SOOO FAR

This past weekend was amazing!!!! Probably one of the coolest couple of days ive ever had. We first drove to the Arenal Volcano. I had never been to a volcano before and i think we got about as close to it as you can get. The hotel we stayed in was literally on the side of the volcano. IT was intense. Every morning i would literally wake up to the view of an active volcano. It looked exactly like the pictures you see that involve dinosaurs, almost a perfect cone. At night you could see the orange lava comming from the top. I probably could have staired at it all weekend. The first night we went to the hotsprings. It was like paradise. There were beautiful pools of naturally warm water and amazing waterfalls. Of course i got bored with the mild pool and went into the hotest one. IT WAS 158 degrees!!!!! I have never felt anything like it in my life. When i fully submerged my body underneath the water i got a rush of goosebumps that felt exactly like the ones you get when it cold outside. The water completely drained me of all energy, it was unreal. If i would not have gotten in i know i would still be wishing i had. There was also a waterslide that deffinately would not be legal in the United States. I went down it not thinking it was going to literally turn me into a rag doll. In one turn it was imposible to stay on the slade and i think i was 3 feet in the air, which fell into what felt like a 70 degree drop. I may have blacked out haha. I was one of the lucky ones who did not get hurt, and after 2 runs i was satisfied. I truely cannot discribe the hot springs in words. It was like nothing else i have ever seen, and it was probably one of the best experiences ive had.

The next day we was just as much fun!! We went to this horse ranch in the middle of nowhere and hoped on what felt like wild horses! I took beginners horseback riding last semester at Miami and lets just say it did not prepare me for these horses at all. I was at the mercy of my horse, which was a rush. The ride was beautiful, and i have never seen horses sprint so fast. I see where the term horsepower comes from, and so does my lower back. The horses took us to what i feel like is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It was 10 story waterfall that fell into a natural pool surrounded by jungle. The water was crystal clear. I could not believe my eyes!! I also could not believe how COLD the water was. The experience was bliss and i probably could have stayed there for the rest of my life. It was one of those places that you almost feel sad because you want everyone you know to experience it to. Later that day we went for a hike on the side of the volcano. When the group was quiet you could hear giant boulders tumbling down the side. It was and overall sweet experience to be standing on a river of lava rock that once devistated the surrounding land. Unbelievable!

Sunday was the day we had all been looking forward to. We went to do the zip lines in Monte Verde. When we got to the course, it started to rain. I feel like rain is an understatement for what it was. It literally felt like there was a constant stream of water on my shoulders the whole time. While standing around our professors seemed a little nervous after asking what rain does to the zip lines. The respones was that it makes the ride faster and the stop harder. I was pumped. The zip lines were huge....they went forever. One of the ziplines went through a clearing in the forest then out over a valley where we were probably hanging 180 feet off the ground, through a cloud ( its a cloud forest) and back into the jungle. haha i could not believe my eyes. Stoping did not seem to be that hard, but i could see the conciquences of not stoping...which was running into a tree 60 feet in the air. Ouch. On one of the long ziplines over a valley the wind picked up in my face and i did not make it to the platform. It was awsome because i had to reverse my position and do like a sloth crawl for about 60 feet. If you have ever seen teh show man vrs wild, that is exactly what it felt and looked like. I was almost tempted to stop short a second time hah. There was "jungle swing" in the middle of the course which was a complete suprise. the jungle swing is pretty hard to describe, but we climbed up a 60 food platform and one at a time, were hooked onto and extremely long rope attached to a giant tree about 200 feet out. When you jumped off the platform there is about a 30 foot fall before the rope snaggs and you swing out into an opening in the cloud forest. WHAT A RUSH! it was a crazy experience and i would have done it 10 more times. The feeling of the initial fall was breath taking, and the rest of the ride was a perfect view of the forest. It definatly took a little nerve to do, but was worth every scream of classmates before me. Haha that was actually the worst part, watching everyone else do it first.
Later that night we went on a night hike in the dark forest. It was pouring rain but still really interesting. Kind of scary though. We saw some really cool insects out there and what the guide claimed was a small taranchala turned out to be like half the size of my fist. At one point i was annoyed that i hadnt spotted anything and was eager to find something cool. I saw what looked like a snake and yelled out to the group really excited like, and everyone came rushing over to see. It turned out to just be a big earth worm and i felt like an idiot. My friends would not let that one slide for a while haha.

The next day we went on a morning hike, which was actually what i would consider a night hike because that is on many occasions the time i would go to bed on weekends back at miami. We woke up at like 5:30 and went out looking for birds. We did not spot much untill the very end. Late in the hike we spotted a male quetzal. It is an extremely rare bird that people search for years without spotting. It was extremely lucky. I think we spotted about 4 of them. They are really cool looking with green, red and orange all over their bodies.

The weekend trip was truely an experience of a lifetime and will be a memory plastered in my head for the rest of my life! This one weekend was worth the cost of the entire trip alone in my opinion.