Zippin’ through Costa

*warning: this blog contains many incredible videos that are 100% worth watching*

A weekend in the clouds

This past weekend, a few friends and I traveled to Monteverde, Costa Rica (often known as “the cloud forest” for its high altitude and stunning views).  The quaint city of Monteverde is located 6 hours north of San Jose and while the bus ride was rough (and I mean VERY rough), the thrilling activities we got to experience there made it all worth while.

Monteverde is actually known for having the longest bungee jump in all of Latin America…so naturally, some of us HAD to do it. I am disappointed to say that I was not one of those brave souls. However, two of our very own from Holy Cross, Rob and Andrea, took the leap and dropped 143 m (469 ft)! That is taller than a 30-story building!!!

Because I cannot possibly describe the insanity/epicness/amazingness of what I witnessed or what they experienced, I have included two videos. Rob’s was taken using a go-pro attached to his helmet and Andrea’s I filmed from the observation deck. Please enjoy all of our screaming:)

While I didn’t have the guts to leap off a cable car attached to a single rope, I did go zip lining that afternoon…and it was INCREDIBLE! In addition to 7 normal zip lines, there were two “supermans” and a “Tarzan swing.” I’m calling the Tarzan swing a mini bungee jump because it was a good 40 m drop (and I am very proud I did it). The best part of the day, however, was the mile long superman! I captured my entire “flight” on video here:

Back to the jungle. 

Knowing this would be our last extended amount of free time before spring break, we definitely lived it up in Monteverde. We did some crazy activities, ate great food, and explored all that the single “downtown” street had to offer.

Disclaimer: It is very important to treat yourself when you know you are about to reenter three consecutive weeks of non-stop work in the rainforest.

That being said, I think we are all ready to get back to learning about tropical diseases, ethnobiology, and human health. These past two weeks of Spanish in San Jose offered a nice change in pace, but us science majors can get a bit anxious when we don’t talk biology and its human implications.

So…Caio caio, Monteverde! Caio caio, San Jose! Next stop is Las Cruces Biological Station.

Pura vida,

Haylie 🙂

This week I learned…

1.) that I will bungee jump at some point in life. Although the thought had never crossed my mind before, I was 100% impressed and inspired by my friends who took that leap.

2.) that, if given the choice, I would choose the 25 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Bariloche, Argentina over the 6 hour bus ride from San Jose to Monteverde, Costa Rica. The seats are much more comfortable, you actually have room for your legs, and they don’t fill the bus to capacity by squeezing standing people in the aisle.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2016 at 2:53 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses to “Zippin’ through Costa”

1. Anonymous says:

   February 27, 2016 at 2:25 pm

   Amazing! Thanks for sharing!

2. Bonnie Neumeier says:

   February 27, 2016 at 10:30 pm

   Hi Hayle
   Glad you are having a great adventure. Love you.
   Aunt Bonnie