March 24 - Monday. We are up early with anticipation for our trip to the Rain Forest Aerial Tram. The guidebook says this is a private nature reserve on the boundary of the Braulio Carrillo National Park where the highway exits at the northeastern boundary on it's way to Puerto Limón. This is an ingenious ski-lift like affair originally created to facilitate continued studies of the canopy as well as to educate people to the wonders of the rainforest.   We drive through downtown San Jose's traffic and head northeast about 20 km to the Braulio Carrillo National Park.  It is very reminiscent of the deep canyons and steep hills of West Virginia and parts of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee.  About twenty minutes outside of San Jose, we cross the Continental Divide and into the park.  There is a toll both where we pay the $1.50 charge.  The road is very steep,  has tight switchbacks and is not in good shape.  There are no painted lane markers and at one point we were three across going up hill!  Now I'm seeing some of that notorious insane driving.  The good thing about the road conditions is that it keeps the overall speed of traffic down around 45 mph.

We are traveling in a utilitarian jeep which has fold down bench seats in back that face each other and no air suspension.  Jonathan, Vilma and I ride in the back and are tossed into the air with every bad chuckhole. Jonathan is trying to read but his book is bouncing up and down and he can't keep his place.  This is hilarious!  But the scenery is quite beautiful.  The clouds hang in the trees and I don't know how to describe that wonderful fragrance that comes from warm moist trees and rich humus earth. 

 To enter the Rain Forest Aerial Tram Reserve costs $47.50 each for non- residents, Jonathan is half price. This entitles us to take the 90-minute ride as many times as we like.   From the parking lot we are driven along a gravel road about 1.5 km on a truck with benches on it's flatbed.  Then it's a short walk through the woods to a swinging bridge high over a river.  Once over the bridge, another truck takes us up to the hill.  Finally it's another short walk to visitors center.

As we approach we see little caution signs, like the wet-floor signs in the grocery store, marking the leaf cutter ant crossing.  These ants are incredible to watch as they industriously tote pieces of leaves much larger than their own bodies from what appears a far distance from their destination.  They don't actually eat the leaves, but use them to grow a protein rich fungus inside their nest.  It is quite interesting to watch their determination.  Perhaps these are the ones Job had in mind when he said 'behold the ant'.     

The tour begins in a small thatched-roof open building with a short movie about the history of the tram as a way to study the rainforest canopy.  This tram ride is one of the originator's ideas to educate people in hopes that each one of us will be inspired to do what we can to save the rainforests of the world.  

Nicaraguan Army helicopters lifted the 30-meter towers into place.  Each tram car holds 5 passengers and a guide.  Ours was very knowledgeable and learning his fifth language. We float quietly through the forest, about 45 minutes out on a lower level, about 20 feet high,  and return on a higher level, about 50 feet up.  A better time to see birds and animals is earlier in the morning. We don't see many birds and no animals, probably because it is after noon. I see lots of 'house plants' I recognize, many feet taller of course.

At the beginning of the tram ride is an outdoor eating place. A buffet is served on a deck built around the trees. Cost was $7.50 each. There was lots of fresh pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya. We bought a couple T-Shirts at the gift shop for under $10.  They even take Visa way up here.  We head back down in the flatbed and back to the parking lot.  Upon leaving Rodrigo drove east a little further on the road toward Limón. We come down the eastern slope into some very different country.  Here we see coffee and banana farms and roadside fruit stands before we turn around and head for home.  A most unusual sight as we cross the bridge over the Rio Sucio is the brilliant orange water caused by sulfuric deposits flowing from Volcan Irazu.

On to Santa Ana and Hotel Irazu

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