hbooz

30th July 2011

Post

A Day in the Clouds

After a three hour jeep-boat-jeep transport across Laguna de Arenal, we arrived in Monteverde in the cloud forest of Costa Rica. We checked in to our quaint cabin at Hotel Don Taco, and found ourselves answering the door soon after arrival. The awesome owners offered us a bottle of spumante to celebrate our nuptials. Sweet. Literally and figuratively. After a fine sip and some lovely porch time amongst the fog, we headed to town.

We had the meal of our trip (so far) last night at a small contemporary spot called Trio. The guidebook listed the directions in a foreboding manner: you will find the restaurant in the dark corner behind the SuperCampo grocery store. That dark corner yielded a meal of fine cuisine: seabass ceviche in coconut and fresh tomato cilantro mix, chicken empanadas with fresh herbs and herb salad, beef tenderloin with manchego cheese and balsamic vinegar sauce, wood-grilled seabass with gazpacho herb sauce, a ginger martini for Kelly, and a passionfruit mojito for me. Tasty. In a mountain town. The rain started coming down on our desolate walk back up the mountain to Cabinas Don Taco. We were excited for sleep before our zipline canopy tour but alas, the beds creaked and groaned as the rain fell hard. None of these sounds drowned out the numerous two-stroke engines of the motorbikes and ATVs that barrel down the hills and zip from dirt road to dirt road. The local municipalities vote time and again not to pave for it will bring too many people. Awesome for maintaining a semblance of autonomy. Dangerous for any human on the roads.

After no sleep, we awoke to find welts on our bodies. Yes, bed bugs. Awesome. Especially after two nights in posh luxury. We shrugged off the welts and headed to book a canopy tour after our own guide never showed. No problem. We picked eXtremo tours. You can guess how we choose that outfit based on the name alone.Today, we flew more than 1000 feet above the ground, attached only by cords. Kelly rappelled and screamed like a banshee. She then screamed louder when she sat on the Tarzan Swing, a swing of epic heights and even greater speeds. We tore through our gloves, laughed more than we have in eons, and made friends with the gals from Vancouver and the Costa Rican family that now lives in Seattle. The rains let up only for a few moments as we criss-crossed canyons and soared on lines that stretched for more than one kilometer. Yes. Seriously.

We arranged for private transfer at Hotel Don Taco, and after some much needed coffee, we headed out on a 25+ bus with the owner’s father. Yes, that is right. Kelly and I had a 25+ bus to ourselves. I sit here in one of the most amazing hotels, the San Jose Marriott as Kelly sleeps off the fact that she got no sleep. I feel like I am in colonial Spain or perhaps Marriott is going for colonial Costa Rica. No mind. Fine times. More to come after we leave the jungle. Tomorrow, the Pacurare Lodge will pick us up at 6 a.m. CST and take us to the Pacuare River. After one day of Class II-III rapids, we will leave the rafts for a remote lodge in the jungle, replete with home-cooked meals and a cocktail hour. Two days in the jungle without electricity and we head back down the Pacuare for some Class III-IV rapids. Sweet. Peace.