[Mikael in Transit] Adrenaline rush, eye candy in Costa Rica

This is the second of my series about my travels, published on Rappler. There are so many beautiful things to see, interesting cultures to experience, and 6 billion other people to meet. I think that the best way to make the most out life is to get to know this vast world that we live in. I’d like to share my experiences and hopefully pass the travel bug on. Read on and get ready to pack your bags!

One of the more adventurous stops on the trip to Costa Rica was to Selvatura Park. Here we found ourselves canyoneering drops about 150 feet high. To the uninitiated, canyoneering is basically freefalling off a cliff and hoping that the rope attached to you breaks your fall.

For the extreme sports lovers, that may not be much, but it gets pretty intimidating when it’s your turn to actually jump. Also on our list of extreme activities was the stretch of 13 ziplines we had to pass through.

Quite simply, the experience was spectacular. There’s no other way to put it. The view, the thrill of trying to take good video while doing it, and just making it to the last zipline was just amazing. You’ll see my buwis-buhay (death-defying) camera shot as I held on to my unsecured DSLR whie ziplining over the forest!

This was my personal favorite—La Fortuna falls. We’ve all seen a lot of waterfalls in photos, movies, and the like, but I never imagined the experience to be so different in person. Up close to the falls, I could feel its power – it felt surreal, even more so when I decided to jump into the freezing cold waters to take a closer look. It is definitely a must-see if ever you end up visiting the country. (READ: Saving the sea turtles on the other side of the world)

The adventures went from extreme to gastronomic in the Tirimbina complex in Sarapiqui where they made chocolate right in front of us. They displayed the process of turning cacao beans into edible chocolate, which eventually ended up in my belly! Although these kinds of tours aren’t unique to Costa Rica, the fact that I experienced it there made my trip more memorable.

Looking back, I think an important aspect of this tour was being with a group of interesting, amazing people. I realized that it didn’t matter where we all came from because we found common ground in being travelers and storytellers.

I do not think that going through those activities would have been as memorable if it weren’t for the group. There’s a bond that develops as we collectively overcome our fears in foreign place and make it out on the other end okay. It brought us together and created memories that we can call our own, as a group. – Rappler.com

Mikael Daez is passionate about making the most out of life. Food and travel makes his world go around and he will stop at nothing just to search for new experiences. At the same time, he loves getting everyone around him involved, and shares his passion by telling stories of his adventures. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram 

Editor: Abby Alcanzare
Graphics and animation: Kookie Santos, Luis Kintanar

Concept by: Mikael Daez and Nicky Daez