Monteverde!!!

After visiting the waterfall, we had to hike all the way back up, which was a good workout! We then went to lunch at the hotel. After lunch, we went on a hike around Arenal Volcano. The coolest part of the hike was that we got to see volcanic rock from the last eruption, more than 40 years ago. After the long hike, we went back to the hotel to rest for the night. The next morning (Sunday, May 25, 2008) we left for Monteverde. To get there we had to travel by boat across the Arenal Lake and then drive the rest of the way. When getting to Monteverde, we got checked into the hotel, ate lunch, and then had a break before canopying. The zip-lining through the cloud forest (in the rain!) has been one of the best experiences on the trip. Not only was it gorgeous, but it also got your heart beat going a little bit. I'm sorry, I was unable to take any pictures because I was afraid of getting my camera wet or breaking it. My favorite (and scariest) line was called the Tarzan Swing, where you were literally attached to a rope and pushed of a 50-75 foot cliff and we able to swing back and forth! All of the lines were great because you were zipping across large valleys and couldn’t even see across because of the clouds (Monteverde is a cloud forest)! After the canopying we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. That night we went to a local pizza shop, which was delicious. Also, we were able to celebrate Rob’s twentieth birthday! After getting back to the hotel, we went on a tour of the Monteverde forest at night. My favorite part was the part where the guide pointed out some bats to us (I had never seen a bat before)! After getting soaking wet from the tour, we went back to the hotel to dry off. After that most of us ended up staying up late playing Mafia, which was a lot of fun! The next morning (Monday, May 26, 2008) we went on the same tour as the night before, to see different animals. Now, I can see why Monteverde is one of the number one eco-tourism spots in Costa Rica, because of its beautiful and natural environment! Overall, it was an awesome weekend!