Its 8:20 am on a Saturday in Monteverde. The farmers market is already in full swing. I would normally be one of the first ones there to get first pick of all the organic produce available. The kids run wild there and my boy loves it. I decided to stay in this morning and drink coffee and make a little journal entry. Later, at 10am, there is a yoga class Ill probably go to, and at 11:30 some friends are getting together to play Ultimate Frisbee.

If you’re ever around here on a Saturday morning, you should visit the Friends School and play around with us. Normally, when it’s raining, though, we don’t play. It’s a great way to meet the local community. Families from all over the mountain and run around playing. It good fun and great exercise. This, along with yoga, keeps me in shape.

Some friends from California are visiting today. They get in on the afternoon bus so theyll miss the game, but I have something even more exciting in store for them when they arrive. After leaving their bags at my place, up by the cheese factory, I am going to take them deep forest. I know some pretty good trails around here, trails that only the locals use to get from farm to farm, that cut through bits of dense jungle, with tremendous views of the Monteverde reserve.

Then, I am taking them on a zipline tour. I used to be a freelance guide for a couple of the local zipline companies, and I can think of no better way to show my friends the cloud forest. Seeing the forest from above, and having the freedom to soar over and through the canopy, was an experience that changed my life forever.. and is what has led me to live here.

There is something so primitive in the experience of being up in a tree, higher than you would typically climb if you were just out climbing trees in the park. To be at the top of a tall cedar tree that itself is located at the top of one of the tallest mountains in Central America, 5000 feet is simply unforgettable. When a cloud wisps by and the view opens up , there are fantastic views looking down over the forest, down into the lowlands and to the Pacific Ocean beyond.

When you hook up onto a cable with your pulley and zip across to another platform, you might find yourself in a whole new scenario, surrounded by moss covered tree limbs. There may be small creeks running beneath you, and small, tropical birds darting about. Howler monkeys can be heard from miles away.

From each platform you’ll see that the trees are covered with life. Mini-orchids cover the branches and lichenous moss create a carpet of moist vegetation to give life to bromeliads and parasitic plants. Many of the bromeliads are filled with water, dew drops that have condensed and dripped into the center of each, giving the perfect environment for frogs to lay their eggs.

Here the forest is magical. Light and darkness merge into an atmosphere not unlike an underwater landscaped. Ziplining is similar to scuba-diving in that you get the feeling of flight. Along the canopy tour at each point there is something to be overturned, explored and photographed. From army ants marching past a nest of stingless bees, to a carniverous toucan raiding the nest of blue warblers, life here offers much to be discovered.