Costa Rica - Swiss Travel Tours - Horseback Riding - Zip Lining - Hot Springs

I loved the day long tour arranged for about $100 with the Swiss Travel Tours.  Alehandra was the tour guide. He was fun and a wealth of information about local sights and customs.  I was the old guy with a terrific group of young people from Ohio and Pennsylvania.  Nurse, OT, Executive Assistant and Financial Planner.  As representatives of todays young adults there is serious hope for the future.  My office assistant Joanne had said her parents loved the zip lining through the jungle heights. I'm now convinced they are younger and in better shape than me. I had the idea of something less exciting and less strenous.  It was way more fun. I really loved the horseback ride. The whole tour occurred on a private ranch. I'm pretty sure it was Verdanna.  This is a terrific place, a functing farm that produced most of the food we later had for a magnificent meal at the end of a great day.  The white hatted cowboy - horse master - really was the real thing. The horses were obviously family. Nothing 'trail ride' about this group. Really well cared for horses which the family themselves were riding about their fields.  It was a thoroughly beautiful ranch near the volcano.  Great to see this beautiful countryside .On the ranch horses were an active means of transportation. As grandad was a big northern rancher I really appreciate cared for horses and ranch and farm folk that really take pride in their world. One of the sons accompanied us on the ride and spoke with enthusiasm about building an additional water slide complex to add to their already luxurious hotsprings complex. The water is natural mineral healing water but it's heated because it cools off getting to the pool. I liked the honesty. I liked everything about this. The company was funny too. I wished I'd had more time for more tours. The river boat tours were popular and Alehandra said these were great for bird pictures.  These are horseback riding pictures.  I have to put the zip lining ones on the next blog.