Rara Avis is located in the middle of the rainforest. It is a lodge that has no electricity, etc. Very ecofriendly. It is so remote in fact that to access Rara Avis, one must take a truck half way up the mountain, and a tractor the rest of the way! The tractor pull was a bit bouncy, but I thouroughly enjoyed myself.
Rara Avis has been one of my favorite parts of the trip thus far. It is wonderful to be away from the hustle of tourism that Puerto Viejo had, and to be off of a bus and or boat. The scenery here is endless! Costa Rica is lush and green. Although it rains often here, the rain is warm, and it creates a great background for playing a game of Hearts or Egyptian Rat Screw with my new found friends.
Day 2 in Rara Avis I decide to hike by myself to the waterfall lookout point. It wasn´t until I reached a slanted tree that crossed my path that I registered that I was hiking in a JUNGLE with creatures very much foreign to me... and I was foreign to them also! The tree I speak of was so motivating because there were several large ants climbing on it. Bullet Ants: one inch long and THICK. Later I found out that the sting of a bullet ant is 500 times more powerful than of a regular ant bite, and lasts for 24 hours. They literally call it a bullet ant because it´s sting feels like a bullet! Glad I saw them before they saw me... After the encounter with the ants-of-unusual-size, I carried a big stick. Probably wouldn´t have helped with the jaguar´s or snakes.
After the hike I met up with the group for a swim in the waterfall. I´m sorry, but it doesn´t get better than this! Cliff diving off of a waterfall= PURA VIDA. The swim felt wonderful, even if I was wearing rubber boots with my swimsuit. Get excited to see those pictures.
The afternoon was filled with making tamales, a very different version from the mexican style I am used to. We also passed the time with laughter as we all rolled on the ground while I translated different articles from Perfil magazine, the local glamour mag. If you can translate ¨Los 50 momentos mas ardientes¨then you know how we were laughing. We also read each of our horoscopes in español... my goal apparantly is to not fall down the stairs.
Rara Avis is paradise on earth. Thanks to Josh, Michael, and all of the others who made it such a great experience. I recommend this trip to everyone, and would do it again in a heartbeat!
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