Crocodiles, howler monkeys and ... zip lines!

So we're in Costa Rica at the moment, and bloody hell it's hot. Having come from Chicago, where it was mid-50's (farenheit), the 95 degree heat here is a shock even though we often get that in Chicago summers. We just have a bit of a build up, that's all. The big difference here is the intensity of the sun. Apart from Ghana last summer (their winter) I don't think I've ever been this close to the Equator, and it's a different kind of sun.
We're all pretty very faired skinned so we don't even bother with sun screen that's less than a million SPF, and we're very good about lathering it on all day. However, the fifteen minutes I spent out from under the pool umbrella the other day (wearing sun screen) was enough to turn my chest area a delightful shade of magenta. Three days later it still hasn't faded (not painful thank goodness) so I'm now having to cover up, all the time. Look like a right eejit I do.

Yesterday we took a safari boat trip from Tamarindo, which is a hip surfer town on the Pacific (west) coast. You're told you're going to see all these exotic birds and animals, but when that first little crocodile hove into view, we all still made such a fuss that it sank to the bottom and stayed there till we were safely up river. The howler monkeys were mostly asleep perched high in the trees, but our guide (who could do a perfect imitation of their howling/barking) called out to them and a few barked back. It all sounded a bit aggressive but the guide assured us that they knew him and were just marking their territory. (I bet they were thinking "Oh god, here he comes again. Let's just give 'em what they want and they'll go away.) Last night, sipping a lovely Sauvignon Blanc on our balcony, you couldn't hear yourself think for all the distant howling! Definitely beats the police sirens that we can usually hear in Chicago!

Today I am bracing myself for a Canopy Tour which will take us under the jungle canopy (obviously) to the Zip Lines. Oh yes, Zip lining. I believe we'll be doing about 8 consecutively. Ye gads. I don't have a fear of heights but I'll  be surprised if I'm not slightly throwing up in my mouth when I actually get onto that platform and am staring death right in the face expected to hurl myself off!

Watch this space.

If I'm spared!