July 2 - Kayaking, Snorkeling, Biking and Rainforest Walk

Today was absolutely one of the best! It started with a leisurely morning and breakfast, and since we didn't have to be on the bus until 8:45, we got to catch some of the Brazil/Netherlands game. Elena and I were sure that Brazil was going to stomp the Netherlands after we saw the first goal scored, but to our dismay Jorge told us later that Brazil lost 2-1, what a surprising victory for the Netherlands! Anyway, back to the trip. I don't have pictures from this morning because we did mostly water activities, but we started first with kayaking and it was great. We've been so lucky with weather and the conditions for kayaking were perfect. It was probably our favorite activity of the day. However, our kayak trip wasn't long. We made our way to the other side of the beach where we met up with the other half of our group and we prepared to snorkel. There were some cool fish out there--I can only identify one, the Angel fish. In the distance we could see a storm rolling in, and we had to high tail it out of there on our beach cruisers back to the resort where we had rented all of our equipment. We were able to get showers and play a few games of pool before we had an excellent lunch. Everyone had their choice of a great sandwich--chicken, beef, vegetarian, or fish. And we all agreed that each sandwich was delicious. What is so amazing about the hotels and restaurants where we've been staying and dining is that most are out door and we get to eat surrounded by lush, green plants and we can hear the Howler monkeys in the distance.
After lunch we had to pack up our gear and take off for a 4 hour bus drive to Tirimbina, We are headed inland to Arenal. Tirimbina is an eco-friendly lodge north of Limon. Jorge talked to us about the agriculture and exports of Costa Rica. We now know that bananas are the #1 export followed closely behind by pineapples. Did you know that the pineapple is ripe as soon as you pick it and that it's perfectly fine to eat a pineapple that is green--it's actually better Jorge says. He also says to refrigerate your pineapples, I never knew that!
 Tonight we had an excellent dinner and then headed out to the rainforest, guided by Christian, to check out the rainforest that is practically in our backyard! Our group saw Leaf Cutter ants, mating Walking Sticks, spiders, an Emerald Basilisk, the Dink frog, and some people swear they saw an armadillo, but I didn't :(! Christian told us that pumas and other large, wild mammals make their homes in the rainforest, but their keen sense of smell and hearing alert them to our presence so we definitely didn't see any.
We're now in bed and getting some shut eye. We need it because tomorrow we trek further inland to Arenal and we'll participate in a reforestation project and then go ZIP LINING!
Can't wait to update you guys about tomorrow and I promise I'll have more pics!

Ms. A