Well, we found the rough roads I had heard about. Today's excursion was to an eco adventure park listed as '20 minutes away' by Google. In reality it took our small compact rental car about 45 minutes to get there. The road we took was good in some places but there were several hills that had not been graded recently and were steep and full of pot holes. We managed to work our way around them with one exception when we bottomed out as we were travelling along a dry river bed. We were quite relieved when we made it back to a skinny paved road.
Diamente is located north of us right on the ocean. There were several different options for activities and we picked the one that let us try zip lining. None of us have ever been though Kerry has had more than one opportunity in the past. Heights are not her favorite thing. There are five zip lines at the park and they started us on the smallest one. I think there was a bit too much going on at the start when we were getting our harness, helmet and gloves on because Callie decided last minute that she didn't want to go.
The rest of us got in line for the platform. They sent us down in pairs and since there were three of us I went first on my own. Carter was starting to look like he was going to be the next to drop out and I wasn't sure if Kerry was going to go so I made sure I didn't scream as I was going. I've always had it in my head that there would be a sudden acceleration but it was really just a slow ramp up. The scary part is at the end as you are breaking. You come in with speed. I was expecting a long wait for Kerry and Carter but they followed quickly though I could hear Kerry screaming the whole way down.
The next zip line was about 500 feet up and instead of going down sitting up you went 'superman' style. We decided this was our limit though in hindsight I think next time I would do it. They took us by bus up to the starting point and I think the road up was scarier than the actual zip line. When we got back Kerry managed to have Callie's zip line ticket turned into horseback riding. Callie got to go on a one hour tour and since it was still early in the day she was the only person other than the guide.
While Callie and Kerry were off with the horses, Carter and I checked out the animal sanctuary. We were excited to find one of our favourite Costa Rica animals, a basilisk. These guys have webbed feet that lets them run on water. There were also crocodiles, jaguars, monkeys, iguanas and sloths. The enclosures were all very well done though the cats all looked a bit chubby. Our only regret was that we should have done the last two zip lines after super man because at the last one you got to walk over a rickety bridge with crocodiles while still in your harness. Next time.
Our park ticket included a buffet lunch and we got a great table over looking the ocean. Lunch included, chicken, pizza, fries, tacos chips, grilled plantains, pork ribs and plenty of juice to re-hydrate us. After we were done we all went down to the animal sanctuary for the sloth feeding. My favourite part was when the daddy sloth would wait for them to fill the water dish and then he would take a three hour nap in it. Fun fact from Carter. Sloths only poo once a week and they like to come all the way down to the ground to do it.
After the sloth feeding and some more time spent with the frogs, butterflies and snakes we walked down to the beach to go kayaking and snorkeling. Unfortunately it was much to rough to do either so we set up in the hammocks overlooking the beach. Five minutes in, one of the staff had to tell us that there were a whole family of monkeys in the trees right above us. They were very docile in the heat and most were draped over branches like towels. There were several mommies and babies as well.
Our final destination at the park was the 'Cultural Experience'. It was a garden of mangoes, papayas, coffee and cocoa with a wooden building in the middle. We were there for the 3:00p tour and ended up being the only group for most of it. The guide started with having the kids crush some sugar cane before we went inside to try a sample of the juice. He then roasted coffee on the stove and brewed a cup for Kerry and Callie. They don't usually like straight coffee but indicated it was quite delicious and much less bitter than what they are used to.
The guide then proceeded to show us how to make chocolate from raw ingredients. This included the process of taking the sugar cane juice to make sugar followed by the process of picking, drying, shelling and grinding the chocolate. We each got to make our own mix of chocolate nibs, ground chocolate, cane sugar and milk powder followed by a bit of hot water. It was delicious.
Our ride home was much less dramatic. It took about 15 minutes longer but was fully paved.
The rest of us got in line for the platform. They sent us down in pairs and since there were three of us I went first on my own. Carter was starting to look like he was going to be the next to drop out and I wasn't sure if Kerry was going to go so I made sure I didn't scream as I was going. I've always had it in my head that there would be a sudden acceleration but it was really just a slow ramp up. The scary part is at the end as you are breaking. You come in with speed. I was expecting a long wait for Kerry and Carter but they followed quickly though I could hear Kerry screaming the whole way down.
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