Affordable Costa Rica Day 9
Affordable Costa Rica
DAY 9 - March 22, 2005
Dry Tropical Forest: Horseback Riding, Thermal Mud Baths & Zipline Canopy Tour
Before the sun was up we woke up to see the cowboys of the Buena Vista Lodge bringing the horses up from the pastures. We showered and then hiked up to the intenet building which opened at 6:30. It was a good connection with 4 machines, printers and fax - relatively fast and easy to use. Gennie finished posting her grades for University of Phoenix so that responsibility is off of her shoulders. I sent the journals and pictures from Day 8. It was a warm morning, but not yet too hot and there was a cool & dry breeze.
We joined 13 of our fellow adventurers at the corral for our horseback ride. Our lodging is located in a remarkable thermal area, with pools of hot water and steam and gas vents, all created by the underground thermal streams near the Rincón de la Vieja volcano. Our horseback ride took us through the verdant jungle and into this thermal region. A safety talk by Eddie gave us all an idea how to handle these horses. We saddled up and rode through gently sloping pastureland and along narrow trails, where we were immersed in the dry tropical forest ecosystem. Riding through the densely wooded areas was cool - the temperature was almost 10 degrees cooler than the open areas. These horses were very sure-footed and seemed to know the way through the woods, over the rocks, and across the streams. After about an hour, we arrived at the thermal hot springs.
We can thank the Rincón de la Vieja volcano in northwestern Costa Rica for creating this rustic, open-air retreat. Subterranean thermal currents produce warm mineral mud pots, hot and warm pools, and even natural saunas.
We were glad to shake off the trail dust by a savoring a soothing soak. We started with a pore-opening sauna near a fumarola, a thermal vent in the earth's crust. Then we added the mineral-rich mud, carried from hot, bubbling mud pools from deep within the mountain. We took handfuls of the warm mineral mud and smothered it all over our bodies, coating ourselves in its therapeutic mud. After we dried, we took a cold cleansing shower to rinse off the mud. This was followed a dip in a hot (106 degree pool) and then into other cooler pools to acclimate ourselves and to relax. We finished with a cold shower, dressed and then climbed back up the hill to get our horses for the ride home.
We had about 90 minutes to wash-up a bit, eat lunch, and process some of the pictures. At 2 PM we were back out the door for the next afternoon adventure.
After much debate with herself, Gennie decided to go with all of us on this optional Zipline Canopy Tour. At 2 PM we met 11 of our group and Eddie took us to canopy tour station. There we geared up for a thrilling ride through Costa Rica's lush forest canopy. The 15-minute uphill hike was a killer as it was so humid and probably 95 degrees. At the top we had a safety talk at the first departure point. When they asked for volunteers to go first, no one seemed ready so Gennie stepped up and was the first to go. She was strapped into her harness and wearing thick leather gloves, she walked to the edge of the first of eleven platforms where the instructor sent her off on the ride of her life! She later told me she had to be first because she knew that watching everyone else go before her she would have chickened out. The rest of us followed whizzing from tree to tree on the ziplines. All around us, the scenery came to life as we enjoyed the panoramic views of the uppermost layers of the forest. Between the 9th and 11th stations, we were in the tree tops with troops of Howler Monkeys swinging from the branches at our eye level.
As we finished the Zipline Canopy Tour, we thanked the people for the great time and for helping Gennie to overcome her fears. We walked back to our room to take our showers, do our pictures, write the journal, and prepare for dinner and Eddie's briefing on tomorrow's departure.
Accommodations: Buena Vista Lodge
Meals: B, L, D
If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.
To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062
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