Might as well jump. Jump! Go ahead, jump. Jump!

Trend alert!!!! My weekends are starting to take on their own individual theme. Two weekends ago the theme was music (Te amo la musica!) and this past weekend the name of the game was adventure!

[Scene 1- Casa 20C, Heredia]

I woke up on Saturday without a plan for the day (yes, very unlike me) but I knew I had a full day activity on Sunday so I thought I'd take it easy, you know, play it by ear.  I found my roomie out in the living room, I asked her what she had in-store for the day and she reminded me that she was going with a group of our colleagues on an adventurous trip.  She invited me along, but I declined.  I had my heart set on a relaxing day, but wait, who am I kidding? I am a New Yorker, I don't know how to relax! "I'm in!! But I'm only going as the photographer". 

So are you on the edge of your seat? Have I drawn out the suspense long enough? Umm.... I think not! What kind of storyteller would I be if I gave it away that easy! Now, what does one were when they are the photographer for an adventurous trip like this? I asked myself the same question, and then I packed a backup outfit just in case.

Some minutes later, we were all gathered, hydrated and boarding the van that would take us to our destination

Put on your happy faces

Some more minutes after that we were all standing outside the adventure office and it dawned on me.  I'm on this adventure for an adventure right? Screw being the photographer, someone hand me a waiver! Wait, pump the breaks, record screeching halt! Waiver? Why do I need a waiver, isn't this safe? Well, of course it's safe, but honey you just paid money to jump off a bridge.  Ohhhh that's right my friends, I was about to bungee jump...265 feet...off a bridge! Someone just dialed the anxiety level up to 10! This just got real!

We all piled back into the van for the short ride to the perfectly good bridge we were supposed to willingly throw ourselves off of.  Who's idea was this?!

The'r she blows!

OK I can do this right? I've jumped out of a plane before! Well, there was that guy strapped to my back, who basically pushed me out, and well, he didn't really speak English, so I didn't exactly know what was going on.  But this, this was different. I would have to walk out on that ledge on my own. Stand there, on my own, and look down at the river below, the river with all those jagged rocks.  Again, who's idea was this?

I watch as a few of my colleagues suit up and fly down, and then Mr. Dreads is calling me over.  Side note: why do these guys always have dreads? Is that like a thing? Should I wrangle this rats nest I call hair into a do Bob Marley would be proud off, quit my job, move to the beach and encourage seemingly insane people to jump off a bridge all day? Hmm actually that doesn't sound half bad. More on that later.

Next thing I know I have an insanely tight harness on and 2 equally tight braces strapped to my ankles. Shit! Does this mean it's my turn?! I think I might pee! Nope, false alarm, I was wrong, let's drag this out a little longer, why don't you wait for 40 minutes more, all strapped in, while everyone else goes.  Thank you Mr. Dreads, I'll just sit here, freaking out, peeing, while you video tape my friends taking the plunge.  Oh you heard right! There is a video! But don't skip ahead, read first, then watch.  The book is always better than the movie, has Twilight taught you nothing!?

Ding! Tallest, blondest girl in Costa Rica, you're up!

After a very quick internal pep talk, and a check of my safety lines, I was swinging my legs over the side, holding the bungee cord in my hands and standing up on the ledge.

I think I blacked out for a second, because when I came to, I was standing at the edge, holding onto the rail with one hand, looking down at the river below.

Wait, how much time do I have?  And that's when the countdown began.  5... holy shit... 4.....oh god....3....umm can I still back out?.....2..... f bomb..... 1..... bungeeeeeeee!!! And that's when I dove, head first, off a bridge, into nothing but air.

And it's true, it does feel like you are flying, but only for a second. That's when the bungee stretches and you're pulled back and flung, god knows where, because you've lost all sense of direction, and you're flying again, and pull, and fly, and pull, until now you are just dangling (and spinning) and patiently waiting for the rope that will bring you back to solid ground.  And it's really quite, and you can hear the river below, and you arms are hanging down and the blood is rushing to your head and... where the hell is that rope?! And then it magically appears and you say a little prayer as you hook yourself in and now your right side up and you look around and see the tops of the trees and you think, shit that's the craziest, stupidest thing I've ever done! [end scene].

Roomies!

Survivor pic!

 YouTube: Leap of Faith

[Scene 2- Casa 20C, Heredia]
The next morning, my alarm wretched me out of my sleep at the ungodly hour of 4:30 am. I packed my bag for another day of adventure, but this time, it was an adventure on the high seas, or in this case, a very low river, it is dry season after all! Yup, I was headed white water rafting!

I met Ana Maria and Roberto at the National Theatre in San Jose and we boarded [another] van to the Pacuare River over on the Caribbean side.  It was an absolutely amazing day.  We paddled for 3, very long hours, with a well deserved, much needed 1 hour break for lunch.  We rafted through some beautiful scenery and next to amazing waterfalls.  We swam, we laughed, we hit the deck when we were told, and we even managed to all remain inside the raft as we paddled through a few class IV's.

The memories will last forever, thankfully the pain from padding for 3 hours only lasted a few days!

Pura vida!!!!