After turning in at two am and downing maybe five beers and a shot of Jager, I decided a workout was in order to start Sunday. I paced past the pool and springs to the mini gym. The electricity wasn't on in the building, so I couldn't use the treadmill. Instead, I did ten minutes on the stationary bike, a machine which bores me to tears. I tried doing a few weight moves, but it was a typical disappointing hotel gym. Machines were jarring and not smooth, it was difficult to adjust to different exercises, and the dumbbells only went up to fifteen pounds. So I went running. This hotel complex is really hilly and within five minutes, I was totally gassed. Not the best workout I've ever had.
I got back to the room and mom's face was slight. She had lost the car key. Now she had misplaced it three times already in 36 hours. This time, it was nowhere to be found. We turned that room inside and out. We asked the front desk, I checked the car, but nothing came up. We had breakfast, but mom was absolutely overflowing with anxiety. Our pickup for the zip lining was scheduled to come at 8:20, so without much time, wet got on the shuttle bus for the ride to the Arenal Volcano National Park. We rode with Judy and Carmen, a mother and daughter from Jacksonville we had seen a few times already. Mom felt around in her backpack for some reason and somehow found the key in a small side compartment. The sense of relief we both felt kept us on a high the rest of the day. Even if we didn't get to church on Sunday, it was definitely a religious experience!
Now we get to the Sky trek. This is a zip lining course. Now I thought we would climb a ladder and be up in the air a little bit. I had no idea what I was about to experience. This place has seven different lines with such intimidating names like Speedy Gonzalez, Oh my God, and Big Daddy. We took a lift above the rainforest to the top of a hill. We were about 3500 feet in the air and I started to realize this was a little more adventurous than I expected. First we did a practice line, which was only about ten yards. I was told to lean back, straighten my arms, bend my knees, and cross my ankles. Then I was told how to brake and finally to spread my legs in the shape of a V when I approached the platform.
So after the first one, I was OK. Then, I looked at the next line and I shivered. We had to go 1500 feet right over the forest to the opposite side. I didn't dare look down, because I knew that drop would've been long, far, and hard. As the guide let my line loose, it was almost surreal how fast I was traveling. I'm sure I had to be going 80 or 90 mph. All I could do was scream for the 20 or so seconds that I flew through the air. I barely moved my head as I was focused on getting to the next platform. I got there safely, shaking just a little and mostly relieved. The next one was a little shorter, and I was able to look to the side at the huge lake out in the distance. I made it and started to feel more and more confident. Even as the rain started and increased, I felt better and more exhilarated with each slide.
I wanted to get pictures but it was $42 for all of them and I would've preferred having two or three for maybe $20 or $25. I would definitely zip line again. Since we missed our van back to the hotel, we stayed around and ate some fish tacos. The restaurant at Sky trek had a great view of the volcano, it was just a shame that another cloudy day kept us from having an optimum view.
We went back to the room and planned to head back to the national park and the Arenal observatory lodge. We pulled up to the security booth and were told it was ten dollars to enter the lodge. We weren't thrilled, but we said okay and mom gave the man a 20. He came back with wrist bands, but no change. It turned out the ten dollar charge was not assessed per car, but per person. We immediately left.
At a local art shop, I did buy a wooden cross of many different colors. Then it was back to kioro. The rain is getting annoying, I can't even remember seeing the sun yet. And now I'm hearing thunder for the first time. We had our complimentary dinner at Heliconias, the main restaurant at the hotel. I had a garlic flavored marlin, which was great, but even I had to scrape most of the garlic off. But the highlight of the meal was the Montes twins wine. It's a red from Chile that's a blend of Cabernet and Malbec. It was so smooth, but was still assertive enough to pair will with a substantial meal. We enjoyed it so much that we ordered a separate bottle to take back to the room. For $32, it was a complete steal.
Not wanting to hang around the room, I walked outside towards the pool over to the hammock, laid inside, and fell asleep for about 2 hours. I woke up just in time to watch the third period of the Rangers beat Edmonton.
A few thoughts about Costa Rica before I close this post. This place is all about tourism. Almost nothing is free and they crave getting the American dollar. The people are remarkable friendly as well as overweight, for the most part. I respect their Pura Vida motto. And there's something to be said about a country that hasn't had an army for almost 70 years. They're also rather aggressive with tourists, whether they're peddling coconuts, massages, or surfing lessons. They know English very well too.
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