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16.09 20080

Day 7 of TweetFest: Costa Rica Style

By: Lee Collins Categories:Hybrid Marketing, Where is Lee Collins?

I woke up this morning a little disoriented and wondered for a moment where I was.  I guess all of this traveling around the gorgeous sites of Costa Rica and living in different resorts had left my mind a little foggy. As if to comfort me with a sight of a familiar face, Arenal quietly grumbled to get my attention.  I peaked outside the sliding glass door that led to our balcony and there was Arenal, holding court over another gorgeous Costa Rica day.

To our surprise, she was sending her white waves of smoke and steam from both of her peaks.  This was an incredibly rare development.  It was speculated by the Tico folk that this double smoke stack affect may indicate that Arenal was planning on changing the path of her lava once again.

How cool that we not only were able to gain so many amazing views of Her Majestic presence during our visit, but to also witness her rare signs of change?  We were truly lucky folks, indeed.

I placed a towel on the cool tile floor and commenced to greeting the day with a bit of stretching.

And oh, how my muscles welcomed this therapy!  Yesterday brimmed with so many physical adventures and my body held up pretty good, even if it protested a little this morning.  Nothing some yoga wouldn't quiet. Today was to be our "tourist shopping" day.  After yesterday the group agreed that a relaxing day at the Baldi resort and a sprinkling of shopping would hit the spot nicely, thank you very much :-) After a scrumptious buffet breakfast, Lee and I spent some time on our balcony simply sharing a few moments with Arenal.  Knowing that our time here in Costa Rica was coming to an end the following morning, we attempted to soak up as many moments as humanly possible. The adventures that we were lucky enough to experience have been phenomenal; the white water rafting, horseback rides through the jungle, hiking to a magnificent waterfall, wading in the rivers at the base of Arenal herself, enjoying two natural hot spring resorts, zip lining like mad men through the open air miles above the tree tops, private fire works in paradise, a magical boat ride on Lake Arenal, exploring the beauty of Rancho Margot, scenic montages at every turn, 3 fabulous resorts, great food and most excellent company.

But these quiet minutes are true gold. These are more like the moments that we would share in our daily lives, if we lived here in bountiful Costa Rica.

I could definitely get used to this lifestyle. Soon it was time to get everyone to La Fortuna to check out some local wares.  The TweetFesters had the privilege of touring the city at their own pace and discovering each unique shop on their time. Lee and I joined Nico and May for some speed shopping to check out the local merchandise offerings, but then we were to pick up some food for our TweetFest Bar-B-Que back at Palo Verde.

I was so excited to be returning to our original home away from home, Palo Verde. I wondered if Larry the Lizard would come out to say hello?

But we weren't off to town just yet.  First we needed to visit Nico's partner Gene.

I had previously written about Gene's gorgeous home and I was thrilled to be paying him another visit. On the dirt road that lead to Gene's casa, we stopped to visit a small family of horses in a lot on the side of the road.  This paddock was beside a piece of land that Nico owned, so we knew that it was alright to visit with these gorgeous creatures. There were about 8 adults and two young fawns, ranging in a multitude of common markings and colors.  And they were pretty calm.  I had a feeling that they might even let us pet them a little, if they were coaxed with the right temptation. I decided to pull some fresh greens from my side of the fence and try my tempting scheme to draw them in closer.  To my delight, they appeared to be open to the idea.   I know, kind of a girlie moment, but whatever.  It made me happy. I was pleased to see that a smaller mare was making her way towards me.  She gratefully took the treat from my hands and whinnied her approval.  She even gently nuzzled towards me as a show of gratitude.  I was digging this! We were soon joined by one of the youngest, who also welcomed my treat.  I guess the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. Soon the entire heard had made their way over to us.  We spent about 30 minutes feeding them handfuls of grass and sneaking in a stroke of their nose whenever possible. Then we were off to Gene's Place. After a brief meeting to discuss business and banking structure with the experts who have actually been living the Costa Rican lifestyle, we were off again. Before climbing back into Nico's car, he grabbed two large handfuls of passion fruit from a small tree in the front of Gene's property.

We were going to stop and feed the fruit to the horses. The little girl inside of me began to giggle and smile furiously.

This time when we stopped, the horses came right up to us.  They were thrilled to find the surprise sweetness that Nico had snagged from Gene's tree.

And I was delighted to offer it to them. But soon it was time to head to town for our shopping experience and barbeque supply run. We arrived at Nico's pad about mid day.  We had to stop and let the pups out for a quick walk before we could hit the local venues. Romeo and Concique were as cute as ever and I was very happy to get a chance to visit with them again.  After all it had been at least 3 days since my last puppy fix. The other Tweetfesters had taken a cab into town from the resort and we spied them from Nico's window.  I hollered like the country girl that I am, but they didn't hear me.

Oh well, they were apparently deeply immersed in their shopping adventure and were not about to be distracted from a strange woman yelling from inside one of the brightly colored second story buildings.

And who could blame them.  I would not have answered either.

We took the pups across the street to the beautiful park we visited on our first day in Costa Rica.  It felt like coming home. I had to laugh out loud when I saw how Nico walked them to the park.  Actually it appeared that Concique was in charge of this field trip as he literally walked Romeo across the street, thanks to Nico tethering them to one another.

Arenal was amazing today.  She slowly oozed heavy smoke from both of her peaks.  The smoke was being driven downward across her scarred face.  Nico explained that after a good rain, the atmosphere was such that it would push the smoke down around her midsection instead of allowing it to escape to the heavens.

Personally, it felt very eerie to watch this phenomenal.  The smoke appeared to be commanded by some supernatural force.  Very strange. I was grateful to switch my attention to Romeo and Concique.  Romeo had climbed ontop of the park's lovely pool as if to claim it for his own.

Concique obediently stayed close by until Nico encouraged him to engage in some good old fashioned horsing around.

After a few more minutes of play, Nico took the boys back up to their pad so we could continue on with today's to do's.

We heard a voice holler over to us from across the street.  To our suprise it was Juan, the owner of Rancho Margot trying to get our attention.  We waved back and had to smile at the unexpected chance to spend some more time with him.  He soon joined us at the park. We expressed our gratitude for his hospitality the previous day and offered to do what we could to support his dream of a self sufficient, environmentally balanced resort. Juan had been a consistently gracious person and this encounter absolutely reinforced his character. Soon we were on our way to check out the local craftsmanship at the quaint stores that lined the streets of La Fortuna.  There were thousands of samples of varying Costa Rican crafted wares.

Many items were made with the environment in front of mind.  For example, the journals and notebooks offered here were made out of coffee or other local plants instead of tree pulp. There were jars, plates, vases, toys and home decorations carved from the bark or downed wood of the indigenous trees or even from bamboo.  Not from living trees.  I found it astonishing that so much could be used and harvested from what nature was willing to offer, without taking away from the local ecological balance. This country showed it's true intentions of environment friendly activities and lifestyle in the most unexpected of places. We walked to many of the stores, taking in all the hand made wares and skillfully crafted jewelry.  What a fun shopping day this had turned out to be! Then it was time to gather our supplies for the evening's VIP TweetFest bar-b-q at Palo Verde. Let's see....cerveza - check; hamburger - check; turkey dogs - check; cheese and buns - check; salad fixins - check: soda for the kids - check. As we were wrapping up our grocery gathering, Nico pointed out a brand of products that appeared to be very common place here:  BioLand. This company offers a wide range of products that they profess to produce in an environmentally friendly fashion.  I thought it pretty cool that the people of Costa Rica support such a company and actually attempt to live in harmony with nature and her many inhabitants. Now I want to be honest with you here and admit that I haven't always been the most environmentally conscious person.  I mean, I don't litter and I tread lightly when camping and other outdoor activities...

But I never made it a point to be aware on a daily level.  I guess I always thought it was a hassle to live in an environmentally friendly way.  After all, if it was so easy to do - why weren't more folks in the good old USA doint it?

After seeing how the Tico folk lived in a much more harmonious way with their surroundings, I couldn't logically deduce why more weren't at least making a very small effort to do the same. I guess my eyes have been opened up to much more than just the beauty of Costa Rica. OK, enough ranting...onto the Bar-B-Q. We took our trunk full of supplies, gathered up May and the puppies and headed to Palo Verde. The other TweetFesters understood the evening's agenda and were heading to Palo Verde as well. Man, oh man, it was so nice to be back to our first stop on this incredible journey.  We congregated right outside of our original rooms, found the grill behind the pool and began working on dinner. The other TweetFesters began to arrive and soon the party was on.  We had all your normal barbecuing fair as well as cerveza, concique and Ruuuuummmmmm! Add a little great hits from the 80's music and the party had officially started. Many TweetFesters decided to slip into their swimming suits and enjoy the festivities from the underwater stools offered in the warm waters on the poolside of the bar.  Others choose to "supervise" Lee's cooking skills and I decided to simply hover around and enjoy it all.

It was an incredible night of camaraderie, story telling, sharing of ourselves and even business talks.  Hands down my favorite evening of the trip. Then it was time to head back to the Baldi resort.  Poor Nico had to shuttle us back in waves, as he had the only vehicle since our chariot had not accompanied us this evening. Some folks decided to hit the hot springs one last time before our reluctant departure the next day.  Lee and I decided to sit and spend some more quiet time with Arenal.  I felt that we had to explain to her that we were leaving.  What a sad, sentimental talk we shared...

The next morning brought our departure from this wondrous land.  I won't share much of our sorrowful two hour drive back to the airport, or our departing visit to the coffee shop on top of the mountain.  Or even mention that our prancing pony came out to bid us a fine farewell. The jovial spirit of the previous evening had left the group and we were left to quietly try to take in as many last minute views as was possible by our over filled minds. I had enjoyed my visit to this new world.  I welcomed the adventure and I have grown while embraced in her bountiful bosom. I will never forget this virgin trek to Costa Rica.  Even when I return, I know that I won't experience the same magic as I did as I was exposed to a new and wondrous world for the first time. As we made that last turn to leave Arenal behind, she bellowed to us.  I felt a stirring in my core as I understood that she was bidding us farewell. One last magical moment as we left her court. I had to wonder to myself, do the inspiring moments ever end in a place such as Costa Rica? I can't imagine that she ever runs out of layers of wonders to share or sights for you to bare witness to. To see such things, every second of every day in this country changes you.  I know that sounds all wishy washy - and I don't care. To witness the world in such unspoiled glory and to understand how we are supposed to live in harmony on this planet, opens your eyes to new possibilities. Simply put, it changes you. After all... once you experience the wonders, once you witness her glory, once you see with your own eyes the way our world can be, once you embrace this transformation - it can never be undone. So are you ready?  Come on, now...don't be afraid.  I promise you will not be alone.  Come on in Fella's, the water's fine :-) Welcome to your transformation. Pura Vida!

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15.09 20081

Day 6 of TweetFest: Costa Rica Style: Part 2

By: Lee Collins Categories:Hybrid Marketing, Where is Lee Collins?

After our adrenaline filled, speed demon, fear facing, wind swept (and let's not forget cervasa capped) adventures of zip lining across the beautiful mountains near the Arenal volcano; we board our chariot and embark on the stage 2 of Nico's birthday festivities.

Next stop:  Rancho Margot. This place was truly a magical place.

Rancho Margot is a family run, eco-friendly, self sufficient 400 acre ranch; as well as an animal rescue, conservation, preservation and family education escape from reality.

Gotta love a family that works together to fulfill their dream to this degree.  And it's not quite done yet, and I imagine that it will never reach what may be considered complete.

Rancho Margot is an ever expanding embrace of a world shared successfully by both man and nature.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the owner Juan.  This was our second time meeting, as we visited Rancho Margot earlier in the week to make arrangements for this day's arrival. We quickly made our journey to the open air bar, where we enjoyed our delectable dinner of the unsuccessful boar days before. Ahhhh....it was time to relax and refresh a little after our jolting morning events and to get back a little steam to take us on the next adventure.

After many minutes of drinks and reliving our tales of zip lining bravery, we toke off for a tour of this fabulous place. We viewed first hand the self sufficiency of the ranch:  from the bountiful gardens of food - to the water driven electricity; from the dairy cattle to the endangered local species they were attempting to assist in re-population.

The guest houses and cottages that adorned the landscaping were quaint and really cute.

The roofs of these living quarters were made of ceramic tile which reminded me instantly of the dwellings we witnessed in South Korea

The difference here was that the roofs were covered in vegetation.  They were like beautiful flower beds growing the colors of the jungle.  Our guide explained that this vegetation was left in place because it actually acted as a natural insulator for the dwellings.

Along our path, we tasted the cultivated fruits, such as the zesty sweet lemon and witnessed first hand a plant that the group eventually re-named the "Emo Plant".

Let me share with you the experience that led to this re-naming of this native plant. Our guide pointed out the plant growing on the side of our walkway, about waist level from the stone path.  It appeared to be a simple fern family plant, thriving in this wet environment. Then I touched it. It immediately began to fold up on itself, closing the fingers of leaves on the fern like stems.  It was explained that this was the plant's defensive mechanism to hide away its leaves from passing snackers. It was really quite amazing to watch this animation.  The rest of the walk we couldn't stop looking for this poor plant, just so we could torment it enough so we could watch it go through its defensive posturing.

"Emo Plant" came from our son, Colton, who claimed that the plant was actually saddened by our touch.  But that the plant was a little bit of a drama queen in pouting so significantly, much like the over dramatic demeanor of the "emo" kids that he knew from school.

Of course, being almost 40, Colton had to explain that the term "emo" was the short slang used to describe the emotional type kids who typically dressed in what children of the 90's would refer to as Gothic style. Sometimes I feel way more out of touch than others!

It was during this explanation that we literally stumbled upon our next marvel.

There, actually crossing the stone path only a few feet ahead of us was a 6 foot boa constrictor.  She was gorgeous!

Our guide was a bit startled and he explained that he has never seen a snake of this caliber so close to the habitated areas.  I guess she just wanted to come out and say Hello!

The group, of course, froze in our tracks as we stopped to marvel at her slow movements to gain access to the thick grass on the side of our path.

It appeared that she was just as surprised to see us as we were of her, and that she would rather slither into the grass and pretend to be a stick as opposed to  take any kind of aggressive action.

It's sad, but here in the states our first reaction would have likely been to kill the beautiful creature.

Witnessing this encounter first hand triggered a re-assurance of humanity and a re-awaking within myself to the possibility that we all really could live peacefully together.

I guess that is the point of Rancho Margot and I will attest that their methods are most effective! We left our visitor in peace to finish out our tour.  The last leg of this 2 hour window into possibilities was crowned with an intimate view of one of the most beautiful ponds imaginable. Pretend for a moment that you happened upon a Monet type painting of a quiet pond literally covered in green foliage and brilliant purple water Lilies.

A father and his three daughters were there to enjoy a moment of nature's refreshing coolness and escape the hot sunny day that was upon us.

Their family dog was swimming nearby, as if watching over the loving family.  The father had just emerged from the colorful pond to hand his excited daughters each one of the beautiful lavender lilies.

Now imagine that you could transport yourself to this happy family portrait frozen in time.

That's what we experienced at that moment. Another blessed moment from this magical place called Costa Rica.

We knew our enlightening tour had finally reached its end as we saw the open air bar reappear before us.  Ahhh..another moment of comraderie and cool refreshment were well deserved.

Most of the Tweetfesters had shown interest in joining the other ranch visitors on a horseback ride to the top of one of the peaks that offered a specatacular view of our friend Arenal. Lee and I decided to hang back and just enjoy a moment of rest.

Our decision was justified as Juan's son stopped by our table to chat.  What a remarkable man...tall dark and handsome to be sure.  I am guessing that he was one of the favorite attractions of this destination for many a young lady.

And to top it off, he was well educated, could speak 7 languages and shared his father's vision of a healing escape that was Rancho Margot. Sooner than expected the TweetFesters rejoined us at the bar just in time to enjoy a quick bite and to head on out for stage 3 of Nico's birthday festivities. We boarded one of Rancho Margot's colorfully scene covered buses and made our way to Lake Arenal.  Nico had arranged for a sunset tour of this magnificent Volcano landscaped pool of tranquility. The ranch bus dropped us off on the main road at what first appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.  We quickly followed Nico and made our way along a hand cut path to our boat.  The view....

Let's just say that seeing Arenal from the vantage point from her lake was amazing...surreal...intimate...breathtaking.

There were no buildings dotting the shore like you would expect to find in the states.  It was raw and nearly unspoiled.

I found it easy to imagine what the local people must have felt hundreds of years ago as they stared up at her from this ever peaceful lake.

We experienced many different angles of view of the Majestic Arenal as we  explored the lake on the boat.  As the sun began to set, we could see lava and molten rock slowly working their way down her face. Combine this with the ever changing layers of sunset and I have yet another beautiful moment to add to my treasure chest of memories.

After several minutes of ooohh's and aaahhhh's as we watched the sky embrace Arenal's fiery temper, it was time to just relax.

One of the boat operators turned on a radio and we were treated to some good ole American classic rock and roll.  A few moments of what we like to call dancing occurred on the deck as we joyfully shared our favorite moments of the day.

What seemed like hours later, we approached the dock lit up only by the street lamps from the road above us.  We were about to be whisked away to our rooms for additional relaxation.

As we drove up to the Baldi Resort, we remembered that we actually changed hotels today.  I say we, but actually Nico managed to relocate all of the TweetFester belongings to our new luxurious rooms at this incredible hot springs resort while we were zipping through the air with not a care in the world earlier in the day. And we couldn't have been happier. After all, what's better than a little soak time in the natural hot springs of Arenal to lift away any aches or fatigue that our adventures may have bestowed upon us? I can think of only one thing.  That would be feasting on incredibly tender and juicy roasted chicken from a local food joint near Nico's pad in La Fortuna and of course, a cold Bavarian beer. Life is good in Costa Rica!

Until tomorrow, my friends.

Pura Vida!

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14.09 20080

Day 6 of TweetFest: Costa Rica Style: Part 1

By: Lee Collins Categories:Hybrid Marketing, Where is Lee Collins?

6 AM...Arenal was quiet this morning and I knew that I was up WAY too early. After writing about yesterday's rafting adventures and most deserved evening at the Tabacon hot springs, Lee and I were driven to the floor of our cabin by the sounds of what our military background assured us was gun fire. After peaking out the window to check on the kids' cabin, Lee discovered that our gun fight was actually our neighboring resort giving a magnificent fireworks display.

So we gathered ourselves out of our defensive positions and joined our TweetFesters on the porch to watch the illuminating spectacle. Now I have been to many a fireworks show, but let me tell you...we were so close to the festivities that glowing sparks of all colors rained upon the roofs of our cute little cabins.

The smell of gun powder was like a blanket that had been laid upon us, a blanket that suffocated all of the other glorious fragrances of El Selecio's gardens. The display seemed to last for hours as we careened our tired necks up towards the kaleidoscope sky. And not to be out done, the very second that our private fireworks display was over, Arenal started one of her own. Glowing embers cascaded down her grooved sides as white smoke illuminated the sky line and a warm red glow burned from her belly. In the first annual Fireworks Dance Off, Arenal reigns queen. And that is much the reason that 6 AM seemed to come so early this morning.  Arenal held us hypnotized until the wee hours of the morning.

All in all...well worth the sluggish start to Day 2 of TweetFest Costa Rica style.

But see, I had the inside scoop... Today was Nico's birthday.  And I KNEW that he had a magnificent day planned for us all.  But that also meant that we would be going, going, going all day.  Hence my regret at seeing 6 AM display on my laptop so quickly after just a few hours of rest. I gathered my strength and happily rallied the TweetFest troops for breakfast.  Now that I was awake, I couldn't wait to get this day started! Ahhhh...what a welcome morning treat.  We were served another colorful array of tasty fruit to begin our day.  The cool juices exploded in our mouths and urged us to take our fill.  (I made a mental note to start buying more fresh fruit when we get back stateside.) Our chariot arrived promptly at 7:30 to take the TweetFesters to our first adventure.

We were about to embark on a journey to view Costa Rica from heights that no person outside of an aircraft should see. We were going to soar miles above the rain forest floor, protected only by a single steel cable and some very convincing (at least looking) rappel gear. Zip Lining: Costa Rica Style was about to begin. Our journey to our tree top departure point was in itself breathtaking, both in the very beautiful sense as well as a fearful one. See the local highway department that maintained the winding roads that carried our chariot to the top of the mountain didn't feel that it was necessary to partner said roads with any sort of gaurd railing. Well, I'll actually take that back. Some of these wild twists had a 6 inch concrete curb, which I would guess were only there to ensure that your vehicle flipped several times in the air as it left the paved comfort of the road. Again, that's just a guess - afterall, I am not an engineer.

We reached our first destination and took the group to the graciously provided overlook. This adventure company certainly had one hell of a view. This is the same company that Nico, Lee, the kid's and I visited a short couple of days ago to finalize our plans.  It was quite amusing to see the TweetFesters faces as they took in those views. And then to watch that look change as they realized that this was NOT the point that we would be zip lining from. That platform was well above us.  So far above us, in fact, that it couldn't even be seen from our current spot. I giggled a little on the inside at their sudden discomfort. I wasn't being mean, but I knew that the more uncomfortable they were, the more glorious it would feel for them to take that daring first leap off of the platform to conquer their silent fear.  It was gonna be a soul expanding sort of day! Soon we were all geared up and ready to go.  My lovely brother in law expressed to my beautiful sister that she kind of looked like a lumberjack in all of her gear.  NOt his most complimentary moment for sure.

During this moment of amazing pick up lines, we were told that it was time to board our trams to take us to the top of the mountain.  Trams probably isn't the right word.  These wire cages that hung from a series of steel cables, similar to the ones that adorn the skyline of many popular amusement parks. But these were way cooler.  The views that were unveiled as we climbed the mountain were - well, what word can you give a view that belonged in every depiction of Heaven that I could imagine from my childhood?

Heavenly sounds so trite compared to what we were witnessing.  I won't try to use words.  Just know that it was so astounding that we didn't even dare speak. Our silence was only interrupted by the murmurs of the electric motors that were pulling us up higher and higher and higher. The group moved onto the steel framed platform where we would begin our adventure away from the crown of the rain forest.

We were lucky enough to hear an astounding boom of encouragement from Arenal as we took photographical proof that we were all actually going through with this.

Note here that you see in the pictures that Lee is not wearing any equipment.  He claimed to not be feeling well, but my thought is that he decided that he would rather take a nature walk with our Mucho Bonita guide, Maria. And then it was time. I want to first give credit to this adventure company for laying out the progression of zip lines as they did. The first two lines were actually "bunny hill" lines.  You know, very easy lines - kind of like the kiddy hills at your favorite ski resort. These were very purposely placed at the beginning of the trek for two reasons: 1.  To give the opportunity to get comfortable with the gear and general movement of the adventure before attempting the "real" zip lines (where fear could certainly cloud your comfort level) 2.  To give any wussies a chance to quit after the "bunny hill" lines and go back to the scenic platform to wait for their friends, quietly crying on the inside both out of shame and remorse. But no wussies in our group!

We all tackled these first lines like old pros.  Of course, I knew that these lines weren't even a taste of what was to come.  And I wasn't disappointed. After the second easy line, I turned to view the first real zip line. OMG doesn't even cover it. Here was a line that seemed miles long, stretching across the mountain tops to connect the first leg of our journey. NOw, I have zip lined before - in Jamaica.  My zip lining adventure in Jamaica was amazing, careening through the tree tops to reach our next perch...gaining gentle speed as you viewed the jungle from the view point of the monkeys.  way cool..not scary at all. Let's just say this was NOT Jamaica.

Instead of gently careening through the tree tops, we were going to be flung across mile high ravines via what was being touted as one of the fastest, highest and longest zip line courses in the world.

And by seeing this view, that was easy to believe. Being the ever brave token leader of this group (see, cause I had supposedly done this before), I kept a calm demeanor. Encouraging my fellow Tweetfesters on their bravery and exclaiming how much fun this was gonna be.

All the while, every ounce of my soul was screaming to my brain to quietly slip away and take the tram back down to safety. It may make sense for me to explain one of my greatest fears...falling from great heights and crashing bloodily into the ground. Not to be mistaken for a fear of heights.  I don't mind heights at all if I feel secure. But swinging from some simple rappelling gear miles above the jungle tree tops did not present itself as secure. Deep breathe.....I concentrated on not letting my fear show.  Fake smile plastered on my face, I turn to the kids to provide some encouragement. Luckily they bought it. Then it was time for the first Tweetfester to take the plunge. I honestly can't remember who was first, but I do remember the scream. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  (excited, "I conquered my fear" kind of scream) Breath Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (still a little excited, started to look around - still seems very close from the platform) Breath Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (uhm, subtle change in scream...starting to sound a little freaked out - still not half way across) Breath Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (started to get quieter, some curse words added I think - just passed half way) Breath Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (we could still hear the terrified screams even after they were out of site) This continued until our guide indicated that they were ready for the next victim - err, I mean participant. Each brave soul experienced very similar screaming experiences as our courageous first zip liner had - except for those who got half way across and couldn't even breath.  Instead their bodies decided to tense up and hold every ounce of breathe inside, I would guess for fear of it being their last. And then finally, it was my turn.  I decided to go before the kids to show them how easy it was (yea right). OK, buckled in:  check.  Harness feels good and tight:  check.  I knew where to put my hands:  check.  I understood the technique for making it to the other side and how to "land":  check.

Ready.......Set........Go!

I could take time here to illustrate my progression of scream, how it was different than explained above. See I am a tense up and don't make a sound type of person when really freaked out.  And this experience was no exception. I actually was doing better than I thought. First quarter of the line was actually pretty damn cool.  This was kind of fun.  Rock on!  Woo hoo!

That was until I got about half way across and looked down. This in itself, wasn't so bad.  But then the winds came. Imagine the coursing wind as it forced itself around the mountain peaks and passed through the gentle green valleys. Yes, the all powerful and very single minded wind. That very wind decided that it would be a great time to show it's force to the tourists.  I was zipping miles above the jungle trees when the wind decided to find me. It pushed against my right side, trying to twist my body to its will. Pushing relentlessly, not hearing my quiet pleas to not do what it was doing.

What the wind was trying to do was the worst possible development (short, of course of the possible plunging to your very death that we won't talk about here). I knew that if I twisted that I could not make it to the other side.  My twisted body would slow down my momentum and I could get stuck. And that would be hell. If you didn't make it to the other side, you were then required to pull yourself the rest of the way across.  Let's just say that would not exactly be my idea of a great experience. So, I forced my body into the preferred technical position to attempt to thwart the determined wind. This position would be to lie almost on you back, hands holding you in position straight above you, grasping the handles, butt tucked up and legs brought up to your chest in a fetal position. It was like this that I conquered my way to the first platform.  Oh, the glorious platform.  Thank all that is right in the world!  The adrenaline coursing through my body was awesome!  Woot! Then the children came across. Ashlee swooped onto the platform like a pro.  A little white, but a pro, none the less. Colton, however wasn't as lucky.  The devil wind must have toyed with him also.  He stopped on the line about 100 feet from the platform.  Oh, the look on his face.

No apprehension, I wanted to shackle back up and go get him. Luckily, he was able to summon the courage and strength to pull himself to the platform. Let's just leave it at "poor boy". But now, the Tweetfesters had another real fear to conquer.  The general consensus quickly became, "screw being afraid of the devastating heights and speed, getting stuck is way worse". So it was with this newly discovered mindset that the group continued on their perilous trek miles above the jungle tree tops. Along this amazing journey, only three others were stopped along their course short of the platform (and Colton was privileged to experience this joy once more). But the energy did eventually begin to shift.  About half way through the course of mile high zip lines, the mood began to loosen up a little.

People were actually starting to look around at the amazing scenery. This was actually easier to do as we descended closer and closer towards the jungle itself. Less worries of steel cables unraveling to lend us to the jungle floor and more "did you see the toucans in the beautiful fig trees?" Ahhh, now this was more like it.  Whew...I started to really enjoy the experience. The last real line was upon us.  If I remember correctly, this was the longest and fastest of the bunch.  Not that any of them were short or slow, but the guide felt it imperative to impart this information upon us. This last line was amazing.  Once off of the platform we journeyed along the stretch of cool steel into the very trees.  There was a tunnel carved through the tree tops to our last large platform. Amazing.  Beautiful.  Simply magical. All the fear was worth it for this last leg of our journey.  We were gracefully carried through the cool green jungle to a swinging bridge style destination. Not my favorite engineering surprise of the trip, but we were only a couple hundred feet above our final desination. I spied Nico and Lee from this swinging perch.  Apparently Lee thought this was a great photo opp.

After we all arrived for the group shot, we descended a spiral stair case to our very last zip line.  I didn't include this as the final "real" zip line, because it wasn't.

It was another "bunny hill" line. But it did give Lee a great chance to get a few final action shots.

Overall the journey was amazing. I was exhausted, ready to get out of this bondage gear and really craved a Bavarian Light cerveza. I felt like I had earned that frothy cold beverage. My sexy husband hooked me up on all accounts. Amazing start to a wonderful day.  And the TweetFesters were high on life at conquering their very real fears. Read on to the next post to find out what the rest of this magnificent day held for the TweetFesters. Pura Vida, baby!

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30.08 20080

Day 3 of TweetFest: Costa Rica Style

By: Lee Collins Categories:Hybrid Marketing, Where is Lee Collins?

No alarm clock, hell no clock at all.

The sun beckons once again for me to join her.  But this morning, I must deny her.

I curl up a little longer and snuggle closer to Lee.  So tired after yesterday's horseback riding and adventures to the water fall with Macarana.  This must be paradises snooze button. Finally, the birds sing me to enough of an awakening to crawl out of bed.  I breathe in deeply and hear Arenal great me again this morning with her slow rumbing eruption.

Puffs of grey smoke plume around her. Good morning, Arenal. She grumbles to me that this day will bring much joy. I sneak in a couple hours of work...fill some orders, answer some support questions...Tweet a little :-) Today we meet with Nico Pisani to make final arrangements for the arrival of our fellow TweetFesters.  I couldn't be more excited to be sharing this exprerience with...well - Anyone! First this morning, we go to visit Nico's business partner, Gene. Gene is building a home a short way from their resort.  And this house is gorgeous! To drive up, the house does not look like anything special.  But then you follow the porch to the back and... WOW! It is a modest 2000 square feet, and the view is - well breathtaking. Here Arenal towers majestically over Gene's back yard of luscious plant life.  A babbling and lively creek is only a few steps away through the vegetation. The home itself is made of insulating concrete.  The outside painted and adorned with leftover stones that were used for the swimming pool, adding gorgeous accents to the rustic setting. The interiour is still  under construction - but still amazing. The main entrance is wide open and incredibly inviting as the natural wood encased ceilings tower above.  A 5 foot wide screen tops the wall on both sides and allows the welcomong breeze to sneek in to keep the home nice and cool. The ceiling is layered with beautiful beams of solid wood harvested from the neighboring forest, giving a warm and inviting feel - despite the concrete walls. Nico decided to borrow Gene's truck so he could haul us all around for our last minute preparations for TweetFest. We climb in, along with Nico's cool and lovable dogs, Cacique and Romeo.  Nico calls Cacique his overgrown Chihuawa (he's at least 50 pounds) and Romeo a little crazy (he's probably 15 pounds and has dual personalities).  One minute Romeo is a loving little pup, the next he's like the bad guy in the Gremlins.

Both are incredibly adorable.  We all pile into the back of Gene's small truck. Then we are off.  We pick up the kids and head to the west side of Arenal to visit her "active" side. This is the side where most of the physical results of her bellowings take flight and reconnect with Mother Earth in the form of humongous glowing boulders.

About 20 minutes into the trip, we turn onto this rustic pot holed filled road.  It feels like any road in very rural America.  Only in America you aren't getting closer and closer to one of nature's most powerful forces, Arenal the Volcano. I could only imagine that the road is in such disrepair because of its proxity to Arenal.  Afterall, why would a struggling government invest money into repairing and upkeeping roads that very likely could be bombarded with hot, glowing boulders from a volcano? It kind drove home the very accurate reality that we were in the "kill zone" of the volcano.  Both invigorating and scary at the same time.

As we approached the river that runs through the valley beneath Arenal, it all felt worth it. Here in front of us was a rolling river of icey blue briliance.  Cold to the touch and energizing as you stepped into its cool folds. The kids immediately jumped in and started exploring.  All the kids, ours as well as Nico's puppies. I walk in ankle deep and feel that this is close enough.  No urge to trudge along and look for whatever it was the kids were looking for.

After several minutes enjoying the rivers cool touch, we climbed back into the truck to make our way to a completely self sufficient and eco friendly resort that lies even closer to the majestic Arenal. We pull into the parking area and are immediately greeted by the owners son and grandson atop a gorgeous brown mare. They invite us to partake in their completely ranch provided lunch buffet. I make a plate of fresh salsa and peppers and fresh baked breads and chicken and pork ribs. Add in a Bavaria dark beer and I am set. The owner joins us after a few moments and begins to tell us more about our meal.

The vegetables are all grown on the ranch. The bread is of course baked in their own stone ovens. And the pork...well the pork was a result of an unfulfilled destiny. Apparently within the efforts of animal conservation, this resort is attempting to increase the population of a certain native bore.  This particular bore was unable to fulfill his fatherly duties, if you know what I mean. So the sterile male was made into lunch. Primitive - yes. Delicious - absolutely. After our delictable and most honored meal, we made the final arrangements for the TweetFest group to revisit this incredible place in three days. Upon this final bargain, we start our trek back to the east side of Arenal. We decided to stop at the location of Sunday morning's adventure - the jungle canopy tour via the steel zip lines. As we check out the views from this high altitude, the children uncomfortably start to joke about our upcoming zip line adventure.  They seem a little nervous, but I am sure they'll love it once they get going.

It was about this time that a zip liner came zinging in...screaming like a little girl all the way.  I see the color in my children's faces slowly drain.

I chuckle a little on the inside as I think of the exhilariation they will enjoy in a couple of days... After a few more minutes of enjoying the splendid views, we continue our journey back to our cabanna.

A quick shower and a couple of tweets and we are off to our evening adventure... Baldi Springs. Baldi is a resort that houses 25+ natural hot springs.  All varying in tempurature and depth. Let's just say that after the gazillion steps down to and back from our majestic waterfall and 4 hours on horseback the previous day that this hot springs adventure certainly hit the spot. We sampled only about a half dozen of the available springs...but this was plenty. My tired body was relaxed and rejuvinated by the very same waters that were heated by Majestic Arenal.  It was an absolutely sublime experience. And the most awesome thing is that TweetFest is staying at this resort the last 2 days of the event.  Which means we get to sample the rest of the naturally heated pools with all of our friends. Honestly, life doesn't get much better. And with that, it is off to another night's restful dreams at the base of Arenal.  I know I will be well rested and ready for another day's adventures. PuraVida, Amigos!  Buenos Noches...

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30.08 20080

Day 2 of TweetFest: Costa Rica Style

By: Lee Collins Categories:Hybrid Marketing, Where is Lee Collins?

I awoke this morning to the beautiful song of a stange bird outside of our cabana window.  Sun beckoning me to join her outside with the songs of all of the morning creatures... so I did.

Taking a towel out poolside, I began my daily stretch.  A slow rumble from overhead as Arenal erupted to great the morning, sending a towering spiral of grey smoke towards the early sun.

I love my life.

My morning stretch is always invigorating, but awaking my body in this serene place is beyond words. I could do this every morning.  One day I will do this every morning. After my one on one time with Arenal, I go to wake the rest of the family. Sitting on the cabanna porch eating our breakfast of dinner leftovers and water, we spy on a small group of little brown monkeys.  Apparently they were after their morning snack on the outreaching branches of  our neighbor grandfather tree. We could hear them laughing back and forth. Butterfiles of astounding color, dragon flys as big as birds and plants beyond description. We have already had to download the pictures from our digital camara - twice. A green lizard kept us company all morning on one of the larger plants to the left of our porch.  It was mesmerizing to watch it shift positions, body color changing as different parts came closer to the tree...reaching out its long neck to catch his next nibble.  We named him Larry.

Larry doesn't talk much and appears to be in no big hurry to get anywhere.  After all...Larry is a Tico :-) Both of our kids are digging this serene adventure.  You would think that they have never seen nature before.  Of course, nothing they have ever seen state side could compare to Costa Rica.

I think we have created two future professional wildlife photographers. After our slow morning, Nico picks us up for next adventure.

Today we ride horses through the rain forest.

We arrive at the stables a little after 1 in the afternoon.  Rain is just pouring on us.  Do you think we care? Not even a little. The stable hands select our perfect steads and help us mount.  Mine is named Macarana. Now these horses are NOT like the dude ranch horses that you might find stateside.  These horses are well feed and well maintained.  A little reverred even. And Macaran is no exception.  She is a white and grey speckled beauty.  Strong and completely grounded beneath me as I sit upon her high saddle. I rubbed her neck and spoke softly to her.  "Please take it easy on me, Girl.  We can have a great ride, just try not to get too close to the ravine."  Macarana whinnied, as if to tell me she'd take good care of me. We started out in a drizzling rain trotting through her own grazing lands.  We saw at least 3 new born colts with their Mama's and at least 2 dozen of other family steads.

We were also joined by the stable dog, Tequila. Tequila was a small black and brown pointer type pup and she took great care of her family of horses.  Her job was to go out ahead of the group and scare away any snakes that could harm her friends. The noble and gallent Tequila. The rain continued to fall (duh, rainforest!).  But I didn't even notice.  The views were outstanding.  Trees as old as our homeland stood reaching towards Arenal the Volcano like worshippers at Sunday prayer.

Toucans adorned the tree tops, monkeys chatting away beyond our vision.

Macarana apparently liked to be the "lead dog" as we galloped to the front of the pack.  As if in response to our original bargain, Macarana did not go too fast.  She went just fast enough so I wouldn't bounce right off of her back.  Macarana took good care of me. We made our way through the winding jungle to our next stop.  There was an outpost where we were to tie up our horses - so we could travel the next leg on foot. Just beyond this outpost was a trail of stone steps leading down the mountain.  The trail descended well past our view. Without hesitation we took the trail. It must have been 500 steps down, winding around grandfather trees and vegetation that I have never seen before.  Birds of all colors cooed and sung to us as we descended.

Descending further and further down...

Then we could here it.  The sounds of rushing and slamming water.

You could smell the water in the air, even so far above the valley floor. We were on our way to visit a waterfall. Words cannot describe the site of her.  Hundreds of thousands of pounds of water crashing down over hundreds of feet of sheer nothingness every second.

Joining the pool beneath her in a crash of life and vibrancy.  Throwing cool mist about her in a 100 feet in every direction. You could feel the rejuvinating powers of this massive ionic field pulsing around you.  The air was cleaner here and it instantly healed you as you took in each breathe. Simply put, it was amazing. We found out in a short time that you needed that boost from natures truest cleansing field to even start thinking about the journey back up the mountain. What felt like 500 steps coming down felt like 1500 going back up.  What can I say?  Only that I was so flipping happy for the rustic bench that had been strategically placed half way up the stair case to allow me a short break to work up the energy to continue my climb out of the heart of the jungle.

Even without the bench, I would have had to stop and take a breather.  But, man - so worth it to be in the magical circle of that amazing waterfall.  I would so do it again. Then it was back to Macarana to begin our journey home to the stables. At this point, the rain had dissipated.  And the world that this cleansing bath left us was amazing. The toucans were out in numbers, singing what I could only guess was a song of thanks for the refreshing and cleansing bath that nature just provided.

A double rainbow towered above us, marking our path back to the stables with brilliant color. Along the path, we stopped many times to take in one spectacular view after another.  On one such stop, Tequila (the stable dog) took off into a row of bannana trees. An unseen bird was calling to her.  "Where ya going?  Pretty Bird" was all we heard. Too cool to hear these mimicked calls coming out of a raw forest.  And for us to have heard it...this hidden bird must have been HUGE! And Tequila enjoyed chasing after this voice from the trees.  But is was soon back to her duties, as the horses were tiring and could apparently smell their home. The entire family of horses started to gallop as we neared their stable.  And who could blame them? A long day of carrying us on their back, enduring our stops along the way to take in their home land. But the day was almost over. We entered the stables and slowly dismounted.  I whispered my gratitude into Macarana's ear.  She nudged me with her head and whinned her understanding. Then it was back to our rooms for a quick shower and another ride to dinner. Chicken, fresh salsa, rice, cervasa...how can you go wrong? So another day in paradise winds down.  I can only wonder what tomorrow will bring? Pura Vida, my friends.  Until tomorrow...

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