COSTA RICA - Day 3: 10 Cables and Feeling Ahhhhsome!

When Sean and I first talked about visiting Costa Rica, there weretwo activities we were looking forward to and we weren't going home without doing...the zipline (canopy) and white water rafting. We found a tour office on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and quickly booked the excursion which included the canopy activity and horseback riding.

Good health permitting, I would recommend trying the zipline...it is truly an AMAZING and breath taking experience. Canopies in Costa Rica are like McDonalds in the US...a PLENTY! One promising to be highest, while another promises to be the longest. I promise, any one you chose will be an experience of a lifetime.

I was hoping the canopy ride we chose was going to be the one going above the waterfall and lucky us, we did! (If you click the top left picture, you'll see the cables that run past the waterfall) Before you can even start, they have you sit through a 20 min demonstration explaining all the do's and don'ts and the why's.

We had to take a shuttle (pulled by a tractor) into the rain forest and there, we were prepped with our equipment. After everyone's gear was properly fastened, the group hiked another 30 min deeper and higher into the rain forest. I didn't know this tour had TEN cables! We rode the first one and I thought, man! that was friggin awesome! Then our guide said its another 10 min hike to the next one! Each ride was welcomed as the cool air rushed past you, cooling you off after each hike in this very hot and humid weather.

I'm trying to find words to describe the ride, but I'm finding it difficult to. As you're high above the rain forest zipping down a single cable, for a split second the thought of falling enters your head, but as quickly as it comes, it goes. There is just so much to take in all at once that any fear is quickly removed. The buzzing sound of the trolley as it slides along the cable, the feel of the wind as it hits your face and causes tears to roll down your cheeks, the entire rainforest beneath you, the feeling that this is your ride as there is no one around you...its all so Ahhhhhsome!

I requested to be accompanied by one of the guides so I can take this video.

Minutes after riding all TEN cables through the rain forest it started to pour, I mean REALLY pour! The guide led us on a short walk through the rain to a hut (reminded me of a huge teepee). As you can see the pic to the right the hut had dirt floors and a wood bench for us to sit. We were told the people in the straw skirts lived there in the rainforest...hmmm.

They explained (in English and in Spanish) the history of the indigenous people who live in that particular part of the rain forest. They were dressed in clothing made from bark and spoke only spanish. They marked our faces with red paint and gave us a taste of their home-made alcohol (it was actually quite yummy). They had souvenirs for us to buy and even though they were on the pricey side, the money goes to the "rainforest people" (totally forgot the name of the tribe).

The day is just half done. Next up....Horseback riding!