couldn’t have been a better guide for the evening. We were the only group that came back exhausted and laughing and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Got to the restaurant just as it started raining (thank you again, Mother Nature). A sharing of absolutely melt-in-your-mouth local yellowfin tuna, ribs and enough red wine to go around, the stories and photo swapping continued until there was a noticeable exhaustion that faded over most of the table.

Tomorrow brings another day for adventure; we are leaving at 8AM for a 3-mile hike to the hanging bridges and then a free afternoon to explore town. I’m feeling extra grateful tonight for this country and the people; for welcoming us with open arms and immersing us in their culture. I see why people come here and choose to never leave.

Until tomorrow…Pura Vida