We left La Fortuna during torrential rain so were wet before we got on the bus! A quick stop on our way allowed us to photograph a couple of toucans and then short drive took us to a lake which we had to cross. There was a minor delay getting on the boat as the one we should have been on sank!
The heavens opened and we all got rather wet. Finally the group and luggage were on a safe(?) boat and we headed across the lake to the opposite bank. A rather steep and muddy path greeted us but with help from fellow travels people and bags arrived at the top.
A drive of an hour or so took us through the cloud forests to Monteverde (Green mountain). As you can guess it’s very green in the rainforest! I then had an adrenaline high!
Determined to go zip wiring I went off with a group and had a brilliant time. We were harnesssed,hatted and gloved up before the safety session. Did I want to do the superman wire they asked. Sure I stuttered! That meant an extra piece of gear added to the harness! We then looked like flamenco dancers as we were trying to decide which hand was going to be our break hand!
We soon finished the dance as we were hooked onto the wire - somehow I was nominated as the person to go first! It was rather embarassing at times as you held onto the wire and then had to jump so that the operator could hook you on - it seemed like I was bumping crotches with a number of strangers!
We did a number of lines and when we reached one point the operator said “ You are too slow” and unhooked me! Before I could say anything I was hooked on to a rope and told to sit down. Sit down where? The Spanish/English tranlation was getting hard! Little did I know I was to sit down in the air and was then rappeled down before my ‘lovely’operator shouted down “ TAKE HER SLOWLY!” - how embarassing!
I then walked back up to the same operator and then took off on a wire which when across a valley. “Wooo hoo” I yelled. It was awesome. Arriving at the next platform the indication was for us to walk - I think we walked nearly 2km up hill! I never thought I’d reach the top - you know those never ending walks well that was what we were on. I couldn’t give up as there was nowhere to go but up! Finally we arrived at the platform where we were going to be attached to the wire to do our superman or in my case ‘super gran’ stunt.
Today my fear button was totally absent and I stood on a couple of bricks 3 or 4 storey above the ground. There were 2 hook ons for this one and when the guy hooked the second piece of apparatus to the wire it was like being given a 'wedgie’! “ Lay down” he said. Woa! I thought. Lay down heck I’m over a rather large drop! I finally accomplished the superman position and I was off. This wire was 2 km long and was through trees and over a valley. Wow this was flying and I was sad when the run was over. One more zip line took us back to the start and I could have done the Tarzan swing to finish off but I’d read an article in a UK Sunday paper about the Tarzan swing and there was no way I was doing that!
This was one of the best experiences of my life. Sorry no pictures until I get home as they are on a disc.
We got back to the hotel and were immediately urged onto a bus to go on a night walk. We started the walk with a 20m walk to view a tarantula - boy was she big when enticed out of her hole. Photos taken we were off. Almost immediately we came across a three toed sloth - they might be lazy and slow in the day but at night they can move!
We then saw a viper climbing in a tree. There were a few birds snoozing and they look rather funny perched on the branch. We came across a very large ant colony and learnt all about them. On the way home we suddenly stopped because another sloth had been sighted and this one was eating. Finally we got to dinner at about 9pm!
An early start today to go walking in the rainforest to try to find an endangered species of bird - the Quetzal - and we found one so it was a pretty special moment! We had also seen a White Faced monkey eating a squirrel. Our walk took us to an area with many humming birds. Trying to photograph them is not easy!
A leisurely afternoon beckoned and after a long walk into town it was blogging time
The heavens opened and we all got rather wet. Finally the group and luggage were on a safe(?) boat and we headed across the lake to the opposite bank. A rather steep and muddy path greeted us but with help from fellow travels people and bags arrived at the top.
A drive of an hour or so took us through the cloud forests to Monteverde (Green mountain). As you can guess it’s very green in the rainforest! I then had an adrenaline high!
Determined to go zip wiring I went off with a group and had a brilliant time. We were harnesssed,hatted and gloved up before the safety session. Did I want to do the superman wire they asked. Sure I stuttered! That meant an extra piece of gear added to the harness! We then looked like flamenco dancers as we were trying to decide which hand was going to be our break hand!
We soon finished the dance as we were hooked onto the wire - somehow I was nominated as the person to go first! It was rather embarassing at times as you held onto the wire and then had to jump so that the operator could hook you on - it seemed like I was bumping crotches with a number of strangers!
We did a number of lines and when we reached one point the operator said “ You are too slow” and unhooked me! Before I could say anything I was hooked on to a rope and told to sit down. Sit down where? The Spanish/English tranlation was getting hard! Little did I know I was to sit down in the air and was then rappeled down before my ‘lovely’operator shouted down “ TAKE HER SLOWLY!” - how embarassing!
I then walked back up to the same operator and then took off on a wire which when across a valley. “Wooo hoo” I yelled. It was awesome. Arriving at the next platform the indication was for us to walk - I think we walked nearly 2km up hill! I never thought I’d reach the top - you know those never ending walks well that was what we were on. I couldn’t give up as there was nowhere to go but up! Finally we arrived at the platform where we were going to be attached to the wire to do our superman or in my case ‘super gran’ stunt.
Today my fear button was totally absent and I stood on a couple of bricks 3 or 4 storey above the ground. There were 2 hook ons for this one and when the guy hooked the second piece of apparatus to the wire it was like being given a 'wedgie’! “ Lay down” he said. Woa! I thought. Lay down heck I’m over a rather large drop! I finally accomplished the superman position and I was off. This wire was 2 km long and was through trees and over a valley. Wow this was flying and I was sad when the run was over. One more zip line took us back to the start and I could have done the Tarzan swing to finish off but I’d read an article in a UK Sunday paper about the Tarzan swing and there was no way I was doing that!
This was one of the best experiences of my life. Sorry no pictures until I get home as they are on a disc.
We got back to the hotel and were immediately urged onto a bus to go on a night walk. We started the walk with a 20m walk to view a tarantula - boy was she big when enticed out of her hole. Photos taken we were off. Almost immediately we came across a three toed sloth - they might be lazy and slow in the day but at night they can move!
We then saw a viper climbing in a tree. There were a few birds snoozing and they look rather funny perched on the branch. We came across a very large ant colony and learnt all about them. On the way home we suddenly stopped because another sloth had been sighted and this one was eating. Finally we got to dinner at about 9pm!
An early start today to go walking in the rainforest to try to find an endangered species of bird - the Quetzal - and we found one so it was a pretty special moment! We had also seen a White Faced monkey eating a squirrel. Our walk took us to an area with many humming birds. Trying to photograph them is not easy!
A leisurely afternoon beckoned and after a long walk into town it was blogging time
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