Adventure Tour

My next chance to get away, other than a short trip into Alajuela, was the following weekend.  The same tourism company offered an Adventure tour.  The expedition included a morning of whitewater rafting followed by an afternoon of ziplining.  I love whitewater rafting and Costa Rica is famous for its canopy high ropes tours.  How could I pass up the opportunity to do both in one journey?  I couldn’t and I didn’t. 

The mighty Sarapiquí River was our destination.  Because it was somewhat far away I had to wake up at about 4:30 to catch the buss into Alajuela at 5.  The tour company picked me up at the Fiesta Casino at 6:30.  I was a little nervous because I was already sleepy, having already completed nearly two hour of the trip before the actual traveling even began.  The scenic drive heightened my senses and stirred my energy.  We traveled over a mountain range the splits the country in two: the pacific side and the Caribbean side.  The Sarapiquí meanders through the tropical rainforests on the Caribbean side of the mountains.  The atmosphere is dense with precipitation in the air but very warm. 

When we arrived, another couple from SoCal and I, we changed into our suits and prepared to disembark.  We approached the river and received all the safety precautions.  It was a wet day.  A light rain refreshed us as we carried our paddles toward the boat.  The river was raging.  The rapids were not enormous but they flowed steadily throughout the entire river.  Our guide said the river was filled with constant class II and III rapids.  Our boat contained myself, the couple from Southern California and our guide.  We had a blast crashing into the rapids.  The surrounding scenery was incredible.  It was a bird watchers fantasy with hundreds of birds making appearances along the way.  The think green of the forest pressed in towards the river.  Some rapids carried directly beneath branches that hung lazily over the river creating a turbulent tunnel to pass through.  Halfway through the morning we stopped for some freshly chopped, by machete of course, pineapple.  We also took a moment to do some cliff jumping into the rapids below.  It was quite exhilarating jumping directly into the rapids.  The trip continued with the constant flow of water overtaking water to create a white rage that relentlessly tried to capsize our boat.  Finally we landed at the end wet and full of adrenaline, ready to soar through the rainforest like Tarzan.

We changed out of our wet clothes and then harnessed up.  We boarded a trailer hooked to a tractor and ascended toward the treetops on the mountain.  They want ted to send the English speakers first, even though I understood his Spanish safety instructions, but I was not going to complain.  I clipped my pulley into the line, with the help of a canopy guide, lifted my legs and gravity pulled me towards the next point.  What a rush!  Flying through a dense green tropical rainforest at high speeds.  It was awesome to be high up in the treetops for the majority of canopy tour.  Once in a while we found ourselves on the ground hiking to the next platform, but the thick green rainforest surrounded us with splendor.  The last zip line took us nearly 200 yards over the powerful Sarapiquí.  As we zoomed overhead, the mighty waters raged below.  What a thrill.  I tried to take my own picture during the zipline.  Let’s just say it probably looked as comical as the pictures turned out.

After the adventure, I ate lunch.  The restaurant was positioned adjacent to the ever moving waters of the Sarapiquí creating a majestic dining atmosphere.  I ate with the couple from SoCal and we reminisced about our preceding adventure.  Then came the journey home. With our stomachs full and our hearts content, we sat back and enjoyed the ride.  Of course, I was dropped in the middle of Alajuela so I still had the stress of finding my way to the bus stop.  But one more bus ride and I would be ready for bed.

~When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ~Isaiah 43:2