Monteverde Cloud Forest Day 2

Today was the day for our long awaited horseback riding and zip lining. After breakfast, we headed to a farm. We split into two groups. One group went riding for an hour and a half, while the other learned about how the farm worked, then we switched. The horseback ride was through fields and forests. The steep descents were, well let’s just say, exciting, and the views spectacular. On the farm tour we learned about a variety of the staple products grown in Costa Rica. In the end, we focused on sugar cane and sugar production. Students crushed cane to make juice, which they drank. Then, they kneaded hot syrup from the juice into a hardened sugar (think our brown sugar). After sampling their creations, we were treated to hot homemade empanadas and coconut bread. From there we headed to the small, quaint town of Santa Elena. They had two hours to explore the town, eat lunch, visit an ATM, go to a big supermarket to stock up, etc.. Then, we headed back up the mountain to the upper cloud forest. Again, we split into two groups so a team of five professional guides could take us through their quite intense zip line system. I’ve been on a lot of zip lines in my life, but these are next level, the best I’ve ever been on. The longest was a half mile, while most of the rest were about a quarter mile. Given the long length of the lines and the repeated experience, fears start to fade and you begin to just look around at the canopy with a relaxing smile on your face, just taking it all in. We headed back to our lodge. Many played kickball again. Others went for a hike, just relaxed, or went shopping at an art gallery nearby. We had a great dinner. It was a really long day at elevation, and with plenty of sun, so most were very tired. We all went to bed early. Tomorrow we have a transfer down to the Pacific Ocean as we set up our final home base to explore the beaches and the park Manuel Antonio. Fingers crossed, we hope to see some sloths. Below are a couple of sample photos from the day. I have a large photo dump from the morning’s activities, which I am still trying to upload. Anyhow, more photos to come from today soon.



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