9:47 am (Hotel Arco Iris)

Good morning! We just had breakfast at the Arco Iris Hotel's buffet. Good food! I tried one of these fruits. They're called "Mamón Chino" by most, but officially "Rambutan."

It was sweet! Kind of like a mild plum.

Now that it's light, here is our cabin.

There are cute little walking trails to get to each house. Everything is so green, and in a different way than in Oregon. All the plants are... well, tropical!

We are now waiting to catch a bus to the Original Canopy Tour. It's a tour of the cloud forest canopy, where you can ride ziplines, climb trees, etc.

Here's the bus! See you later!

2:55 pm (Hotel Arco Iris)

Whew! Back to the cabin! We had a blast ziplining through and climbing up the trees, then went to lunch at Sabor Tico.

Our van ride was probably 10-15 minutes before we reached the reserve. The Original Canopy Tour employees were very friendly and helpful. They also spoke pretty good English, which helped a lot! They showed us how to hold on correctly and clipped us in at every tree platform. They also took pictures throughout the tour which can be emailed to you for a price. (It was $25 for the three of us)

The first thing we did was a Tarzan swing to get your adrenaline going! I don't like drops, so I certainly was freaked out! The guides then took us through a few ziplines before we rappelled down a tree. The rappelling was a bit scary because the guide was monitoring how fast you went, and he sent me down pretty fast! We then climbed up the center of a hollow tree. Decades ago, a vine had grown around the outside of a tree, eventually causing the tree to die. The tree decomposed, leaving a hollow center.

Several more ziplines, before we reached the end of the tour. No pictures from above because I'm sure I would have dropped my phone, but the views were amazing! Two long cables took us across a valley and back, where you could see towns and the tops of trees below you. I did get some pictures of the surrounding forest.

Once back at the hotel we walked up the hill to Sabor Tico for lunch, which serves Costa Rican food. It was recommended to us by the hotel receptionist, and I think it deserves the recommendation! The wait was very quick and the food was good. We were also able to sit outside.

Some pictures of the food.

I got a mango bebida natural. ("natural drink") Very creamy! And also they have paper straws, so we're not destroying the environment.

And the view!

There are also dogs EVERYWHERE in Santa Elena. A lot of them are strays, I believe, although none look skinny or scrawny. This one came to sit by us while we were eating.

We've walked back to the hotel, and are enjoying the view and warm weather. Later today we might explore the trails around the hotel. Apparently there's one that leads to the top of the hill.

8:40 pm (Hotel Arco Iris)

It rained pretty hard this afternoon, so we did not go out and hike but stayed inside to play cards. 😁

Right as it was clearing up, we did manage to sneak outside and run into town for a light dinner. We found a pizza place downtown called Gusto, which is actually Italian for "flavor." The three of us split a grande pepperoni y hongos ("big pepperoni and mushrooms") pizza. It was about the right size for us, and pretty tasty! None of us were very hungry, and we managed to eat almost all of it. The wait wasn't bad either, and nobody was there when we arrived.

It had completely stopped raining by the time we were done, so we headed back to the cabin. We are getting to bed early tonight in order to get up tomorrow to go on a guided tour through a forest reserve. We have to leave the hotel at 7 am, so it'll be a bit early for me. 😴

Good night!