Costa Rica Day 3: Flying through the Canopy

Rain, rain go away, come again another day…when I’m not in Costa Rica! The rain altered our plans a bit for the day, but what a day it was.

I hopped out of bed around 7 a.m. to head to the beach to ride some waves, but it was pouring out and we decided to wait for a bit. About an hour later, we set out for breakfast at a cute hotel restaurant hidden in a winding road off the main highway called Club del Mar. From there, we traveled to Playa Hermosa to check out the surf, which to our disappointment was nonexistent. So, we headed back to the resort and reconfigured our day.

After a quick change of clothes, we drove to the crocodile bridge, which is notorious for the crocodiles in the river underneath. We parked our car on the side of the road and walked to the bridge. I cannot believe what I saw. I know I said I felt like I was in a theme park ride before, but this was a real life Jurassic Park. There were about 20 crocodiles laying along the river bank and a sandbar in it. These were the most ginormous crocodiles I have ever laid eyes on. The biggest must have been 12 or 13 feet long. These were massive, and I can see how they have made humans their dinner multiple times.

After gazing at the crocs, we headed to an enormous gift shop. The prices were great, which did not help me decide on what to purchase, because I wanted everything. I found some awesome ankle bracelets, one of which I have on now. I love wearing ankle bracelets in the summer because it makes me feel like summer is actually here and that I have a beach vibe with me wherever I go.

Once we finished up with the gift shop, we headed to our big excursion of the day: zip lining. We came at the perfect time because a group was about to go out, and we were lucky they allowed us on because we had no I.D. and no reservation. Our group was about 20 people, consisting of my father and sister, a family, two couples, and a group of guys. We got towed up the mountain side on a steep path with a tractor that sounded like it may give way any second, but who’s worrying, anyway?

The zip line course at Vista Las Suenos Rainforest Tours consisted of about ten lines through the canopy of the rain forest. Flying through the trees was like a view straight out of a movie. The trees were lush and green with purples and reds mixed in. The trees were of all different kinds, some rising straight from the ground and others with bark that looked like it was twisting into the air. My father pointed out how interested he was in how they picked the trees to use in the course. The tour was about one and a half hours. The only thing I regret about that is not having a video to show!

We traveled back to the resort to change and grab a snack, and then I basically dragged my dad out of the room to go check the surf again. Instead of driving all the way to Hermosa, we went to Jaco, which is the really cool surfing town I mentioned before. We rented a board for myself from El Pana Surf Shop and were on our way. My dad could not believe his eyes when he saw how much the waves had grown since the morning, and he decided to rent a board as well.

With an increasingly hurt foot, a surf board attached to my ankle and a grin on my face, I paddled out and awaited a good wave. I definitely should have practiced my surfing beforehand, because I’m sure I was quite entertaining for the locals to watch. My dad was the only one who caught some waves, while I halfway caught a few and then slid off the board. Practice makes perfect, though, right? I was simply happy to be in the Pacific Ocean for the first time with my dad, getting some good, fun exercise in.

Jaco is such a cute, laid back town and I could definitely see my dad­, and I if I knew what I was doing, staying there to surf. My dad was glad I pulled him out to the ocean and so was I.

Per usual, we headed back to the resort for about an hour and a half, and headed to dinner around 7:30 p.m., where we at at El Galeon again. A morning that started off rainy gave way to another fun-filled day in Costa Rica. I can’t believe I will be leaving in just a few days, but that just means I need to continue to make the most of it.