PURA VIDA - Action in Santa Elena

Saturday 7th July was one of the most eventful days I have ever had! It started out, of course, with breakfast cooked by Freddy a little before 6 AM (yes, we are still jetlagged), and then, 7.30, we were picked up. We were going on a canopy tour, which frankly, I had very little clue what was.

Zip lining... Any clue? Well. They put you into a harness, and take you into the forest. Then they hook you onto a metal wire, hundred of meters long and teach you how to break with your gloved hand on the wire, and then you are off  - from one tree to the other, gliding on the wire with quite a lot of km/hour!

So, 10 zip lines later, and already with a big smile on my face after looking at the rain forest from above, they changed the harness to superman-style. Meaning: No hands on the wire, and instead of sitting in the harness, we were hanging back-up under the lines - so it felt just like flying. INCREDIBLE! I have two videos of this, but you will have to wait to see them till I find a more stable internet connection.

Next activity started from a tower, some 20 meters above the ground. Somehow I was first in line, and was taken on the bridge to be connected to a wire on the end. I took  my time to take pictures despite the height, and also had the one below taken by one of the guides. Next step: Straight into the air. Free fall. Oh my God... I never tried something like that before!! aAnd it was SO MUCH FUN! I screamed my lungs out, but really really wanna try it again, `cause I somehow feel like I spent too much time looking at the amazing view instead of enjoying the terror...!! :) So maybe I can convince Lotte to go for another jump later on the trip... :)


Back in town, we bought some bred and cheese and a funny avocado for lunch, which we enjoyed partly with Freddy's company back at the hostel. And at 1 PM we were off to the second activity of the day - a tour of a coffee plantation. Again we were picked up and taken outside town, to a kind of show room plantation where we learned about coffee and chocolate production while a thunder and rainstorm accompanied our guide. We got to taste both beans and finished products, plus - the bonus - a 15 m ride in a cow-drawn carriage.

Our evening ended with a visit to a frog pond just around the corner from the hostel, which turned out to be a pitch black hall with frogs in terrariums. I was exhausted from the day, so didn't pay too much attention, but do enjoy the pic below of one of the most colorful species. Back at the hotel we went to bed at 8.30 PM, absolutely exhausted.