“Where Eagles Dare” – it's worth every cent


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Published: May 8th 2016
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It was my zip-lining day in Arenal. “Another zip-lining blog? Haven’t you already written three?” My wife was visibly fed up. But she was so right! “Well, I promise, this will be the last one,” - I told her. The only reason I am writing this because I want to share the spectacular view of the mountain and the lake Arenal, when I was zipping high over the forest. I tell you, the view was just out of this world. If your trip takes you to Arenal and if you like zip-lining, I strongly suggest, DON’T MISS IT. You would love every second of it!

So, true to my promise, it will be a short blog. But I invite you to watch the short video clip using my sun-glass video. Enjoy the quick view; then you are done! And so am I. It’s time to move on.


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The sky was cloudy and true enough, it started raining when we reached the top platform. There was no choice but to wait until the rain cloud was gone.

The zip-line altitude here is higher than Monteverde. The sky tram in Monteverde travels a shorter distance of 2600 ft, whereas in Arenal Sky Tram dropped us to the peak platform after traveling 4100 ft. The longest span in Arenal is 2493 ft, which is also longer than Monteverde. The view is spectacular! On one side, I could see the lake Arenal. And not so far away, the Arenal Volcano looked majestic. Far below, it was the vast rain forest. I could see another parallel line at a distance that connects to another platform. If you watch the video clip carefully, you will notice momentarily that someone else was zipping far away in the opposite direction.

The zip-line style was similar to Salvatura; - I folded my legs and hung from the rope vertically. I picked up speed once I crossed the tree lines and I was now soaring over the vast forest below. I made a slow twist and I could see the lake Arenal and the volcano at a distance. I was mesmerized to see the collage of the lake, volcano and the rolling hills around me, and the vast forest below. I was twisting around and enjoying the ride as best as I could before the end came soon. I applied the brake, but it was too early…well, wrong move. I was stuck long before I could reach the finish line. There was no way I could now gain momentum to reach the finish line. I was standstill, just dangling from the rope over the vast forest hundreds of feet below. You know, I didn’t really feel bad or nervous; actually it felt funny – dangling from the sky! I know what you are possibly thinking – this guy is nuts! Anyway, I was briefly trained in Monteverde to deal with this kind of situation. I started hauling myself along the rope inching towards the finish line. It took me good five minutes to haul me there…not so bad for the first time, I thought. One of the crews said something in Spanish…probably he cursed at me “you smartass!” Well, I wouldn’t be surprised.

It was a 2.5 hours journey covering the 7 zip lines. Like always, I enjoyed thoroughly. The rain had stopped and the afternoon was cool. I folded my poncho and headed back to the hotel. Jorge and his family were busy. I excused myself and took a long walk to find a nice place to dine. It was a Chinese restaurant run by some Spanish people! That’s what I call a true fusion! The food tasted great! The walk back to the hotel was a pleasant one in the cool evening.

I met Caroline in the hotel lobby and told her that I would be leaving tomorrow. I gave my email address and said goodnight to her. I knew that I was going to miss this family when I leave. Sadness crossed my mind. But I told myself – don’t let the pain take away the happiness I gained. I was too tired to brood and slowly drifted into sleep.


Additional photos below
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9th May 2016

Sunglass video
Great to see a sunglass video Tab. Great piece of equipment that you will be able to capture amazing memories as you embrace life's adventures. Thanks for sharing. I want one!
9th May 2016

Sunglass video
Hi Dave, Thank you for your appreciation. I started inserting the video clips into my blogs, whenever they are available. This was one was your suggestion. Hope readers feel excited to see the clips like you do. One of my friends in India liked it last night. It's easy to get one of these...I bought this from a camera shop here...not that expensive either...but it is handy I must say. Merry Jo has mentioned about you in one forum when she was responding to me. I told her that we interact often!

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