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Penn State Behrend Lions

Day Four: Volleyball Gets Adventurous in Costa Rica

We started the day off early, packing our things for the next destination, the San Carlos area and the Arenal Volcano, and soon our 3-hour drive began. The drive was scenic, including beautiful landscapes and their unique fields for farming but the road was very rocky and winding.

Day Four: Volleyball Gets Adventurous in Costa Rica
May 28, 2011
Friday, May 27 - We started the day off early, packing our things for the next destination, the San Carlos area and the Arenal Volcano, and soon our 3-hour drive began. The drive was scenic, including beautiful landscapes and their unique fields for farming but the road was very rocky and winding. Before long we stopped at a souvenir hut and spent more dinero, but were unable to bargain this time. After a quick team picture in front of the gorgeous hillside we were off again. We finally reached the small town of La Fortuna and decided our morning adventure activity would be a rainforest canopy zip-line tour!

After a quick rundown of instructions, lathering ourselves in bug spray, and retrieving the proper equipment we rode up in trams to begin our adventure. Once at the top we admired the massive Arenal Volcano and the man-made Lake Arenal. After another team photo shoot, we were finally ready to begin our eight zip line journey from platform to platform down through the rainforest. There was hesitation from some team members and Gabby, our tour guide, because of the height of the lines. All were able to overcome their fears and experience the breathtaking views. We were able to reach speeds of 55 mph in "bullet position" (tucking your legs in really far and leaning back) and were on one of the zip lines for as long as half a mile (called the "big daddy). It was an incredible experience that many of us hope to repeat again! Unfortunately, we never saw any monkeys or other critters throughout the tour but the scenery was magnificent. We had a traditional Costa Rican lunch to finish off this experience and then were on our way to the La Fortuna Waterfall.

There was an arduous 15-minute hike down to the waterfall as many of the stairs we uneven and ruggedly placed. However, as soon as we reached the waterfall we could see it was definitely worth it. We immediately crawled through the rocky terrain to reach the cold waters beneath this brilliant natural beauty. The water was much colder than anticipated and deterred some from staying in too long. Several of us went into the pool the waterfall emptied into while others went a little ways downstream to a more calm area with many fish. After what seemed like an hour of taking photos we ventured up the steep paths where even college athletes needed several short breaks to catch our breath! Once at the top we continued on our way to our final stop of the night, La Casa Luna Hotel.

Our hotel is set in the country just outside the small town of La Fortuna. The scenery is amazing with rainforest foliage all around making it a very private and relaxing place. The rooms are quite small but are very different from ordinary hotels with more of a cabin/lodge style. The pool is awesome because it has a rainforest feel, including waterfalls. Even the showers in our rooms look like waterfalls! Our whole team took a quick dip in the pool which had an unbelievable view of the sunset behind the Arenal Volcano. We wrapped up the evening with dinner in the open air restaurant at our hotel, with most of us taking a break from Costa Rican cuisine to enjoy a cena Italiana deliciosa followed by a scrumptious ice cream dessert. The next couple of days should be very exciting and we are eager to continue our Costa Rican adventures!