Puerto! – Jumping into the Clouds

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Puerto! – Jumping into the Clouds

February 23, 2020, Turrialba, Costa Rica. It was a day of pushing the limits. It began with whitewater rafting in one of the best rivers in the world—the Pacuare. I don’t like water, but I did it because I trusted Walter, our river guide, would keep us safe.

Then lunch and then ziplining through the jungle canopy. This was a seven-stage zip line sometimes nearly 100 feet up in the canopy and at speeds that seemed to take the breath away, but Arturo and Alejandro, showed us how to be safe as we stepped off into the clouds.

At the end of the zipline waited the Tarzan Swing.

It was appropriately named. One by one each of us was clipped in and pulled off the platform. It was hard to tell whether what followed was a yell of thrill or a scream of terror. Finally, it came my turn.

Mark asked me if I was nervous. I said “No, probably, if I had any sense I would be scared.” But then I thought about it. What was I thinking– trusting some guys I barely knew to buckle me in correctly—stepping off a cliff, trusting that the lines would hold me, and finally, hoping that the guys could get me down.

I looked at the precipice I was about to step off of and felt a rush of anxiety, but then another thought came, “I got this. Me and the guys, we got this. They know what they are doing. I trust them, they trust me, and just as importantly–I trust me. I can do this! “Puerto!” I yelled, and the line jerked me off the platform. Down I went and out. I swung far out into space and back.

Arnaldo had told me I could let go and lie back and the double harness would hold me. I did, and it worked. “You can even go upside down,” he said, “and wrap your feet around the line.” Again, I did. I flipped upside down and wrapped my feet around the line and let go with my hands. It was a rush like no other.

The day is over and I’m sitting in my jungle cabin reflecting on my experiences by candlelight. As the night sounds of the jungle come to life, I am led to conclude. Life is all about learning what is good and what is bad, who I can trust and who I can’t. When I learn to let go and trust good, wise, and skilled people I’m going to have incredible experiences, make memories eternal and find a lot of joy. The trick is who we trust!

Written February 23, 2020 at Jungle Camp on the Pacuare River in Costa Rica traveling with www.AmazingVacationsCostaRica.com