Our sedan service picked us up at 8am to take us to the airport in Washington, DC. Our driver was from Morocco (Yaseen) and we enjoyed conversing about travel and soccer. We both agreed Americans needed to go beyond posh resorts to really enjoy culture! It made for an enjoyable ride.

In the back my teenage daughter was laboring through the …

Our night was short and we woke early for a 620 am trip to Tortuguero. On the map it seemed *quite* remote and half the journey would be by boat.

Our guide was Kenneth (I kick myself for not asking him his Hispanic name as often the guides try to make it easy on turistas by Anglicizing their names). Kenneth spoke like a scientist but many of …

Our second day in Tortuguero started and ended in darkness.

We woke early for an early morning canal tour when the wildlife is more active. This was no zoo exhibit and there are no guarantees of what you will see. But that means each trip is unique and has its own surprises. Among the many birds, caymans,monkeys and sleeping bats, we were …

That morning my travel alarm woke us early. It sounded strangely like a howler monkey. Wait, it WAS a howler monkey.

It was time to pack our bags and make the return journey to more populous areas of Costa Rica. We were headed to Sarapiqui (and air conditioned rooms!).

My daughter Grace and I went for a jog at the hotel and were reminded we …

On the day we were to raft the wild "Florida" section of theh Reventazon river, we met another Tico (Costa Rican) who was quite an interesting and fun character - our river guide, "Ricky".

On the ride to the river, Ricky told us what life was like growing up in Costa Rica. This from a dude who was obviously very intelligent …

There are three or four hummingbirds in the garden outside my window.

Am I dreaming?

Is this paradise?

After a long drive from the river after rafting, we arrived in Arenal, near the volcano as the sun was going down. We were excited because Ricky had said "the volcano was clear yesterday, and you will probably see and hear it!" …

What is it like to fly?

I have felt some sense of that in free-fall sky diving, as well as parasailing. But they go so fast it's over before you know it. But we found the next best thing: ziplining with Ecoglide near Arenal volcano.

After basic training, imagine driving up a steep mountainside in your harness. Then imagine more than a dozen …

Was it watching the turtles and the miracle of life in the jungle?

Was it the rush of adrenaline while shooting the rapids on the Reventazon?

Or the surreal view of sleeping in the shadow of an active volcano?

Or flying through the forest on over a mile of zipline?

All I know is I felt full of life at the end of my trip. I know my whole …