Whitewater Day- Class III Rapids!

We arrived home on Thanksgiving Day, but these are the latest posts that wouldn't load up on the Costa Rican Wifi. So without further ado....

We planned a whitewater rafting trip on the Naranjo River today...and class 3 rapids were on the docket.  Our guide was fantastic and prior to learning the ins & outs of everything that could possibly go wrong on a raft...and scaring the POOP out of us girls...

He took us on a "walkabout" through a rural farm and showed us all of the local flora and fauna. We smelled the leaves of spearmint trees, cinnamon, a leaf that smelled like Bengay, allspice and many more. I was particularly fascinated by the teak trees, as the only other place they grow is in Malaysia. Teak is a huge industry in Costa Rica and used for everything from furniture to boat decks. The trees take 25 years to mature, and grow about a decade quicker in Costa Rica than Malaysia due to the climate. Our guide picked off a leaf to show us, ground it up in his hands and they turned to blood.

It was so cool!

We were astonished at what was happening! It turns out, the red sap of the leaf is used in Henna and various inks. He rubbed it on his arm and stated that it would last for about a week. I asked him if he played tricks on his mom as a kid and would run in the house with it all over him..pretending he had been hurt. He cracked-up and said...oh yeah!!!!! I think...no, I KNOW I would have done the same.

Here we are in the middle of the jungle, getting our group selfie just before we hike down to the riverbank. Gael and I have Go Pro cameras strapped to the top of our helmets and are modeling a lovely martian look today.

Here is our first BIG rapid and with Gael and I riding "shotgun" in the front of the boat...It was of course imperative that we could get some great footage without obstructions. I was sooooo happy to ride in the front! Dear Gael sat down with a bit of trepidation you could say. Stacy screamed out what the guide was telling us to do (it was heard to hear him over the roar of the rapids sometimes), but the sheer terror in her voice was hysterical. 

 So my reaction to the first BIG rapid was this....

Gael and Stacy had this reaction...

Gael's comment and I quote...

"Seriously, I looked through all these images and the hilarious thing is your unbridled joy and enthusiasm is contrasted only by my delirium of fear!"

I wonder if I swallowed any parasites with my mouth open so much...

Boy...by the time we were finished you could hear a sigh of relief from almost everyone. I for one thought the rapids weren't big enough and was eager for more!!

The good news is that we were safe as could be, no one ended up in the river doing a solo swim, and we didn't end up like these wise guys...