River Rafting // the Springs // Floating the River

Our third day we boarded another bus from our hotel to take us to the River.  Which river?  We have no idea.  It was a very brown, raging river.  That’s the best I’ve got.  The 16 of us were divided into three rafts, strapped on our helmets, and grabbed our paddles.  Our guide placed Zach and I on the front, which I was really hesitant about, but that meant that Brad was behind me.  Which was not important until mid ride, where he saved my life.  But more on that later…

Zach strapped his GoPro onto his helmet and we were off.  Turns out the front left side of the raft was by far the wettest spot for the entire ride.  Thanks a lot Jairo [our hilarious guide, who taught us how to say “penis face” in Spanish]!  The rapids were pretty mild at first, but then got a little rougher about half of the way through our ride.  We hit a large rapid on the left side and I flew completely out of my seat!  Luckily Brad grabbed me right before I was about to fall in the river.  I think I was more afraid of getting a bacterial infection from the water rather than drowning in it.  But regardless…we pulled through.  All of us together, without any casualties.

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We stopped three quarters of the way through our route for a fresh pineapple and watermelon break.  Random fact #1:  Some pineapples are so sweet that the pineapple farms can’t sell them, so they throw them out.  Hundreds of pineapples a week are discarded for being TOO sweet.  Who knew?  We were lucky enough to be the recipients for these ultra sweet pineapples and I can say they were some of the best fruit I’ve ever had.  (Let’s not talk about how the guides washed their knives that they used to cut said pineapples in the river…let’s just forget that part.)

Then we were off again.  We got to the biggest drop on the river and Jairo asked us if anyone wanted to ride on the front.  I’ll give you one guess who climbed right on up, without even a second thought.  Raising his right hand in a lassoing motion…

zach riding the bull

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard, but that’s kind of what life is like being married to Zach.  One wild, hilarious, and crazy ride.

After we returned to our hotel we all decided to check out the Springs.  The resort was built around all these natural hot springs, which you can sit in at various locations around the hotel.  They range in temperature as well.  Apparently the darker the water color, the better for your skin.  It wasn’t until later that we realized the hotel was a host for ABC’s the Bachelor.  Pretty hilarious.  A little walk away from our room was a hot spring turned water slide.  You can’t stop a Henderson from sliding…it’s in their blood.  Classic Waterslides has nothing on these babies…

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The fastest slide was a favorite.  We congregated around it until everyone else that wasn’t a family member left, probably sick or our cheers and squeals.  Zach took this really attractive shot of me going mach 5, about to plunge.  You can’t hide the face of pure joy…

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We stayed until we got hungry enough to make our way over to dinner.  I am sure the rest of the resort was ready for some peace and quiet.

The next day we floated the river at Club Rio.  Guides directed us down a semi-manmade river route through rocks, little rapids, and waterfalls.  The views were amazing, literally floating through the rainforest.  The end of the river route led to another natural hot spring that cascaded into the river.  It was hot tub temperature and the perfect way to end the ride.

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That was our final day at the Springs.  We celebrated with one last order of nachos all around and boarded another bus for the next location.  We were leaving the lush rainforest for the beach.  Our four hour ride to Tamarindo went faster than expected, spirits were high…

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We arrived at our second hotel just in time to see the sun set and to enjoy a Costa Rican buffet.

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After dinner we made our way down to the beach, avoiding as many red crabs as possible.

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