Whew! I seriously did not have a spare minute to blog this past week! I was too busy partaking in crazy adventures with Tom and his mom. I'll break it down by day and give a brief summary of each day...
Wednesday: They arrived! The Lord was totally watching over them as a very friendly Tican helped them navigate the bus system to find me. We spent the afternoon walking through San Joaquin and then I headed back to Heredia with them to "couch surf" for the evening. They stayed with a guy named Lance who is actually from Minnesota. He was super friends and accommodating, and Mrs. R and I even had a mattress to share (Tom slept on an air mattress).
Thursday: We woke up a 4:30am to grab a taxi for Alejuela where we could pick up the private transportation to go whitewater rafting. We had beautiful weather and rafting was a blast! They fed us a typical Tican breakfast before we left (omelets, gallo pinto, potatoes, fruit, toast, and coffee), and we ate a ton, knowing that we had a long day ahead of us. We rafted for 3.5 hours (18 miles) on level 3 and 4 rapids (it goes up to level 6). The level four rapids were awesome and a bit scary at times. Mrs. R was knocked out of the boat once when we hit a rock, but the guide saved her before I could even turn around to help. I fell once as well, but fortunately it was into the boat rather than out of it. In the areas where the water was calm, we jumped out of the raft to swim and take in the scenery. We saw gorgeous waterfalls, indigenous villages, and plenty of flora and fauna. Needless to say, by the end of the trip we were pretty whipped. They fed us lunch back at the base (fajita meat, rice, beans, salad, fried yucca and plantains, pasta, and pico de gallo) and brought us back home. It was the perfect bday gift from Tom and his mom!
Friday: We took a bus to Monteverde right after I got out of school. We arrived that evening and stayed in a cute hostel called "Sleepers." It's a family-owned place that served us breakfast in the morning and helped us plan all of our activities for the next day.
Saturday: Tom and I went extreme zip-lining. WOW! It was incredible. I was freaking out before hand since I have a tough time with heights, but this was seriously one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Some of the zip lines literally stretch from one mountain to another over a valley. It was surreal to look down and see cows that looked like the size of cat. I couldn't believe that I was that high in the air being supported only by a cable and a harness. We also did a Tarzan jump from the top of a tree. That was insane. You had a momentary free-fall before the line kicked in and you started swinging. I was super proud of myself that I sucked it up and faced my fear of heights. I firmly believe this is the best was to see the cloud forests in Costa Rica :) That night, the three of us went on a night hike. We saw some crazy insects and interesting birds (which were sleeping). I have some pics that I will post eventually.
Sunday: The biggest waste of our lives ever. We jumped on a private shuttle that was supposed to get us to Manuel Antonio, a very famous beach and nature reserve, in four hours (way less than a bus). Unfortunately, the bus broke down two hours into the trip, and we sat at some stupid rest stop for SIX HOURS while our bus driver tried to fix the bus. He ended up calling in reinforcements who took 3 hours to get the "part" that was needed. Then, after all that, another bus finally came and picked us up. Needless to say, we missed the nature reserve and didn't get to our hostel until 7:00pm. I felt the worst for Mrs. R and Tom as they only had one week here. What a wasted day! Luckily, we did see crocodiles in a river on the way, and Tom and I saw a monkey from the hammock at our hostel.
Monday: Happy birthday to me! We spent my bday on the beach after having breakfast at my favorite coffee shop (Milagros). I ate banana pancakes with macadamia nuts, and they were the best pancakes I've ever had in my life. Naturally, I came home a bit sunburned, but it was the perfect bday. I'll relate more stories later because I'm running out of room. Now you all are least somewhat up-to-date!
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