Oh no! There are more bridges!

I am posting this in the morning, because I was just too tired and sore last night. Yesterday was a full day. We started with our leisurely bird walk before breakfast, when we saw the Social Flycatcher and the Melodious Blackbird (I love their bird names in Costa Rica!).

After breakfast, we went to the EcoCentro Danaus Ecological Reserve - a butterfly farm and educational center. It was a pleasant and slow hike through a secondary forest with examples of the trees, flowers, and some animals of Costa Rica. Here we could get close to many of the butterflies and even an Agouti.

Calligo laying eggs

Agouti

Next we visited an education farm - all organic - with a botanical garden. Their cooking gas was provided by 1 cow and 1 pig - biodigestion of the wastes to produce methane. We had sugar cane juice for a snack, after we pressed the sugar cane. Then the guide added some sugar cane liquor (moonshine) - very strong!

Faron pressing the sugar cane

After lunch in La Fortuna, we went on a 3 hour hike up a mountain, crossing 6 suspension bridges in the canopy of the rainforest. All was going well, until the highest one. I saw it from below before we got to it, and it was not inviting! The only other option was about a 2 hour hike back the way we came, so I gritted my teeth (literally), and crossed a hanging bridge 50 meters above the river. I'm sure the scenery was beautiful, but I was focused on where my feet were going.

the view from one of the bridges (not the highest)

At the end of the highest bridge, there was an Eyelash Pit Viper waiting for us. That helped to calm me down.

After dinner, we really needed the mineral hot springs pools at our hotel. The only saving grace is that the 2 twenty-something girls were just as sore and tired as we were!