We had to get up a little early today to catch a 7:20 bus with Swiss Travel Service for the Mega Combo Canopy Tour. The bus ride took a couples hours and brought us deep into the forest at Buena Vista. Our lively guide, Philippe, told us everything we could want to know about the rain forest.
Once we got out of the bus, we were taken to an area where all twenty-eight of us were suited up in harnesses around our waist. They were not all that comfortable for hiking all over the forest, but I guess safety comes first. We walked uphill through the rainforest until we reached the first tree platform. We were greeted by a pair of peccaries, or wild hogs, at the base of the platform. Once up the platform, our harnesses were attached to two lines that stretched between two trees a good distance away. We zip-lined from tree-top platform to platform throughout the canopy. At one point, we were eye-level with a couple of howler monkeys hanging out in the tree tops.
Following our adventures through the trees, we changed into swimsuits and walked back up through the rainforest again to the top of a waterslide. The waterslide was more of a concrete channel that was painted and given a smooth coating. A kid at the top would pull a lever that allowed the water to come rushing out into the slide for each rider. It was the most intense waterslide I have ever been on and I found my self fearing for my life at several points. It was a lot of fun though, once it was over.
After a busy morning, we walked to a local restaurant where we were served the usual Costa Rican lunch of beans, rice, meat, and mango juice. As we were about to head out for the rest of our excursion, it began to pour rain (which wasn’t unexpected). After it rained for nearly fifteen minutes, Philippe decided we would brave the journey to the natural hot springs on horse back as planned.
All twenty-eight of us, plus a few guides, hopped on horses and headed out into the forest. The horses did not walk in a single-file line like most horseback rides I’ve seen. Instead, they grouped together pushing past one another and rushing all the way. On top of that, the “road” was muddy and often flooded with rain water. We were instructed to lean forward on uphills and backward on downhills, but that did not prevent the horses from slipping and sliding and scarring all of us riders. By the time we made it to the hot springs, we were all soaking wet and glad that we hadn’t fallen off our horse (or that our horse hadn’t fallen off the path).
Before we hopped into the natural hot springs, we covered ourselves in volcanic mud. I guess it is suppose to be good for your skin, but I rushed through that part so that I could hop into the warm water. Everyone jumped into the warmest pool (apparently 106 degrees). We relaxed in the pools until it was time to head back to the hotel via the bus.
By the time we made it back to the resort, we had missed our original dinner reservation, but we were able to go to Gaby’s instead. It had a variety of food choices. Chris ordered rack of lamb and I had octopus followed by duck and both were very good (not our usual meal choices). This day turned out to be very exciting and tiring.
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