Part of the eco-adventure of being in Costa Rica is traveling high above the rain forest on a zip line. Our wonderful guide Carlos Alvirez from Swiss Travel Service

took us to a private ranch on the edge of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park which offered varied adventures including horseback riding, tubing down the Rio Negro River, volcano hiking and dipping in the Las Chorreras Waterfall.  I had told our group that zip lining would be my very first choice.  Despite the fact that I am afraid of heights, I wanted to see animals in their own habitat. 

Little did I know what that meant until I was harnessed up and lifted onto the zip line by a muscular young man who smiled a similar smile to the crocodile we had encountered along the river.

I am here to tell you that if there were any animals lurking in the trees I didn't see them. 

Number one reason:  Rain forest animals are smart enough to stay away from the camera- shooting-flash-popping-paparazzi tourists who go zipping in their habitat.  

The exception might be found in an advanced species of howler monkeys who are filming their own reality show called "  Dumb and Dumber zippers".  All their howling has less to do with mating than it has to do with hysterical laughter watching we humans fly upside down while pretending to be monkeys ourselves.

Do you see

anything funny

about these

pictures? 

The monkeys

did.

Number 2 Reason:  When you have entrusted your life to a group of guys who you have just met....and who harness you up to do these kinds of stunts.....you are too damn terrified to even look for wildlife.  And if any living animal were within earshot they would have been more terrified by my screaming as I dove headfirst above a raging river some 80 feet below.   

Can you just hear the guides mutter to each other...."This is a big one...hope the lines don't burst."  

In the picture below my guide is trying to assure me I would live.  What was I thinking????????????????

However, despite the terror, in the end I have to say it was one of my top adventures.   Now I am back to a safer form of transportation.

 Took a tour on the river today where we were floating like Humphrey Bogart and Kathryn Hepburn in "The African Queen.

Our captain knew the ins and outs of the habitat and river- thank heavens- because we saw more than one of these

My Cabin Mates were less than worried. 
Was it the Cerveza?

Along the way we encountered some beautiful birds, bats  ....well not beautiful but interesting....and a monkey or two.   These, unlike yesterday's , were not exhibiting their balls. Guess the weather is cooler which is the explanation I heard. 

If you look right in the middle of the tree you will see bats hanging upside down in a line.   It's like a brain game.  Can you see them?

The birds are gorgeous and we only saw a fraction of what is living in the rain forest. 

Here is a duck billed platypus bird?  Is this right?   Must look it up.  But the bird is a pale pink with a grand wingspan and very friendly. 

Of course most of what we saw were the reptiles....iguanas and ....iguanas. 

This guy is Tired!!!!!!   In this humidity I understand. 

Whoops ..this is a Crocodile, not an Iguana.   He is smiling too. 

Should I mention that small children are not a good addition to this trip?   

Okay back to the Iguanas. 

Is he cute or what??????  Can you tell I am tired? 

Now a new species of creature found on the golf course.   They are retrieving balls. 

And of course the monkeys.   We saw Mama monkeys with their babies and teens just hanging around.