In Alajuela Province we stayed at a lodge near the base of the Arenal Volcano. On our first morning there we went zip-lining above the canopy of the rainforest. I'll admit, I was a little nervous despite having gone zip-lining in Guatemala years earlier. And I don't think I was the only one, either. Of the eleven of us who did this excursion, five were in their eighties. I was truly inspired...(um, afraid, but truly inspired). In our harness gear we drove up the mountain to the first of 12 tree-top platforms and zip-lined our way back down to the resort at the bottom. The first platform jump was the scariest, afterwards you pretty much knew what to expect. Some of the zip-lines, the longer ones, had us going at a velocity of 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour; trying to slow down as you approached the next platform was the most difficult part. The photos of our zip-lining excursion were taken by our guides. While in this area we also visited the Arenal Volcano National Park, walking a paved trail to Lake Arenal to get a good view of the volcano. There are also some photos of the city of La Fortuna (where our lodge was located) at the base of the volcano. Roy and I walked around the main square which resembled a botanical garden. La Fortuna is a tourist town, the launching point to all the area's outdoor activities, and has a ton of shops, restaurants and bars. I really enjoyed the place. Our guide took us to two awesome restaurants for dinner during our stay.