Highlights of my inaugural, memorable white water rafting trip:
1) How easy it was to fall asleep in the shuttle bus on the way back to San Jose after the adventure.
2) Watching a clueless German tourist pick up a corral snake while asking: "Why isn't it moving?" I am pretty sure snakes with striped red markings are best left alone. Luckily, this one was either sick, dying or both.
3) Miguel throwing Maren into the river and then yanking her back out in order to demonstrate the proper "saving an overboard" technique.
4) Feeling the flow of the river underneath us as we paddled in unison, catching its energy and moving with it seamlessly.
5) The hundred feet high leaning green canopy had misty sections that were invisible from view, but you could hear and sense life in those alcoves in the sky.
6) Having the Barbee sisters both talk over each other trying to give advice to the novice. "Hold your paddle more like this. Put your foot right there. Watch the guy in front of you." All this while trying to coordinate with Miguel's constant directions: "Hard Left. Adelante! Back right! Hard Forward!" It was enough to drive a dyslexic man like myself crazy.
7) The Class Four Rapids!
8) The Huacas, or resting place of the spirits of the bosque.
9) Watching as woman on the left side of the final raft was tossed into the fury. She grapples the boulder for dear life and is quickly brought to safety by the pros of Exploradores.
10) A beautiful spread of fruit, breads, cheese and vegetables for lunch under a light mist that was refreshing and almost chilly - a welcome feeling in the humid jungle.




The highlights could go on and on. It makes me curious -- is this part of what attracts the lifers, the guys that will kayak and run rivers their entire lives? Surfing has taken over my spirit in this way . . . I will always seek and ride waves, something in my core was awakened by the sacred sport, and my body needs it like a good night's rest. But I can easily picture how an adventurous spirit, maybe one such as your own, gets caught into the thrill, the sights, the sounds of a sport as epic as white water rafting.




While riding the bus down from San Jose to Playa Hermosa, on my way to try to reincarnate old dreams of riding waves there in 2000, I met an interesting man from Israel. They are everywhere in Costa Rica! The two-year mandatory sentence in the military forces the men and women to go for a soul-searching vision quest when they are released. 'Did he have to kill anyone? Did he get into gnarly situations down there? I have heard Israel is not like it is depicted on TV, there are very nice, peaceful parts of Israel that show nothing of the darker side, isn't that true?' I was bombarding him with questions about his culture and his beliefs. I love to pick the minds of the people of other countries - somehow they all speak English, go figure! You never know what story you might hear, or what useful perspective that could garner wisdom. This man rebuked my little half-day Rio Pacuare story with a yarn about building a raft using only indigenous materials and dropping into a Bolivian river in some isolated corner of that wild land. Nine days they were out there navigating this runoff extravaganza. There is always more . . . there never going to be able to chop all the trees down you guys, so go hug one soon! Surf pics next article!

www.exploradoresoutdoors.com
www.adventuresunderthesun.com

ER Harris