Up in the canopy

After breakfast this morning we piled onto the bus to go to the OTS Biological Station. This is a huge research and study center for the rainforest and it is connected to universities all over the world. We were divided up into groups of seven. My group´s guide was Eric, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic young Tico. We crossed the Río Sarapiquí on a suspension footbridge and started on our 2+ hour hike into the selva. We passed through both primary forest and secondary forest. The latter goes back to the 1950s when this had been a cacao plantation. We saw ceiba trees including a huge kapok tree, philodendran vines, wild almonds where tucans like to nest, and palms among hundreds of other species of vegetation. As for animals, we saw iguanas, wild pecaries, tucans, a tarantula, coatís, and one small snake. At one point we heard a noise in forest. Eric claimed that, by the sound, it could be either a jaguar or a wild turkey. We found out that it was a giant wild turkey when it swooped right over our heads.

After some brief souvenir shopping and lunch, some of us headed to Poas Adventures for a canopy tour. After being fitted into the gear and a ride on a tractor-pulled wagon over the river and up the mountain on a very bumpy road, we took off. It was truly awesome! It is absoluetely exhilarating to glide down the cables 70 - 80 feet above the ground. I really enjoyed that part. I had worried about flying through the air, but it was easy and fun. The difficult part was getting in and out of the harness at each station. You do need upper body strength to pull yourself up and the ability to jump so that you can hook onto the cable. Kudos to our head guide Tony and his crew for their patience, understanding, kindness, and cheerfulness. The canopy tour consisted of twelve stations and twelve cables in total. Sometimes we just stopped at a platform in the trees and then hooked up to another platform. Other times we had to get down and hike or climb through the jungle. At one point we stopped for some very welcome watermelon and piña. I met a young Colombian woman and her little sister from San Andrés who were having a great time on the cables. Each cable ride was slightly different and the last went over the Río Sarapiquí and back to our starting spot. I´ll definitely sleep well tonight.