This past weekend we visited the wonderful city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague was busier than we expected and, more importantly, much better value as the exchange rate from dollars to Czech Korunas was on our side (one US dollar = 22.84 czk). It’s a beautiful tourist-friendly city that has a lot to offer. We rented an apartment on Airbnb with friends and their kids close to all the action in the old town area as we all wanted to experience the city on foot.
Czech food is hearty and hot, and there is a multitude of street food vendors located in market places providing a taste sensation! Our favorite spot was the food market on the east side of the River Vltava a little south of the Dancing Building (so named as it was designed to resemble the straight suit and flowing dress of well, dancers). The market was bustling even at 9am, and many people were strolling around eating a variety of mouth-watering roasted meats, pies, cheeses, and baked goods. In fact, many were also drinking beer and hot or cold wine. Another famous market was the Staroměstské Nám located behind the Astronomical Clock. Known as the Winter Market, a must see during the run up to Christmas, it was now turned over to Spring and Easter. There was music and lots of food. Lots of churches, synagogues, and history too if you can pull yourself away from the culinary offerings. By the way, whenever we went to visit an attraction, for some reason we tended to arrive back at the Astronomical Clock. I guess all roads don’t lead to Mecca after all.
Travel over the popular stone Charles Bridge to the western bank, and you can visit the castle and even ride a funicular tram up to the observation tower (modeled on the bigger and more famous Eiffel Tower) on the high ground above the US Embassy. This part of the city is wonderful and houses the world’s narrowest street and the colorful John Lennon Wall where people from all over the world have written or drawn reminders for peace. We all enjoyed following the winding medieval streets as they meandered back and forth. At one point, we stumbled onto a film shoot and watched the action as a man was hauled off by a plain clothes security duo dressed in 1950’s suits, overcoats, and hats. We found out later that it was a German production company, who like many, come to Prague as there are many low-cost skilled tradesmen for set building. I’m not sure if the street was supposed to be East or West Germany, but it did interest all of us.
It was really great to be with friends in an easy and inexpensive city alive with springtime. Moving on foot gave us the opportunity to wander slowly and appreciate conversation and the sights. I would definitely recommend a visit, although make sure you have currency as many places do not take credit or debit cards.
View towards River Vltava and Old Town Prague beyondLiam taking a break from walkingRobyn and kids enjoying the wall and the Beatles music provided by a street performerThe first of many unintentional visits to the Astronomical Clock (it really is worth a visit)
Contemplating cooling feet in the river after walking all day…
Czechoslovakia, or the Czech Republic as it is now known, is a country west of Russia and south of Scandinavia. Me and my family went on an amazing weekend vacation with our friends the Pointner family. We left on a train from our home in Jyväskylä to Helsinki. After that, a short plane ride to the international airport of the Czech Republic.
Finland has spoiled us in many ways such as everyone is very quiet, so when we got to Czech Republic everything seemed very loud. Since we have been in a small town in Finland the Capital of the Czech republic seemed huge and there were lots of cars. While we were there we walked everywhere, and so in the the 3 short days I was there I walked over 20 miles! It was nice to see everything up close not while in a car or tram. We got lost more than a few times, but that was nice to see a part of town not controlled by tourism.
While I was there I got to see some pretty amazing things, such as the John Lennon wall and a massive bridge. The bridge is known as Charles bridge. It is a very wide and long bridge with statues along the edge. I also got to experience the local cuisine. I learned that the Czechs eat more meat than most surrounding areas. I now know that the Czechs like their pubs. All in all it was a fun and informative trip.
By the start of Charles Bridge Part of the John Lennon Wall-People write messages of peace on it
My mom and I heading towards Stockholm on the ferry
This past week me and my family went to Stockholm, Sweden. My mom had another conference down in Helsinki, but after that we hopped on an overnight ferry to Sweden. That was a new experience for me. I have been on a sleeper train and busses, but have never slept on a ferry overnight. It was pretty cool, me and my family shared a small cabin with a tiny bathroom. It was 9 by 15 ft, so it was very cramped, although I got to explore the ship and look outside at the passing Swedish islands.
When we finally arrived at 10 am, we walked through town to our hotel. When we went back out in the damp Swedish town I started to remember the first time we went here in 2014. We went to the old armory which they turned into a museum. It was very interesting, then we visited the Swedish National Museum near the Baltic Sea which explained all about the history and culture of Sweden. When we were all done looking around we decided to have a little walk in the town. The next day was my father’s birthday, and we had a walking tour of the old city planned. I got to see a lot of old buildings and many different statues with diverse meanings. At the beginning of the tour we came upon the mint square where many thousands of children were protesting climate change instead of being at school.
That’s it for this week, bye.
Another ferry following us through the island channel
Greta Thunberg somewhere on stage flanked by thousands of fellow demonstrators demanding change in Stockholm, Sweden
In and amongst all our sightseeing in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday, we discovered a huge student strike in Gamla Stan Old Town at Mynttorget (mint square) between Parliament and the Royal Palace. Thousands of people, mainly secondary school students, gather there and at hundreds of other cities worldwide instead of going to school every Friday to encourage governments to make positive choices to halt any further increase in global warming.
Greta Thunberg, a local teenager, started protesting alone at this spot last August instead of attending school on Fridays as she felt strongly that her generation’s future as well as those that will come after was being taken away by adults who were not doing enough to stop global warming. Her calls for attention and change have been heard by young people all over Europe and have grown exponentially ever since. The FridaysForFuture (FFF) movement now has over a million participants worldwide. Indeed, there were estimated to be 1,400,000 participants on March 15, alone. It was amazing to see so many people attend the meeting and listen to Greta speak in her now famously direct way. We felt that we were part of history being made as we joined the crowd to listen to the speakers, the singing, and the chants.
I found myself confronted with my own green shortcomings as an adult who slowly veered away from more idealistic and passionate views about the planet’s environmental crises as I became a working home-owning parent. Of course, we recycle and reuse/repurpose at home, are changing over to LED lightbulbs, have downsized to one car, and try not to be super consumers. Yet, this is a mediocre kind of attempt at preventing global catastrophe and making our planet a healthy and viable place for future generations to inhabit. I noticed that there was a very tangible concern that time is running out (or has already) and that such an extreme time needs extreme action by everyone. Coincidentally, a few days prior Meggie asked me about population growth and environmental concerns when I was her age. When I shared what I knew (starting with the world’s population doubling in 1970) she asked me why her mom and I had kids instead of adopting if things were already bad. She explained that’s what most of her friends are talking about doing. In other words, we knew the world’s population was in trouble and was growing exponentially, but we only added to the problem and didn’t take direct action to help. I mumbled something about the biological pull to have children which sounded kind of lame and unconvincing even to my own ears.
The young people’s passionate calls for action, and the perception that everything is as simple as black and white is easy for older generations to refute as being naïve or unrealistic, or perhaps even anarchistic; an attempt by a younger generation trying to break down the work and rules of the older generation. And yet witnessing this demonstration and my daughter’s questions awoke my own passion for being more proactive with regards to protecting the environment. I like to surf, kayak, and scuba dive, and have paddled with whales and dolphin countless times, yet how many hours have I spent as an advocate for the ocean? How am I protecting these amazing creatures? I don’t agree with industrialized farming, but how many changes have I made to our diet? What organizations do I belong to that are dedicated to facilitating change? The troubling questions go on and on. I think that as I became a husband and father with a career and a home, my wider view narrowed and certain parts of me became dormant under the daily necessity of work.
This demonstration in Stockholm followed by our inspiring visit to the Nobel Museum has stirred things up and has reopened doors and channels I hadn’t even been fully aware had almost totally closed during the past decade. It is often said that it is never too late to do the right thing, and that it is better to do what is right rather than what is easy. I would like to be able to look my grandchildren in the eye and say that yes, things were looking pretty bleak back in the early 2,ooo’s, but we each made big changes and turned things around by our own efforts. We didn’t wait for anyone to tell us what to do or make the changes. We were the change. Is it too late? I sure hope not…
So apparently, jungle birds wake up before dawn is even a faint reality. They also create a lot of sound which is hysterical to listen to as you lay in bed wondering if you are still in dream about The Land Time Forgot. Some birds whistled, others craoked, squawked, whapped and trilled. The best one is a kind of slowly rising whoop unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It gets so loud that I feared the bird must have exploded in a puff of feathers at the end. Our tent on stilts continues to delight.
We’d heard of a ‘secret’ local’s spot a few miles away located on the foothills of the volcano that was considered a very special place, so we got rudimentary directions and piled into Raul with swim gear and water shoes. The secret spot is actually a small river that flows with water heated by Arenal Volcano. It is as hot as a jacuzzi and is a few minute’s hike from the road where people just park on the shoulder. Nestled in and amongst the jungle, locals have arranged boulders and rocks in the shallow water to create family-sized pools. Melted wax adorns many overhanging branches and rocks as people like to sit by tranquil candlelight at night. We were a little out of our comfort zone as we sat in the river careful not to get any into our mouth or eyes as per instructions (I guess that there can be rare issues with bacteria at times). Sadly, I noticed there was some trash here and there on the shore.
However, after a little while it was actually very relaxing sitting in hot gently flowing water out in the forest and none of us had any ill-effects afterwards I must clarify. In fact, locals swear that the river has powerful rejuvenating properties bringing both physical and spiritual renewal. I’m not sure about the scientific analysis of this, yet I felt great for days afterwards. The place gets busy over the weekends although we had the place mostly to ourselves as there was just one other family who arrived as we were almost ready to leave. They shared that the night before, there were more than a hundred visitors, and the family had to leave without being able to get wet. I think this explained the trash somewhat as people tend to be the same wherever you go. All that being said-it’s definitely worth a visit; just go during the weekdays.
The next day, we took a hike around the base of the volcano at Arenal Volcano National Park. The trail follows the lava flow that blanketed the surrounding area in the eruption of 1968. There are steep sections providing wonderful views of the park and region, and also low-lying parts that wind around the lake. This was great, because there were toucans (our first viewing) monkeys, and a colorful tree viper that all make use of the lush forest around the lake. Of course, there were several colonies of the industrious leaf cutter ants whose trails and tunnels sometimes run for hundreds of yards. It was a great three-hour hike which can be extended to double that if a greater challenge is desired.
Note: There is a nice cafe at the park for food and drinks, but this is not always open. Hikers should ensure they have plenty of water and some salty snacks, and take bug spray for the lower trail around the lake as the mosquitos can be quite bothersome. The lower trail loop is great for even younger children.
Our time in this area is winding down. We have managed to stay in a great location and feed ourselves in order to keep a very tight budget. Essence provided an up close and personal interaction with local wildlife as well as information and views of a working fruit and coffee plantation. Even though the local store keeper couldn’t understand the concept of a drought while we discussed the merits California and Costa Rica, everyone was friendly and helpful. This is part of the backpacker or tourist trail, but only mildly so. No hard sells for experiences or tours.
So this is how they grow…Coffee’s not quite ready yet!Familiar, yet still pretty
Picture: The view of distant Arenal Lake from the parking lot at Essence Plantation, Arenal
After a long drive that was perhaps only 70 km as the bird flies, we arrived at our home for the next 4 days: Essence Plantation, near Arenal. The drive from Monte Verde was exciting because half of it was on unpaved roads that were in places passable with 4-wheel drive only. The rich red earth was very muddy due to the rains and the route we were to take involved crossing a river crossing without a bridge. This was not a safe option due to the high water. So we spoke to Anthony at the front desk of our B&B before leaving and thrashed out an alternate route that had much less unpaved roads, and turned out to be absolutely beautiful.
The north side of Arenal Lake has to be one of the prettiest drives you could ever make. It seemed to me to be a cross between the best parts of Hawaii, the U.S., and jolly old England. I love smaller two lane roads as they do not dominate the land they pass through. And in Costa Rica this means that dogs standing in the middle of the road (as they did from one end of the country to the other every day we drove) have time enough to casually saunter to the roadside. A few colorful houses nestled in the palms overlooking the lake and the surrounding hillsides, and the occasional dock reached out into the inviting water. Everyone relaxed after the slippery mud sliding drive down from the mountains of Monte Verde. Even Robyn managed to unlatch her fingers from the dashboard where she’d hanging on for dear life. There was one part near the end of this drive where we crossed over the lake on a long causeway with the classic cone-shaped form of Arenal Volcano in the background that took our breath away as it was simply almost too beautiful. A few miles farther on and we reached our destination and were greeted by Banano, the colorful mackaw parrot so named as he liked to scrounge chunks of bananas from the enamored guests at mealtimes.
The plantation is basically a working farm with good amenities for visitors to enjoy while they explored and learned about the area. Unfortunately, the room we had booked was a very small, dark little cell with nowhere to hang or store our luggage. In fact, there were no windows, chairs, or any improvements at all; just bunk beds. There was a shower and restroom across the way, though. Robyn and I could not see how to make it work, especially as we had to try to make our own food as the restaurant was simply too expensive for us to eat at. Robyn went to the front desk to check to see if there was another option. A short while she came back with the location for a safari-style tent on 15 foot stilts overlooking the jungle for us to look at. It was great, and we moved in lickety-split. So much better; airy, table and chairs, and an outside deck with a covered roof for us to dry laundry. Best of all, it was very spacious and we could hear all the crazy jungle sounds while we relaxed. Leaf cutter ants paraded busily along the worn dirt pathways and following one such colony led us to the shower building. The shower was also piping hot as it was heated by the nearby volcano.
We walked up to the small outside pool on the neighboring ridge and cooled off surrounded by coffee bushes and piña plants (so that’s what they look like before they get to the store!) The daily storm clouds began to gather giving us a few minutes to collect our belongings and walk back to the tent. The downpour that followed had us all grinning at each other nervously as sheets of water thrashed the roof of the tent while the wind tried to pry the canvas from the wooden floor and stilts. Flashes of light and crashing thunder made us feel all the more cozy when it became apparent that the tent would survive another day. Later that evening as the storm grumbled away to the distance, the jungle gradually came alive with whirring, croaking, buzzing, chirruping night sounds that were much louder than we were expecting. Interestingly, they make great background noise to fall asleep to and we all slept soundly until the dawn chorus greeted us with a brand new day.
Banano working his magic with the newcomers…Pineapples – thought they’d be bigger…Meggie on our tent’s veranda
Picture: Old Town Tallinn from Kiek in de Kök (wall/tower defences)
For many people living or visiting Helsinki the option to jump on a ferry and travel to nearby Stockholm, Sweden or Tallinn, Estonia has a lot of appeal as the journey by water is interesting and fun. There’s also no airport security and shenanigans to deal with. As we were in Helsinki, we too decided to take a detour over to the other side of the Baltic Sea and have a look see what Tallinn was all about. We took the last Eckero Lines ferry out of Helsinki at 9:40pm. I was pleasantly surprised that the terminal was very modern and comfortable complete with a large glass-walled waiting area and a busy cafe that seemed to be doing great business selling Finnish and Estonian beer. A sign warning not to bring wild boar meat back into Finland made me chuckle just because of the incongruity of such a sign in my typical daily life. Where have I been going wrong? We boarded some time later amid a somewhat chaotic rush for the scanners at the gate. Mine and Meggie’s eticket chose that moment to not work causing delays and some impatient muttering from those who, I learned later, wanted to claim a good spot to sit or lie down and nap. Onboard, the ferry operators want you to buy something in one of their numerous bars or cafes in order to sit down unless you chose the stairwell which many of the male passengers actually did, making it look like a homeless shelter. However, the staff on both the trip out and back did not appear super vigilant about enforcing the buy-something-to-sit rule. Upon reaching Tallinn, we exited without seeing any customs counter and took an Uber to our airbnb apartment near the old town of Tallinn.
Upon arriving at the apartment very late (our host had kindly waited for us) we were a little worried because the hall and stairwell looked a little derelict. However, inside the the flat was lovely and very comfortable. Phew! The next day, we decided to eat some street food for breakfast at the popular Balti Jaam; an indoor market that houses all kinds of produce, clothing, food, and antique stalls under its large roof. Yet less than 5 minutes after leaving our apartment heading across town towards said market, our noses detected a delicious odor that led us to a small doughnut shop with its owner frying up fresh treats right there at the counter. Ridiculously cheap and enormously tasty. What a good start to the day.
Balti Jaam was located the other side of the old city of Tallinn and so we meandered along the old city’s gorgeous winding lanes and alleys amazed at the many buildings that managed to survive all the way from 500-700 years ago (and through the Soviet bombing near the end of WWII). So pretty! Each street was better than the last and it was with reluctance that we exited on the far side under the towering cliff and old wall that protected the city during its tumultuous history (The Danes, Germans, Swedes, and Russians have all controlled the city at one time or another since the Danes rudely took it from the Estonians.) We reached Balti Jaam just as I thought I’d gotten frostbite on my fingers from removing my gloves too often to take photos. It was much colder than Helsinki, and I think that the closely situated buildings on stone cobbled streets actually keep the temperature lower as the meager sun cannot seem to penetrate the shadows. I warmed my hands on perhaps the best hot pasties I may have ever tasted. They proved to be a very economical meal and we returned a second time the next day to sample different variations. My absolute favorite was the lamb and cheese savory delight, while the kids enjoyed the apple cinnamon. It was great to stroll around and see the various warm clothing stores and cheese wheels, etc. although Liam and I energetically explored the antique section, especially the WWII and Cold War era military uniforms and paraphernalia. I was surprised by just how many German uniforms there were most sporting swastikas which always make me feel unsettled and introverted because of their obvious implications.
Next, we decided to head back into the old city and go on a free walking tour that meets daily outside the information center. I say ‘free’, but it’s expected that people leave a tip. Our young guide was a very interesting character who, in spite of his medieval garb and jester’s demeanor, imparted a lot of information in an entertaining tour. Of course he needed someone to hold his banner and wear a silly hat, and so he chose me, the big guy at the back. Darn. Still, I acquiesced as I wanted to be a good sport and perhaps entertain the kids a little. He wasn’t too hard on me thankfully. The highlight of the tour for me was visiting a merchant’s house from medieval times that still boasted its original decor and fittings not to mention all the original beams and stonework. So cool to see how merchants got around taxes imposed by the nobility who lived up on the hill (or dome as they call it here). For example, they had to pay taxes on the number of sunrays that enter their windows, so they built walls with barely any windows or even doors in place of them. Not allowed to build wide houses? No problem, they built very tall, narrow houses that were very deep and had large courtyards behind. Some taxes/fines were worth paying, though such as splattering a disliked noble with poop thrown from an upstairs window which was thought to be worth it if you could afford it!
I also liked the way our guide mentioned that life was so unpredictable and short with death always just around the corner, that doing what you loved even if it was dangerous and killed you eventually, was actually thought to be a very good thing as life had meaning and gave the person a clean slate when they met their maker. Tightrope walkers who fell to a messy death from ropes strung between the two highest church towers (140m high) were applauded for this endeavor because people realized that to the performers, their life had meaning in an uncertain world. This was apparently recorded in the churches, by the way, so it must be true. At the end of the tour Robyn and I had some pepper schnapps as a reward for my good humor. Wow! I would recommend trying some if you get the chance-warms your entire body and peels the paint from nearby walls.
Other great things to do in Tallinn include walking the walls at the Kiek in de Kök (no it doesn’t mean that; it actually means a peek in the kitchen due to the height of the towers and wall defenses). The Bastion tour is also great as it takes you down below ground to visit a section of underground tunnels originally made for defenses, but used by many different people all through history. There are many other museums to visit if you have time and energy. I would definitely recommend staying close to the old town, or actually in it as there is much to do and lots of restaurants with live music, too. All in all, Tallinn was a great place to walk around and get lost in. Allow a little extra time for the ferries, though. Our return one today was delayed in Helsinki harbor to the sea ice blocking the dock. Crazy.
View of alley leading down from the dome area/old town Tallinn
Picture: Meggie and Liam ice skating in downtown Helsinki
We went on quite the journey this week; starting with two train rides into Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Primarily, the overall reason as to why we were in Helsinki, was because of meetings that mom needed to be a part of, due to being a fulbright. Dad instead took the two of us to wander around the city. We happened upon a museum that concentrated on different aspects of fear. We were lead into quite a unnerving hallway with several doors to choose from; from there we went into all the different rooms that described different fears one may have. It was very interesting to see that even though our immediate thought was that some particular fear wasn’t our deepest concern, we had come to understand how these objects or ideas would indeed be scary. After we went through that exhibit, we went to this wonderful indoor green room that was filled plants, and calming sounds. Both of us quickly made our way to this wooden lyre-like swing that you could sit on. We both agreed that the way you would rest on it resembled the man on the moon in Dreamworks animation.
Everyone from Fulbright got to board a bus for an hour trip to this beautiful old mansion, where we then went into the sauna and eventually jumped into a hole chopped into the frozen lake. It’s hard to explain what the rush of the ice water and air feels like after a deep meditation in a very humid room before hand. This was a great time for everyone to connect and get to know each other, just like how a sauna is originally meant to help with.
After a few days in Helsinki, we departed by ferry to get to Estonia, our next adventure. As we stepped out onto the frosty deck the wind was chilling, reminding us of how very north we were. The dark night was very beautiful, the ice was floating lazily by and far off islands were caked in freshly fallen snow. Seeing this made the wait to arrive all the more rigorous.
Estonia has come to display itself as a city of both very old, and very modern. You would look out the window of our Airbnb and see very novel, exemplary buildings that look like they came from a very fortunate part of LA. But then you would turn your head every slightly to the left, and see all the smaller stone buildings of Old Town. Some of the structures were originally built roughly in the 16th century. It’s very clear that this town has a lot of history and has been through many hardships both from of recent and ancient.
Our time in Estonia and Helsinki was spent learning the rich history of both towns, we strongly suggest for others to come on over and do the same.
The Monte Verde Tropical Cloud Forest Reserve is a truly wondrous place. This old growth reserve is a teeming mass of different hues of green that crowd the narrow trails on each side and above. I’ve never seen so many different types of ferns, palms, trees, vines, bushes, and flowers including 100’s of types of plants that extract all their moisture needs directly from the air. Strange bird calls echoed in the perpetual twilight and water dripped constantly from the canopy way above our heads. The place had an earthy nurturing feel to it; a kind of green embrace. It felt as though we were traveling back in time to the land time forgot. As with other cloud forests we’ve visited so far, the racing clouds kept the temperatures cool. Then the rain began.
It rained and rained. Then rained some more. We all had ponchos, but ended up soaked on the inside due to the humidity and exercise. After a while, we voted to end our hike and return to the visitor’s center for a hot drink and something sweet to eat. Liam suffered particularly on the way back due to his wet long pants which were whicking the heat away from his body. It took a long time for him to warm up in the visitor’s center as they had the AC blasting. However, I felt fortunate to have have experienced such a wonderful forest. I also understand why native peoples in the jungle tend to wear hardly any clothes. It’s better to let skin dry rather than wait for clothes to dry which takes forever in the high humidity.
On our drive back to the B&B, we stopped at a roadside craft center which offered a few different boutiques. We had a cup of tea and reflected that Monte Verde seems to have a more spiritual and natural vibe than nearby Santa Elena. It’s more of a collection of houses, boutiques, and hotels. In the afternoon we dried out and took a nap to recharge before heading out to a small, cheap restaurant in town for pizza. Next up is Arenal/La Fortuna. We’re to stay at a working coffee plantation with seemingly no way to cook our food cheaply (too expensive to eat at the on-site restaurant). Darn. Will pack some emergency supplies and look for things that can be eaten without cooking. So long cloud forest! Pura Vida!
Picture: Snapshot of the Canopy Adventura flyer showing the butt-quivering drop
We had a great meal at a little place down the street called Salvadita Typical Food last night. Let me tell you that the food and price was way better than reasonable. We all tried something different and enjoyed sampling each other’s plate. The kids’ eyes kept straying to the little TV on the wall playing Los Simpsons in Spanish. I couldn’t seem to prevent it from happening, so I contented myself with the thought that at least the kids were absorbing more Spanish…Made it home before the evening downpour and thunderstorm got into high tempest gear.
Today we went on a zipline tour. Liam had seen the pictures and was a little unsure if he was going to do it all or not. As it turned out, he confronted his fears and did the first 6 drops which were not the extreme ones. I actually enjoyed these as I was more interested in enjoying the forest than getting a real adrenaline burst. The lines were all good, and the harnesses and safety equipment seemed well maintained. I also appreciated the short instruction at the start point in which the guides went over what to do and not to do, especially with regards to braking and where to put your hands. I learned that it is not advisable to hold the cable in front of the rollers as you will lose all your fingers. The correct hand placement for the drops that required self-braking was behind the rollers on the cable. It was enjoyable to be amongst the tress moving so quickly. When Liam stopped after the sixth drop, I decided to stop too as he would have to make his own way back to the center and wait for us. I’m glad I did: Robyn and Meggie decided to carry on and do the whole thing including a huge 134 foot bungie cord freefall starting from 295 feet high. I guess they were surprised by this as the actual drop was kind of hidden away at the end of a rope bridge until it was their turn and thus too late to chicken out. Robyn was still shaking 45 minutes after she made it back to earth safely. Meggie just had a blast. This was the grand finale of the tour (not sure if they could have dealt with anymore 😉
Note: if you have any issues with heights or with nausea/motion sickness, I would recommend either not taking this tour or bailing out after the first 6 as Liam and I did. That way you can at least experience what it is like without the unpleasantness. Robyn’s constitution was a little shaken up for an hour or two afterwards. Also, if you are bringing children, even teens, if they are on the small side you should be aware that the guides will attach them either to an adult or even another kid. On one long drop, Meggie found herself attached to a teenage boy which made Robyn feel a little uncomfortable as it looked a tad awkward. I would also recommend taking a walking tour first as you really get to see the plant life in the canopy at a pace that allows viewing plant and animal life rather than just viewing a green blur.
Back at the B&B, we looked some more at the map to plan out the next few stages of the trip. We all agreed that the Caribbean Coast to the west, and the Osa Peninsula to the extreme south would be favorite places to explore. However, due to the long distances between each location, we have to include 3-4 extra stops to keep our sanity (no offence, Raul!) The good news is that all these stops have something good to see and that we will still have a solid week on the Caribbean coast (not including Tortuguerro) as well as almost a couple of weeks down on the south coast. I’m looking forward to running on the beach and swimming in the warm ocean. Did you notice the keyword, “warm” with regards to the ocean? Being up in higher elevations with so much rain has actually left us feeling chilled quite often. Tomorrow is our last full day in Monte Verde, and I think that we are all ready to move on. It’s good though as we now know that 3 days is really the max to spend at a place this size unless you have deep pockets and want to try multiple ziplines, night tours, etc.
