Day 5 - March 6

Today was a bit more of a leisurely morning. The bus was scheduled to depart at 8:30 and we had plenty of time for a shower and breakfast. Tim was up since 4 am unable to sleep. But he is pretty incredible. Just keeps going and is never unhappy about anything! 

At 8:30, we left for the Arenal Volcanic region to hike to the 1992 lava flows. The day was incredibly beautiful. Sunny with blue skies and we could see the volcano in all its glory from every angle. Jimmy told us that this was not to be taken for granted as it only happens about 20-30% of the time. The hike was easy and so beautiful. At the top, we could see the steam rising from the volcano on one side and the other side was a view of Lake Arenal. 

Back on the bus after our hike, we headed to the sustainable farm where we were scheduled to have lunch. The group assisted in the harvesting of a few vegetables prior to lunch. Lunch was delicious and all the food we ate was grown on the farm. After lunch, we toured the farm. By now, it was really getting hot and we could barely handle standing anywhere that was not shaded. The tour guide explained what grew on many of the trees and bushes and the properties they have, both food and medicinal value. It was interesting but we were all wilting from the heat. After the tour, we sat down in a shaded area and assisted in the squeezing of juice out of a sugar cane. There was a piece of equipment that had a crank on both sides. We all took turns with two of us cranking and one of us pulling the sugar cane through. At the end, the tour guide doubled up the cane and had Tim and Wayne, a really big guy on the tour, turn the cranks. It was almost impossible, even for these big guys. Then she took us all through a Spanish toast and we drank the sugar cane juice. The next toast was with moonshine they make. Making moonshine appears to be a common theme everywhere we go. Everyone got to say how much they wanted for this toast and I took as little as possible. Tim, on the other hand, had a full shot glass. Bottoms up! We all toasted again. Lots of fun and lots of laughter. 

The next stop was a ziplining adventure. Some of us had done this before but many of the group had not. We all got outfitted with our gear and began the ziplining. Nothing can prepare you for how awesome this experience is! Zipping over the jungle just makes your heart sing. I loved it. Not scary at all to me. We had twelve lines we did and definitely got our money's worth and then some. For those who wanted, they offered a Tarzan jump - basically freefalling with a bungee. Never said I but Tim did it. Looked like a crazy thrill for sure. 

After ziplining, we came back to the hotel and sat in the hot tubs for a bit. Tim and I have had so much opportunity to talk about anything and everything. It is a very special time for both of us. I continue to have moments where I miss David so much and still cannot believe my life with him truly is over. The sadness hits me hard often. But joy is alongside and I am continuing to live. I think that is what he would have wanted but more importantly, it is what I want. 

Tim and I walked to Ristorante Bongos, about 1/2 mile away, for dinner. A local joint with all homemade food. Absolutely delicious. I ate too much. I pray that I don't go home with a bunch of weight I don't want. It could happen. I am eating very well. We ended dinner with a shot of tomato juice and yes, you guessed it, moonshine. Provided on the house. It was actually very good. Trying to gear down now and get to bed. Tomorrow is another very full day.