Costa Rica, Where medicine grows

Day three of our Costa Rican adventure takes us to the Jungle…. well the rain forest really… its not the Tarzan and Jane kinda rain forest but its still kinda cool for those of us who cant swing from vines .We began our day with a breakfast at the hotel … just so you know the buffet in other countries are NEVER the same as in US. Sometimes theyre better .. sometimes theyre not… today was one of the not days. lol. So after breakfast we load up into the minibus and head to Rainforest Adventures and zipline park. I cant say that Im a fan of ziplining because Ive never tried it, but my friend Brit seems to love it so off we go. After about 2 hours of winding roads and about another 30 minutes on a dirt road we arrive. I had chosen to sit this one out, so off Britt went with her group and I went to join mine. I chose the canopy tour, which really wasnt a tour at all ,but just an open air gondola that takes you up over the canopy. With that being said it was extremely cool. We got to see a waterfall and a ton of tropical birds. Just being up so high and seeing for miles was really a treat. After gilding along the tree tops for about 45 minutes I found my feet firmly on the ground and ready for the guided portion of the tour. We head down the path and away from the main building into a beautiful garden. One of the first things I notice is that were not alone. On the path ahead of us is an Iguana. Our guide explains that this is a baby and he will grow to be about four feet long. I would hate to meet him in a dark alley… he already creeps me out at about a foot and half. We move deeper into the garden and our guide shows us where the bats like to roost. This tour is going down hill quick. Then he leads us to the other side of the garden and begins to show us the native plants. He first showed us the cacao tree, by far the most import…. it makes the CHOCOLATE. Then a mint plant and many others but what really struck me as interesting is that every plant he named he also stated their medicinal uses. He also explained that while Costa Rica is a thriving country with advanced medical care many of the native “ticans”  like to use natural medicine. He went on to say that there is a growing tourism industry that is focused on learning about natural Costa Rican medicinal healing plants. That just may be a vacation in my future. The tour went on to show us many native animals. Im not a fan of caged animals so I wont go into detail other than to say they were all beautiful creatures. We ended our tour in the butterfly sanctuary. I am amazed by peoples aversion almost any insect but will fall all over themselves when they see a butterfly. Whatever the reason we were lucky enough to see hundreds. After our flight over the rainforest,  and our walk through it, we all climb back into the bus for the ride back to San Jose. While I didnt opt for the excitement of the zipline I feel like my slower pace allowed me to really enjoy the natural beauty of Costa Rica.