Starting to get very excited about my April trip to Costa Rica! Most of the 11 days will be spent in the vicinity of an active volcano – Arenal, which spews out lava regularly, and glows at night. Last major eruption was 1968, when it destroyed three nearby towns (all further away than I’m staying). Given the recent surge in seismic activity, some question this decision.
But hey, the most memorable vacation to date was probably my last trip to Belize, where my wife and I were river rafting for five days, and sea kayaing for another five. On the first half of the trip we overturned in rapids, just a short distance from a twelve foot crocodile (considerably more aggressive than lazy Florida gators). On the second half, I was so deathly ill from bad conch stew that the guides started boiling everything I touched and warned other travellers to keep their distance. Now that’s a vacation!
So we’ve planned lava field hikes, and time in the naturally occurring hot springs and mud baths. Jungle canopy treks, including a zipline down 400 feet. Caving, river rafting – there are some crocodiles I still haven’t met – and night time excursions into the cloud forest. Oh and canyoning, where you put on a wetsuit and go over waterfalls, rappelling down the cliffs too steep to plummet over. Gotta keep my physio-therapist employed repairing me upon return.
We wind up with a calming day or two dolphin watching, and at a coffee plantation. But it’s not coffee that’s got me vibrating right now, it’s anticipation of adventure.
