Driving for Sunsets

I was falling. Free falling almost 500 feet in the middle of a Costa Rican rainforest and all I could do was scream from exhilaration.

Fortunately, I didn’t hit the ground and end up the jungle crow’s next meal, the cables attached to my ankles retracted and I bounced back towards the clouds.

It was my first Bungee Jump experience and thankfully not my last, much to my mother's appreciation as well. I had called her the day before in Monteverde, a self-proclaimed “adventure town” nestled in the Tilaran Mountains of Costa Rica.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” said Tony, the owner of the hostel I was staying in. He was the friendliest man I had ever met, and reminded me of a Tico Santa Claus. With his advice, I thought I was ready.

Of course, standing a few steps from the edge of the metal cage, I was beginning to doubt if that were true. I wanted to keep my eyes open, but looking down was not helping.

My instructor Danny nudged me closer to the edge until my teeth were chattering from fear. I thought briefly about how many times a day he must deal with frightened foreigners.

At this point in my journey however, I didn’t consider myself a foreigner. I had been living in Costa Rica for three months, studying Spanish during the week and traveling from border to border whenever I could.

Monteverde was the next stop on my list and was exactly what I had imagined. A rainforest where toucans flew overhead, howler monkeys hollered, clouds rested among the hiking trails, and the air itself seemed to buzz with energy.

So there I was, crouching next to the clouds, as I looked down at the valley below me. There were a few cows grazing among the hills and I wondered if they thought screaming people falling from a cage was a normal occurrence.

There was no more time for thinking though, as Danny counted down.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1!” He shouted, before I had time to say stop. And that was it.

I jumped and felt the air rushing past me. My eyes watered but I couldn’t close them, all I could see were flashes of blue sky, green trees, and the cows.

Dangling upside down, I thought about my time in Costa Rica so far.

I came in search of an adventure, and obviously I had found it. It was, as Tony said, a once in a lifetime experience. I felt complete, like I had won at the game of life but now it was time to move on.

Monteverde gave me a gift I will cherish forever, but the next time I go looking for adventure, I think I’ll keep my feet on the ground.