Costa Rica day 6

It was a super early start so as soon as I woke up, I pulled back the curtains hoping the view would motivate me . . .

. . . not so much, but glad we had spectacular views all.day.long yesterday!  The one aspect of this trip that isn't relaxing are the early meeting times.  Today we were to be on the bus at 7:15am which means we had to have our luggage out, eat breakfast, and be on the bus . . . well of course a few in our group really don't seem to understand this concept but with only fifteen people it isn't that bad.  This morning we had a bigger breakfast because we knew the activities would be okay.
There are things about these guides that I am figuring out . . . when they put a movie on then we are probably going to be on the bus for at least two hours . . . when you ask them about how far you usually get the answer "about 10-20 minutes" which really translates to at least an hour.  Yes, I annoys me but have sort of started using it as a game!  The two guides, Jenny and Korey, are really great and always smiling!  We all joke and laugh about it and the guides just smile back at us.  They really are amazing and while they have the most awesome job they are doing it well!
So on with our day . . . some Disney movie was played so I took a nap.  Our big adventure today was white water rafting.  I really LOVE rafting so was super excited.  Actually, we both love rafting so while Colin was super excited about the zip lines; I was more excited about this!  The drive was long but along the way we played games.  The Jeopardy game was fun . . . who knew they would quiz us over the trip but was amazed at how much we remembered . . . our side of the bus won!  Maybe it was the fact Colin and I had already been on a tour with Lloyd before the trip and I remembered from that too so we heard it twice which is nice!  We are in the middle of no where when the bus pulls over on a side road.  Apparently we have arrived for our rafting trip.  We board an open sided truck and travel down a very bump and dusty road . . . we are so excited about the rafting no one seems to care.  We had our safety chat and got our gear so we are ready to go . . .

As I took this photo, I wondered how many times he would whack someone in the head with his paddle?

Zero is the answer!  Since we are a party of two and the rafts are for four we were paired up with Taylor and Todd (father/daughter from one of the Carolinas on a trip to celebrate her upcoming graduation; she was so sweet!)  We had a blast together and they did not seem to mind all of Colin's silliness!

There were times when the water was so calm and peaceful . . .

It was so beautiful just to look around and enjoy the moment . . . we even saw monkeys right on the edge of the water!  There were some parts of the river we had to get out of our raft and walk around, because they just were not safe . . .

I am glad we did, because I can't imagine going down that!  I would get to swim for sure.  While I do love rafting, I have always worried about getting thrown out and not being able to resurface; thankfully we did not fall out today but were close once!  More action shots . . .

The guide can make your trip so much more fun too . . . thankfully we had an awesome guide!  He was so good and a lot of fun too!  Along the way we took a break for lunch.  I was impressed with all the food and fresh fruit that had for us.  The kids enjoyed playing games during the break . . .

I was amazed at how many times the kids just played games with each other versus electronics.  They all seemed to get along well so that was nice too.  This was probably the best rafting we had been on overall and when it looks like this and is a little rough along the way it makes it so FUN!  Of course only have four people in a raft is bonus too.

After we reached the end of the trip, we changed and boarded that same open sided truck to make the trek back on the same bumpy, dusty road.  The funny thing was on the drive to the river the guide made a joke about getting a massage and skin treatment on the way back, and we laughed; now we understood what he meant.  It was painful, and when we arrived at the bus we had a layer of dirt/dust on us and probably a few rattled bones.  We knew we had at least 90 minutes until we arrived at our hotel.  I could not wait to take a shower and get all this dirt and grim off of me!  We arrived at El Mangroove Hotel where we would stay for the final two nights.  WOW!  What a great first view . . .

The hotel staff was there to greet us with a drink in hand.  We were given an overview of the property and then we got our room key . . . as you enter there is a sitting area that is opened to outside . . .

. . . then open a glass door and you are in your room . . .

. . . and if you close the door you are locked out unless you decide to keep the room key in your pocket at all times!  Yes, I learned from experience.  I could not figure out what that was to my left until I walked around to the bathroom . . .

 . . .  it is the shower with glass so you can look outside while taking a shower!  I made Colin take a shower and relax until dinner.  It was the first time all week we had some time to relax and do nothing.  I think I took at least 30 minutes in the shower and washed my hair three times . . . it was divine!  Tonight was Junior Adventurer Night which meant the kids ate dinner together and watched a movie while the adults had their own dinner.  It was nice.  Nothing like a romantic dinner on the beach under the stars and beautiful moon with ten of your newest travel friends!

. . . all joking aside it really was a great evening and the food was really good too!  This was the first meal since we arrived in Costa Rica, we did not have black beans and rice!