Superman in Monteverde
The journey into Monteverde was a big part of the adventure there. We left La Fortuna late in the afternoon for the ~3 hour drive to Monteverde in our tiny rental car. Tiny in size and engine power - a whopping 1000cc under the hood. Which is all we had to get us up many steep mountains and through 40kms of unsealed road. The Quakkers like the area in its undeveloped state and so have no desire to seal the only road into Monteverde for the thousands of tourists that are pouring into town.
Did notice on the drive that every vehicle was a SUV and not a single smaller car is driven in the area. Even the locals on the side of the road were laughing and looking at us as we went past.
We made into Monteverde town on top of the mountain as it got dark, and in one piece, just. Our biggest concern being caught on the unsealed road in the pitch black and evening tropical downpour, with potholes as big as our car and the road quickly becoming a mudslide where it was wet.
It's a tiny town, three main streets in a triangle, of 150m each in length. Known as the 'cloud forest'. And we really were high in the clouds when we got there. The attraction for everyone there is the fun to be had in the forest canopy.
Checked in to hostel, good value double room with ensuite if you're looking for one. Trotted down to the corner restaurant for a drink and Aztec soup (Mexican - very yummy tomato soup with beans, cheese, avocado, corn chips). Was late by then so we were straight into bed for our early start the next day. But alas not much sleep, the building seemed to magnify and echo every single sound made in it.
Picked up by shuttle bus at 7.30am for the highlight of Monteverde, zip-lining through the forest canopy.
Extremo Park was sooooooooooooo much fun. We got suited up in two harnesses, one on chest and one on hips, helmet, gloves, then a quick lesson on how to connect and disconnect from the zip-lines once we were up on the tree ledge or mountain side. Had a great morning of the most magnificent views of the forest and adrenaline fuelled fun. Was about fifteen zip-lines to go down. Then a Tarzan swing, this got the adrenaline pumping. Hold on to a rope and the two guides push you off the edge of the platform, no warning or count-in, it's free-fall all the way down with a "woo-hoo" from the fright of leaving the edge and realising you're free-falling. Eventually the rope tightens and starts to swing. They let you swing backwards and forwards a few times, Tarzan in the forest style, then throw a net over your lap to pull you in. It's when you get back on the ground that you notice you're legs have gone to jelly and your heart is beating at a million beats a minute. A real adrenaline rush.
The best zip-line was the 'superman' line. Hanging horizontal on the line, in a chest harness and feet in foot-rests, face down. It's the longest zip-line in Latin America, 1030 metres. It's long and high enough that you pass over valleys and mountains, like a bird.
Shuttle dropped us off back in town midday. Quick pizza for lunch in a tree-house restaurant and then got on the road again.
