Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, there were five people who followed a call from God to serve the people of Costa Rica.  After four days of various tasks around San Jose, they were whisked away to Manuel Antonio, a beach-side town on the Pacific coast.  On their full day there, they decided to go on an adventure.  In the somewhat wee hours, they boarded a bus and headed for the tropical forest.  The guide called it, "the very, wet tropical forest since it's the rainy season."  Avoiding large puddles of slick, red mud, the courageous crew zip-lined carefully from platform to platform, dodging poisonous frogs, silly monkeys, humongous "man-eating"butterflies, and other crazy foreigners.  After doing a vertical drop, 10 zip lines, and a Tarzan swing (some of which were attempted while upside down), the heroes ventured back for lunch.

With their bellies full of giant fish tacos, Costa Rican nachos, and a ginormous chicken sandwich, and their minds full of curiosity and random movie quotes, the team decided to give parasailing a whirl.  The waves were high, the breeze was refreshing, and the views were breath-taking, but the storm clouds were not so exciting.  The first foray into the wild blue yonder went incredibly well.  The second was a bit more challenging.  It started with an equipment malfunction, which looked terrifying, but was dealt with fairly quickly.  One member had to be kept from some daring acrobatics!  The next try at takeoff was a success, and the ride was enjoyed by the duo.  They did not stick their landing, however, and with a tumultuous tide, a broken ladder, a tow line tangled into the motor of the boat, and the captain of the boat diving into the water with a knife in his teeth to free the motor, it was certainly an unforgettable adventure.  [It's always fun when the surfers look at the wave approaching behind you and say, with awe, "Ay, caramba!", right?!?]

After everyone arrived safely on the shore, the skies opened up and the group was able to fully appreciate the rainy season with a celebratory dip in the pool.  There is nothing like swimming in the rain, except of course, trying to finish a roll of film on a water-proof camera whilst swimming in the rain. 

Cleaning themselves of chlorine and sand, but still plagued with rain, the team journeyed to an exotic locale deep within the Costa Rican coastline to have dinner in the belly of a bomber.  Dining by candle light and the light of chandeliers dangling daintily form the wings, our adventurers enjoyed fabulous food, good friends, a few painkillers, and a wonderful view of the cloudy sunset.  A special visitor joined them midway through, scrambling down a ketchup bottle and hitching a ride on the youngest adventurer's hand.  A good time was had by all, except maybe the gecko, who was blinded by flashbulbs.