Pasear in Cheppo

Sunday May 12, 2013

Today was a good day. We had been planning all weekend (my host fam and I) to go up to the mountains in Chepo and spend some time. I thought we were going to just hang out in a house or at a finca somewhere but we decided an adventure would be a better use of our time. We drove the hour up to the top of the mountain in a back of a pick up truck, to say it was breathtaking would be an understatement; it literally took my breath away. Imagine being on an amusement ride with no safety buckle, and with a view of rolling mountains and countryside like something out of one of The Lord of the Rings novels. It was surreal. Once we arrived to the top of one of the mountains and the road ended we got out and started walking, not really having any idea where we were going. My host cousin Viki had heard there was a river somewhere around there so we started asking people and started hiking. We didn't really have an idea how long the hike would be so we were all dressed inappropriately and naturally my host sister Melissa brought her chihuahua, so we were a spectacle. We ended up hiking for about three hours up and down these incredibly brutal hills that were just dirt and rocks, we spent most of the time slipping and trying to keep ourselves balanced enough not to go tumbling all the way down. 

Once at the top of one of the hills we came across a house and there were a bunch of children playing outside we asked them if they knew where the river was and they said they would show us something even better so we continued on our adventure for another 45 minutes or so down into the jungle and through a forest of coffee plants and had to shimmy on this killer ledge until we arrived at one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen in my life. It was such a secluded area and it was clear that it wasn't a very populated area for the lack of  trash and general human destruction. The boys said hardly anyone knows that the place exists except for those who live in the area and use the little watering hole as a bathing grounds. Only myself and Generino know how to swim so we jumped right in to try and attempt to cool off after a consistent 4 hours of sweating. Our little guides showed no fear and climbed up to one of the higher rocks of the waterfall and dove right in, it was wild. 

I am going to regress into cheesiness and just say I felt one with nature for maybe the first time in my life it was incredible. Even though my host mom and sister and cousin were struggling a bit, my little students who came with us and their dad (our neighbor) had loads of stored up energy left, I don't know how they did it, my legs were shaking with exhaustion where as they were still running around and climbing up rocks and having fits of giggling. It was an amazing way to spend the day and even though it was exhausting I felt so accomplished once we finished. 

I can't wait to do it again, but I think I'll have to find someone else to come with me because my family has made it clear that they have absolutely no intention of ever doing that again. 

Pics to come once I have strong enough interwebs!! 

Chau!