Day 7 in Costa Rica

Day 7 brought more rain showers through the night and early morning hours here in Costa Rica.  What a pleasant sound raindrops make on a tiled roof and in the dense jungle foliage.  Today is our grandson Matthew's birthday.  Through the years, Matthew and I often celebrated our birthdays together, and how nice it was for me to focus on Matt's growing up rather than upon my own accumulation of years.  Matthew and Emily are very excited.  They await the birth of Addison, their first child, and our first great granddaughter.  We are a wee bit excited too!

After an early breakfast we were off for our final excursion in the Arenal region--and the most adventurous one of all--Zip-Lining!  We were transported from our hotel by a mini-bus to the Sky Adventure Center where we were harnessed up and given instructions.  We were with a group of 10 others and there was little doubt that we were the oldest in the group!  We boarded an open-air gondola (Sky tram) and were taken up 4100 feet through the rainforest and then given a few practice exercises. There were seven Zip Lines altogether.  The longest cable was 2393 feet, the highest cable was 656 feet.  The average speed on the Zip Lines is about 45 mph and the average wind speed is about 10 mph. Oh, what a hilarious sight we must have been soaring across the forest canopy, but we handled it well and enjoyed it immensely.

The afternoon of Day 7 was spent relaxing in Shangri-la (a special section of the Tabacon Hot Springs Spa Resort reserved for adult hotel guests.  I am now an avid fan of hot tubs, thermal pools, and hot springs and recommend them to all.  Of course, I must be honest and tell you that my experience in this area has been quite minimal.  I think I've only been in a hot tub, jacuzzi, thermal pool, or hot springs two or three times in my entire life!  But I sure want a hot tub for the back deck!!!!

But the REALLY BIG EVENT OF DAY 7 (far more exciting than zip-lining) was the birth of our first Great Granddaughter, Addison Elizabeth.  She was born on her father's birthday at 8 pm.  Congratulations Matt and Emily!  Addison weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 ozs.