Day 4: Adventures

We had a 6am wake-up today to grab dinner in time to start our big adventure day.  At 7.15, the van picked us up from reception and drove us deep into the rain forest, where we put our dry goods in a locker and then got in a 4WD-towed trailer for another journey up into the hills.  When we got out, we put on harnesses and helmets before walking to the start of our first adventure: waterfall rapelling with PureTrek.  

All three of us went (along with two other families) on this amazing adventure, where we repelled down the faces of waterfalls, often IN the waterfall itself.  The first waterfall was the longest, and we were soaked by the end of it.  The canyon rang with screams and giggles.  Then, we did a 'monkey drop,' where the guides quickly lowered us (it felt like a free-fall) about 80 feet before dropping us into a pit of water.  I was the only one of our trio to get the full positive experience of this (S went into the pool nose-first, which did not feel good, and H ended up getting off center, so she missed the plunge and landed safely next to it).  Then there were three more drops of varying lengths and terrains, one of which was directly down (no footholds) and the last of which took us straight through a waterfall.  We couldn't bring cameras on this wet adventure, but the guides took photos, and I'll update this post later with some photos.

After that, we took a van to another area and got into a different set of harnesses and helmets and rode a different 4WD-pulled trailer to do a zipline adventure with Arenal Mundo Aventura.  We rode with another family and did about 7 ziplines, including a few that went right over La Fortuna Falls and one that was over 1km long.  While we were out, a rainstorm blew overhead, so about half of our zips were in rain.  One (the long one) was in such heavy rain that our faces felt like they were getting sandblasted.  We had a great time, but one of the people in the other family we were with got a cable burn and had to bail out.  She'll be fine, but she had some abrasions on her back, some hair was ripped out, and the cable burned a hole through her shirt.  

I brought my iphone but didn't take it out while I was on the line.  H brought her camera and took lots of videos from the lines.

H getting clipped in.

The first descent required climbing this tower.

Kitted up!

After the ziplining was done, we grabbed lunch at the tour operation and then hitched a ride back to the resort with one of the staffers.  I'm astounded at how enthusiastic and friendly most Costa Ricans are.  I've lived in quite a few tourist places and have never encountered enthusiasm like this.  The energy is that they are proud of their home and are happy to share it with responsible stewards (who can pay dough to help maintain the natural wonders, of course).  

Back to the hotel to soak in the heated pool (the jacuzzi is broken).  Another rainstorm came through while we were in the pool, so we had cold rain above the surface and warm water below.

Got cleaned up and headed into La Fortuna to grab a snack and do some shopping.  We grabbed dinner in the early evening and headed back to the resort for bed.  Tomorrow's activities are a little later in the day and a lot less adrenaline-filled, but we need to catch up on our sleep!