Last full day in La Fortuna, Arenal

ok ok ok so I may not have actually had a near death experience, but, I felt like I came pretty close a couple times yesterday! Day started out calm, the dad at the hotel drove us in to town and we perused awhile until we decided to walk the 2km back in the costa rican sun...we were so sweaty by the time we finally made it we jumped in the pool. The water was awesome! At 10:30 we were picked up so that we could go risk our lives on the biggest and baddes zip lines in costa rica. If you don´t know what a zip line is, you have a harness that goes around your waist, and then you are clipped on to a wire several hundred feet above the rainforest floor. These particular ones I believe are almost 700 feet above at some points and go from a couple hundred meters long up to a half mile. Once your hooked up you grab the handle bars and let go and zip from one platform to another around 45+ KMH or more! GOOD GOD WE ARE CRAZY! Once you make the decision to start, there is no backing out, you have to complete the entire course of 6 or so lines. On one of them....I didn´t make it all the way ot the platform....lost my momentum and couldn´t make it up the upswing.....and yes....i was left DANGLING over the rainforest. Whever I let go of the bars to pull myself I would start sliding back towards the middle of the line! I finally got my body turned completely around and used every muscle I had in my arm to start trying to pull myself up the upswing...when I got about half way to the platform the guide hooked up and started zipping towards me. I won´t repeat what I said as he came flying towards me and hit me BuuuuuuuUUUTTTTTT lets just say I was a little freaked out at seeing him come at me. While we worked to wrap his legs tightly around me I took a moment to enjoy the beautiful scenery...the giant lake underneath me and the active volcano to my right. If I was going to die I could not have chosen a prettier place! OH and we saw monkeys and the volcano rumbled, by the way :-)

OK, I survived the lines and later that night the dad drove us and 2 of his kids to the volcano for the night viewing and we saw some lava flowing out! Couldn´t capture it on camera though. He then dropped us of at the garden of eden, paradise, also known as the Baldi Hot Springs and resort. That place was incredible...14 different springs (all different temps...did you know 113 degrees is really really hot...i lasted for a minute before I couldnt take te pain anymore, decided not to try the 152 degrees after that) 3 swim up bars, waterfalls and beautiful lighting up the wazoo and beds built in to the water! I even went down a waterslide, which is where I thought I was going to die again...I didnt think 45 kmh would be very fast...but I started out sitting up and the speed forced me onto my back and I started to think I was a rocket, I hit the water with incredible force, got the biggest wedgie of my life and was sure I was going to crack my head on the wall as I hit it. Turns out that that didn´t happen... the wall was pretty far away and that section of the water was deeper so I didnt hit the bottom either. I only went one time. Some things you just DONT have to do twice....

OK, we were thinking about going to Panama after the mom here recommeded it. Still might, just don´t know if we have time. We are going to find our way to Manuel Antonio today but have to take several different busses to get there. The fmaily might drive us to the first stop an hour and a half away since they have to go there today.

All in all I´m ok, I´m sore from the rafting, and a little burnt in some places even though I am using spf 50 all day long...problem is I keep sweating it off, I think.... write back when I can!