I had promised in my last post, which was about Random Walk, that I will talk about our Random Walk adventures. Here you go!
Our first adventure was Zip-lining. Since I had severe acrophobia, I found the idea of attaching myself to cables and sliding down hundreds of feet from tall trees exciting! Over the course of many hours, we crossed thirteen trees and twelve cables. Every time the guide had to push me off the platform because I both refused to jump, and move out of the way. A lot of people had a smile on as they rolled down the cable. Were they too scared to even change their expression? Although it was a thrilling exercise, it was a tiring one. We were all glad that it was followed by a dip in the hot springs. There is nothing more relaxing than sipping Imperial, the Costa Rican beer, in a pool fed by warm mineral laced waters. We all started with the coolest pool, and worked our way up four progressively warmer pools. There was one who started with the warmest one and worked his way down. We met him in the third pool. That was a joke, in case you didn't get it!
Next morning we got up early to ride All Terrain Vehicles up and down the Costa Rican countryside. To the uninitiated, the vehicles would look like oversized motor-bikes with 100% more wheels. They also carry a sticker - "No Passengers". I quickly realized that the manufacturer was just joking as we all were two to a vehicle. I was amazed to see that thing cross gigantic pot-holes, a river, many hillocks and forests. The ride was very dusty, bumpy and exhilarating. A few of us decided to take the adventure to the next level by riding into big ditches. I also remember seeing a man with a bicycles standing in a cloud of dust kicked up by our vehicles shouting out bad things at us. I waved at him, and yelled "Pura Vida". On our way back, some of us also jumped into a deep pool of cool water from a tall rock - Tarzan style! Hot springs, more beers and laughter followed. The next day, we took a bus to La Mariposa, one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. It was a colonial style building sitting atop a small hillock. From there you could gaze at a blue bay dotted by small islands and framed by towering rocks and tropical forests.
Our next adventure was white-water rafting. Pedaling in swift water was hard work, and staying on the boat when we hit a rapid was harder. However, the thrill of the speed and the spray on our face justified the effort. Thankfully, I was not in the raft with that big guy. He fell into water and took nearly half the people in his raft along. He threw the remaining half overboard while trying to get back into the raft. The small rescue mission over, we all stopped at a small island in the middle of river to have a lunch of delicious tropical fruits. After a working hard in the river, we decided to hit a bar. It was interesting to see that the bar was located inside a gigantic military transport aircraft, whose sister plane was involved in the Iran-Contra affair. A superbly talented dancer and a classmate led the charge to the dance floor. I followed with significant support from the bar-tender.
We got ready early the next day to kayak in the Mangrove swamps. We said hello to Kampuchean monkeys and held a boa in our hands. We drank fresh juice of coconuts plucked from the trees in the swamp. Unfortunately, my kayak collided with another kayak in a narrow channel. The guys got stuck under mangrove trees. It took many people to get them floating again. It looked interesting from a distance! The kayaking trip was followed by excellent food and a good sleep.
The last day was a beach day. Some of us just lazed around while others did surfing. I rented a jet-ski and went 2 miles deep into Pacific. Racing across the waves in rain at a speed of 30 miles per hour was exhilarating. I launched the jet-ski from top of the waves, pointed the nose towards an oncoming swell, and crashed into water in a fountain of spray - again and again. Unfortunately, I couldn't sit on a chair for many hours after that.
Next day, it was all over and we returned to the Windy City with fond memories. I dedicate this post to Nicole – one of the most amazing people I know at Booth, and the girl who tolerated my incessant yak-yak on the bus. Admits – go enjoy your random walk….
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