November 13, 2013

Our last day of the hike went pretty quickly. We woke up at 5am, as usual, and had a hearty breakfast. There were two huge hills to climb and Manuel had to meet up with another group, so we hit the trail right after eating.

Hammocks

The good thing about starting so early, is that it takes a little while to become completely covered in sweat. The jungle is so humid, everyone is dripping after an hour, but the mornings are cool and perfect for hiking.

Another lovely view

The two hills were steep and challenging, but our group made really good time. I think everybody was excited to be done and get a shower. Everyone had been wearing the same sweaty clothing everyday and only bathing in the river, so we were a stinky bunch.

Mountains

Our hike ended at the restaurant we started at and we were meet with lunch and sodas. Manuel and his brother, Juan, ate with us one last time before saying good-bye. We hope the next group had as good a time as we did!

We took a van back into town and said good-bye to Stephen at Costeño beach. We joined ‘Ashrum and Alti, the Icelandic couple, for a little relaxation. We rented a small thatched hut with a regular bed in it, right on the beach. The shower wasn’t warm, but it was heavenly to smell like soap and finally put on fresh clothes.

We had a few well deserved beers, went for a swim in the ocean and enjoyed some time on the beach.