Sunday, September 25 – Pacuare River, CR
Early the next morning, transportation arrived to take us to the Pacuare River for our two-day white-water rafting excursion with Adventure Costa Rica. Shan found this lodge on the river that is only accessible by white water raft. No electricity. No hot water. And – thank goodness – no telephones or beepers calling her for consults! We couldn’t wait.

We shared a raft with three fabulous women – Karen and Tauna from Pheonix and Monica from Denver. They travel everywhere together and the five of us bonded immediately. It was so much fun! The white-water trip was spectacular, and not just because our guide (Esteban) loved us to death. I swear he guided us into rocks to purposely throw us out of the raft… unless he did it just to me because I kept yelling “Faster! Faster Esteban!!!” LOL

A shot of the rapids.Shannon proved herself to be quite the uber-white-water rafter by hanging on through multiple precarious raft tilts, and the one time she fell in (and please note – this is after I christened the river with my own accidental swim) she coasted through the water like she was born to be there. Good times.

We all arrived at the Pacuare Lodge in time for lunch (and good thing, because we were starving!). The Lodge was located 4K down the river and had a number of beautiful and comfortable little huts surrounded by gorgeous gardens. The one Shan and I had two beds, a private bath, and a lovely little porch.

After lunch we all had a little siesta (what? it’s hard work battling rapids) and then hiked through the rain forest to begin our Canopy Tour. Many years ago some entrepreneurial Ticos decided that one of the best ways to get the tourists close to the monkeys was to bring the tourists up into the trees. They strung a bunch of zip wires from one tree to another – and thus the Costa Rican Canopy Tour industry was born. Of course the monkeys have long since left the areas where people fly through trees on harnesses, but it’s still a must-do-experience in this country.

Shannon getting fitted for her harness
Shannon rapelling down a tree

Karen, Shannon, Monica, Moi, and Tauna on our canopy tour

Tauna – demonstrating the zip wire with perfect form

Heidi and Shannon high in the treetops

We were terribly muddy from our climb through the rainforest, so Esteban took us on a little nature hike to a water fall and swimming hole, where we frolicked like the little girls we truly are. 🙂

Our fellow trouble-makers travelersThe five of us were actually the only people on grounds, though the Lodge has capacity for 40 people. We, of course, were quite happy taking over and turning dinner into a girl-bonding festival.

That’s Esteban on my lap – probably wondering how he’d gotten himself into this mess.
Dinner, btw, was phenom. The chef trained under a Swiss chef and could work wonders on his propane-powered stove