We had an early wake-up call to leave for the cave. The hike up there is a strenuous one, so we wanted to start before it got to hot. We had breakfast at 7, said goodbye to Mau, then left promptly at 7:30. We had about an hour drive north past Dominical, on up to the highway that led to San Ipsido.
Diamante Verde is in an area of land that has been set aside by a family of ex-pats. Their son, Jesse, runs most of the tour groups through this dense jungle. We start out at their house, trek through lowland farms, then straight up the mountain through the rainforest. It is a steep climb with narrow, muddy steps most of the way. Many people choose to take horses up, so their path criss-crosses with the steps on the way up. It makes no difference whether or not you're in the shade; it is so humid that you are drenched in sweat. When the students hear that it is only a mile or so up, but could take almost 3 hours, they get a little confused. Once you head out though, it becomes painfully obvious...
Along the way Jesse and our other guide, Diego, would stop for water breaks at spots that had edible plants. We got to try all kinds of items and the two of them explained what ailments they cured. There was a garden halfway up the hill that provided a nice break for us all. We had mango juice, straight from the mango, had fresh sugar cane sticks, tried cacao beans, ate peppermint leaves, etc. Jesse asked if the students wanted to try a plant that would make their mouths numb- about 6 readily volunteered. Turns out the fruit was noni, which tastes like curdled cheese! Lots of spitting and drinking water after that one. He did, however, explain a practical use for it- fermented it is used in a juice to help cancer patients.
After a 30 minute break we continued on to the waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking and definitely a sight for sore eyes after such a long, hot hike. We took stone steps up between two small parts of the waterfall, then walked under the cliff toward the cave. They had all of our cots already set up and two people were working hard to prepare lunch. We hung out for a little, waiting for another group of travelers, Girl Scouts from Colorado, to join our group for the evening. For lunch we had chicken tacos with beans and fresh cheese & salsa, and chips with guacamole- all prepared in the full kitchen inside the cave.
Jesse and Diego prepared the lines for rappelling at 1:30. We received our safety instructions, then the Girl Scout group, Mrs. Wooden, and Katy, Lou, Kayce, and Katie were all fitted for their harnesses and helmets. They allowed the rest of the group to leave the cave and congregate around the bottom of the waterfall to watch the rappelling. We cheered on the first group, took mental notes of what worked and what didn't, then the second group got their gear & hiked up to the top for their turn. Finally, the 3rd group of 10 got their turn to go.
It was overcast the entire time, but I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe we could get everyone in ahead of the rain. Each group took about 45 minutes to go. We were able to get down before the heavy rainfall; however, like last time, there was thunder and some lightning in the distance when I went last. I must be bad luck. I was so thankful for the group that stuck around for EVERYONE & cheered me on at the end- Patrick, Kayce, Peter, Katy, Katie & Lou. And Mrs. Wooden, who took everyone's photo going down when I couldn't for that last group. It was nice to have that extra bit of encouragement when you're rappelling a 90 foot cliff in a thunderstorm :)
The total downpour started once we were all safely in the cave, as dry as a cave can get, and our guides started preparing dinner. Many of the students opted for a cold spring water shower after a gross day of hiking. We didn't smell as bad- more of a musty smell now- but it was impossible to feel dry. It was a weird feeling because it was so humid, but it was very cool. People put on sweatshirts and rainjackets and we had tea made from herbs in the garden to try to keep us warm. Dinner didn't disappoint either- pasta with homemade sauce, garlic bread, and salad. Again, all prepared in the cave kitchen.
There were two really cool things about it getting dark so early. First, they set up candles everywhere in the cave. All of the railings have candles and the tables have 2 or 3 candles as well. It looks so pretty. The other part that was neat was right by the waterfall. Diego brought groups out there right as we were getting ready for bed. He asked us to turn off our flashlights. The ground was glowing like stars in the sky. Diego told us that the fireflies lay their eggs on the ground. Their larvae has the same bioluminesence as the adults. He put the flashlight on one and it looked like a tiny black caterpillar. It was incredible.
We settled in for the night much earlier than the students were accustomed to, but it was so dark and such a full day that our bodies were so ready to call it a day.
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