Vinho Verde Wines Hit Perfect Note For Light Refreshment

Seeking a wine that keeps things light and breezy? Look no further than Portugal.

Keep It Mellow

Cheer is in short supply these days. As our nation wrestles with COVID-19 and its terrible toll, we don’t need one more thing to drag us down. That includes the wine we drink.

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The weather in North Carolina has turned decidedly warmer, so it’s time for us to recalibrate our palates. Bring out the chilled whites and rosé!

A wine that’s sure to fit the season and bring a smile to your eyes is Vinho Verde. Vinho Verde is made in the northwest corner of Portugal, and is a category of young wines that are typically low in alcohol and have a spritz of effervescence. Drink them while they are young – there’s no aging required with these fresh-tasting wines.

The Vegan Table

We recently had the chance to taste through four bottles from Portugal: three the traditional Vinho Verde wines and one Alvarinho. To help with our tasting adventure, we drafted our daughter Rachel, a vegan baker and chef, to create a pairing meal.

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For our wines we selected the 2018 Casal de Ventozela and an Alvarinho from Quinta da Calçada. The meal was a vegan delight. The opener was cucumbers in homemade sweet Thai chili sauce. For our entree we savored a Thai yellow coconut curry with brown rice. We finished with chocolate chia pudding with fresh fruits. Oh yes, we had a dessert shooter with pineapple juice, crème de cacao and mango habanero vodka.

The Casal de Ventozela delighted us from the very start. In the glass the wine gushed in a welcome display of bubbles. Vinho Verde isn’t a traditional sparkling wine, but instead is frizzante – light bubbles that greet you and tickle your tongue, but then fade. There are light notes of citrus and melon, just perfect for our Thai-themed meal.

Our second bottle was the Quinta da Calçada Terroir. The Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) is the very best location for Albariño, or Alvarinho as it is known in Portugal. Quinta da Calçada has been producing wine since 1917, making it one of the oldest producers in the Vinho Verde region. This wine has outstanding minerality, a medium-full body with notes of peach and lemon with a touch of salinity.

The Seafood Table

For our second pair of wines, we moved our meal outside and switched our focus to seafood. It was a gorgeous evening on the patio that later turned into a romantic night under the stars. The Green Dragon prepared cedar plank salmon and shrimp with roasted asparagus and rice. Our meal began with the Manuel Costa & Filhos Melodia Rosé. This is an enticing wine made with Espadeiro and Touriga Nacional grapes. Whereas the other wines painted their canvas with citrus and tree fruit, the rosé was a bright bouquet of red cherries and strawberries. The acidity makes this a great food wine and it blended seamlessly with our shrimp and salmon.

As our evening continued we opened the Encosta do Xisto Vinho Verde. Xisto refers to the local shale, which is made from a mixture of mud, clay and tiny quartz and calcite fragments. This is a dry wine with the pleasing initial fizz. Flavor notes include green apples and peach.

Portuguese wines not only taste delicious, the price is easy to digest too. Many Vino Verde wines are available at prices $10 and below. Enjoy these fresh wines to give your morale a boost and your next meal some zip.

Full disclosure: These wines were received as marketing samples.

Costa Rica’s Monteverde Cloud Forest: Ziplining With The Original Canopy Tour

Looking to spot exotic animals in the cloud forest, zip through the lush treetops, or gallop on a sunset horse ride? Monteverde offers all this and more.

And Away We Go…

No adventure tour in Costa Rica would be complete without ziplining. We first zipped through the treetops in Ohio’s Hocking Hills and found the combination of speed, height and scenery to be marvelous. While in Monteverde, we hooked up with The Original Canopy Tour for our forest zipline experience. OCT is the originator of the canopy tour concept. The founders of the company moved from Canada to Costa Rica with the idea of creating an exhilarating experience while raising environmental awareness.

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The cost of the canopy tour is about $50 and you can book online. This is a half-day tour and you should be reasonably fit and comfortable with standing at heights of more than 100 feet. Be sure to wear closed toed shoes. Bring insect repellant and sunscreen. You can forget about your camera. I brought a small digital camera that had a wrist strap, but had almost no chance to use it. They have a professional photographer and the cost is a very reasonable $20. You’ll have lockers to stow your gear before heading out.

The zipline course is located in a 70-acre private reserve of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. After we were fitted with a harness and got a safety briefing we began with a vigorous hike up a hilly trail that winds through the woods. One of the nice things about the OCT is that it isn’t just ziplining. They have a few twists – like the Tarzan swing, which was the first course feature. This helps chase away the butterflies as you leap off the tower and take high, sweeping swings through the forest.

The canopy tour was part of the Eco-Adventure tour we booked with Green World Adventures. They did an outstanding job making all arrangements for our trip.

Into The Scary Tree

The course has 14 cables, but one of the most unique features doesn’t involve zipping. The Scary Tree is a large Strangler Fig tree that has overtaken a ficus tree resulting in a soaring tree with a hollow inside. Once atop the platform on the tree, our guide said the next step was to rappel – straight down -- from our 150-foot perch. This was different from our past rappelling experience as the guide was in control the whole way – and it seemed like he let me plummet for a good while before slowing my decent. I loved it!

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Once on the bottom, we had to get back to the platform in order to continue zipping. To do that we clamored up rope netting into the hollow tree. When you come out the opening, the path to the top is a vertical rope ladder. After that we were ready to get on the zipline and feel the wind blowing in our faces.

The longest cable is more than a half-mile long. For this one we were instructed not to brake as we would need all our momentum to make it to the next platform. I followed all the instructions. I swear I did. Still, I came up a bit short and finished the last 15 feet or so by pulling myself hand-over-hand to the platform.

The Original Canopy Tour is a first-class operation and an exhilarating experience. We recommend it highly.

Tree House Restaurante

After a pulse-racing morning, we decided to enjoy a relaxing lunch in Santa Elena. One place had caught our eye as we drove past, the Tree House Restaurante and Café. The main feature of the restaurant is a giant ficus tree that grows right up through the middle of the restaurant and up to the roof. The first order of business was liquid refreshment.

We enjoyed two of our favorite local beers: Pilsen and Imperial. I first had Imperial after I got tossed into the Pacaure River during our rafting trip. As the first into the water, I had to buy beer for the rest of the crew.

We decided on burritos and they did not disappoint. The quality of the food, the surroundings and excellent service makes this a sure-fire pick for a meal during your visit to Monteverde.

After the short walk back to Villa Lodge we decided we had time for a nighttime activity. Through the front desk we were able to book a night tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest.

My wife had her heart set on seeing a sloth and I figured the best way was to do a night walk. The evenings can be cool in the cloud forest, so dress accordingly. The weather can be changeable, too. We had a rain shower while waiting for our shuttle bus, but didn’t encounter any on our tour. The tour provides flashlights, but I brought my own.

Monteverde Night Walk

The tour cost is $25 and if you are expecting to see a menagerie of animals, keep your money in your wallet. We had the misfortune of having an unenthusiastic and just not very good guide. His name was Gopher (although the spelling may be suspect). This activity is very popular and the woods were crawling with other tour groups.

Other guides were animatedly talking to their people while Gopher spent a lot of time explaining why we might not see anything and then asking us to keep moving along. Other guides had spotting scopes they set up for their guests to use. Gopher appeared to have one in his pack, but he never got it out.

On the bus back to the hotel others were talking about how they saw tarantulas and how amazing they were. We got to see the legs of a tarantula before Gopher said, “She’s not coming out, let’s move on.”

We did see a green vine snake in a distant tree, a stick bug, a few birds sacked out for the night and the back two-thirds of a White-nosed Coati. No sloths.

Walking around in a Costa Rican cloud forest at night with flashlights is fun and that’s probably worth $25 a head. Dial down your expectations and you’ll have a good time and might, just might, see some amazing animals.

Monteverde is natural Costa Rica at its best. Your options to explore are plentiful and fantastic memories are guaranteed.

Invisible Enemy Strikes My Wine Fridge

Battling the enemy within!

Mold Invades My Wine Stash

We’ve heard quite a bit about the “invisible enemy” recently. Although the talk currently is about COVID-19, I recently fought my battle with a different foe.

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I was upset when I went to the wine fridge only to discover mold had started to attack the label of my 1994 Château Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru. Before this I was blissfully unaware that mold can invade your wine fridge.

Back in Ohio, my wine cellar was in my basement – where the temperature was cool year-round. After our move to North Carolina, with its sweltering summers, I had to switch to a pair of wine fridges to properly protect my vino.

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Much to my dismay, I have learned that microscopic mold spores are floating in the air everywhere. They find a surface they can latch onto and start to grow. If it gets into your wine refrigerator, it can rot your wine labels and corks.

What About The Wine?

Before I attacked the mold, I decided it was time to attack the wine. It was high time to open my Saint Emilion. I didn't want to expose the rest of my bottles to the moldy label. The cork was intact, but crumbled as I tried to pull it. After straining into a decanter, I took a sniff.

At first there was an acetone odor and the taste was medicinal. Gradually, the funk started to dissipate, like the sun burning off the morning fog.

Free of the funk, there is a core of blueberry and dark fruit accented with cigar box and a riffle of minerality. Twenty-six years on, there's was lot to like about this wine. We spent the entire evening sipping it. Then it was time to go to work.

Unfortunately, mold needs the same conditions that we have inside our wine fridge: water, food, darkness and a stable temperature.  Corks are made of wood (mostly) and labels are made of cellulose. Mold decomposes both these substances. Based on my experience, an old label is like an aged porterhouse steak to hungry mold spores.

To address the situation in my cooler, I pulled all my bottles and wiped them down with a diluted mixture (50-50) of ammonia solution and water. The inside of the fridge also got a good wiping.

I placed a packet of silica beads (that came in a package for another product) into the fridge and also a small box of baking soda to boot. I also increased the temperature in my fridge by a couple of degrees to throw the mold spores off balance.

The solution has worked. I check occasionally, but try not to be opening the fridge so often that mold rushes back in. Here is a link to a great resource from NewAir, a manufacturer of wine refrigerators. In this time of crisis, the last thing we need is to be fighting two invisible enemies.

The Great American Takeout Is Tuesday, March 24: America’s Restaurants Need You

National Event Aims To Boost Business For Nation's Restaurants
These are challenging times. Our mindset is usually positive and optimistic, but it seems like the drumbeat of bad news about COVID 19 keeps on reverberating. As I write this, Ohio has just announced a shelter in place order. Here in North Carolina as well as other states restaurants have either closed or been restricted to takeout and delivery orders. The hospitality industry, in general, has taken a crippling hit. 

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As a result, America’s restaurants need our help! The coronavirus poses a significant threat to the future of an industry that employs more than 15 million Americans. Spearheaded by a coalition of restaurants, #TheGreatAmericanTakeout has been launched. Your help is essential in this effort to help restaurants and their employees. While we can’t enjoy a nice dinner at a local café or restaurant, we still can provide some needed support.

On March 24, we’re asking everyone in America to show their support for the restaurant industry by joining #TheGreatAmericanTakeout and eating at least one delivery or pick-up meal.

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Please join us in eating takeout or delivery on 3/24 and sharing to your social channels, tagged with #thegreatamericantakeout!

I hope that soon we’ll be able to gather in our favorite restaurants, shaking hands, embracing and enjoying a wonderful meal with a special bottle of wine. That time isn’t now, and it appears as if we’ll have to hunker down for a while. We can and will make it through by helping each other.
#Thegreatamericantakeout is the first step. Please join in this important event.

Costa Rica's Monteverde Cloud Forest: Horseback Riding With Equus

Looking to spot exotic animals in the cloud forest, zip through the lush treetops, or gallop on a sunset horse ride? Monteverde offers all this and more.

Into The Cloud Forest

San Jose may be Costa Rica’s capital and largest city - but visitors to this Central American country will only find spectacular scenery and wildlife by venturing forth into the hills and forests. We had the good fortune to visit Costa Rica during February, which is during the country’s dry season and was before the coronavirus sent the US and world into a tailspin.

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We booked our trip through Green World Adventures, which handled our lodging, excursions and all our transfers. It is a super way to travel and gave us the best of both worlds. We traveled as a couple (and not a large group) but made plenty of friends on the excursions we participated in. Our tour was called Eco-Adventure, and it certainly was.

Monteverde, or Green Mountain, is a major destination for adventurers. After crossing Lake Arenal in a ferry, we bumped and rumbled to Santa Elena, a small town adjoining Monteverde, and prepared for a horseback riding outing.

We stayed at Villa Lodge, which is on a gravel road that is under construction and lies just a short walk from restaurants and the main part of town. The inside is spacious and includes a television, refrigerator, and microwave. There is no air conditioning, but a standing floor fan provided a nice breeze. Breakfast was included, and we enjoyed the beautiful dining spot and friendly service.

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One evening the Green Dragon, my wife, called me to look outside. A cow was wandering the side of the street. We were told this is common. In other parts of Costa Rica we’d see horses as well as cows meandering while searching for the tastiest grass.

Giddyap Horsey

Action was on our agenda and soon after checking in we were off to ride horses. Equus was the excursion provider and promised “gentle” horses. This was important to me since I had only been on a horse one other time in my life. That was in summer camp when I refused to ride ponies with the other grade school kids and demanded a ride on Big Red.

The horses were being assigned and riders and horses cantered to the trailhead. I wondered what sort of horse would be left in the corral, since only me and another poor soul had yet to be given rides.

Before long I was in the saddle of Carmelo, who like Carmelo Anthony of the NBA (remember that?) is a bit long in the tooth. My wife was riding Hernando and, with me holding my breath, we rode down the trail.

The sweeping countryside was amazing. We were riding at the perfect time as the sun was starting to sink. Its rays made the foliage glow with golden hues. Carmelo plodded along at first, but then displayed the spirit of Rocky Balboa, passing pokey horses dawdling in a stream. We then burst up a steep hillside to pass a passel of horses on their way to our sunset overlook.

The horses are sure-footed. I was surprised how they navigated rugged slopes and put their hooves in just the right spot, avoiding ruts and piles of rocks.

Back at the starting point, we turned in our helmets and enjoyed a cup of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. My knees were a bit wobbly after the ride, but it was a marvelous experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Petit Manseng Wines Creating A New Stir

This French grape is finding a home among the hills of North Carolina. It’s also known as Esciberou, Ichiriota Zuria Tipia or Mansic. Ring a bell?

Petit Manseng is a rather obscure white grape grown primarily in Southwest France. The berries are small with thick skin and it's often used to produce late harvest wine. The grape is gaining popularity in North Carolina as well as states like Ohio and Virginia as it is well suited to the climate and soil.

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The grapes hang in loose bunches that allows air to circulate around the fruit during hot, humid summer days. This  helps minimizes mold and rot – conditions that can ruin a grape harvest.

We recently had a chance to attend a Petit Manseng blind tasting and wine thrown-down hosted by Jen and Dathan of Triangle Around Town. Featured were five Petit Manseng bottles from NC and Virginia:

• 2016 Jones von Drehle Petit Manseng (North Carolina) – A balanced wine with hints of lime and tropical fruit. A straw color with a touch of minerality. Light body.
• 2016 Horton Vineyards Petit Manseng (Virginia) – Light gold in color. Refreshing on the palate with a touch of sweetness and a rich body.
• 2018 Jefferson Vineyards Petit Manseng (Virginia) – Pronounced intensity with threads of honey, ginger and citrus. Light gold in color with platinum highlights. This wine delivered the goods and was my top pick of the night!
• 2018 Williamsburg Winery Petit Manseng (Virginia) – Plenty of acidity and complexity in this wine, which was the favorite of several attendees.
• 2017 Jones von Drehle Petit Manseng Barrel Select (North Carolina) – This is a very popular wine for Jones von Drehle. There are pronounced floral and oak flavors. This was also a top pick for the group, while some (yours truly included) felt the ABV was a bit too high.

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The take-away from the tasting is that Petit Manseng is breaking into the mainstream. Often used to create sweet wines or in blends, Petit Manseng can stand on its own as a versatile and beautiful grape. I didn’t realize its popularity in Virginia, which some time ago adopted Viognier as its “signature” grape. The wines we tasted should make Virginia rethink its choice!

In North Carolina, Petit Manseng is trending as a popular pick for winemakers. Its characteristics mean Petit Manseng is less susceptible to disease in the vineyard. High acidity allows additional hang time on the vine where it can develop some nicely nuanced flavors.

About a half dozen North Carolina wineries sell Petit Manseng and several more vineyards grow it. If you haven’t yet tried Petit Manseng, treat yourself to a bottle made with this up-and-coming grape.

Yatir Winery Offers Pair Of Premium Judean Hills Releases

The Yatir region of Israel boasts a winemaking tradition more than 2,500 years old. It’s the site of one of the country’s largest forests – and some very good premium wine.

More Wine!

Israel is an ancient land steeped in history that has seen the rise and fall of civilizations. More than 50 years ago an ink-scribed pottery shard was discovered in Tel Arad. The artifact dates to 600 BC.

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It was only recently that a new method, multispectral imaging, enabled unseen characters on the potter shard to be deciphered. What important message was discovered? A request for more wine! We agree with that sentiment, especially if it is like these two bottles.

Yatir Winery, recognized by the bold red lion gracing its labels, was founded in 2000. The Yatir region has been known as one of the finest for growing grapevines for more than 2,000 years with wine being exported to Egypt, Rome and across Israel.

The Yatir region is also known for Yatir Forest, planted at the urging of David Ben-Gurion, the primary national founder of Israel. Yatir Winery has three ranges of wine, the top being Yatir Forest.

The Red Lion Roars

We recently uncorked a red and white from Yatir Winery, the 2016 Yatir Creek and the 2017 Mt. Amasa White, both from the Judean Hills. The occasion was a wine tasting in Raleigh which featured a bottle share – each attendee brought a bottle or two to sample.

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The pair of Yatir bottles created a stir. It’s not every day you get to sample Israeli wine – especially from a critically-acclaimed boutique winery that has gotten a lion’s share of international recognition.

The Mt. Amasa White is a blend of 52% Viognier, 33% Chenin Blanc and 15% Roussanne. The wine is fermented and matured for five months in a combination of concrete amphorae, 500 liter oak barrels and stainless steel vats. In the glass the wine is gold with a greenish hue.

This is a medium-bodied wine with notes of peach, pear and melon. The acidity doesn’t overpower and instead contributes to a refreshing finish that has you reaching for another glass. The unique aging regimen gives this a distinctly Rhone Valley feel – although Chenin Blanc is a Loire Valley grape. A nice bottle at $27.

Yatir Creek is a red that is a step up in quality. The blend is 76% Syrah, 12% Tannat and 12% Malbec. This is a sophisticated wine that is a joy from the first sip. It’s deep purple in color and the aroma of black fruit draw you in magnetically. On the palate black cherry and currant flavors are knit together with solid tannins. Appreciation grows as the wine opens up in the glass.

Kudos must be given to Yatir Winery for their experimentation with different aging techniques. Although winemaking in Israel dates back thousands of years, the current industry is quite young. For the Yatir Creek, aging was done for a year in oak foudres (100-liter casks). The wine gets two years of bottle aging before release. Using the larger barrels avoids oak overkill which would mask the rich fruit.

The Yatir Creek would be ideal to pair with a hearty casserole or juicy steak. SRP is $50. Both wines are Kosher.

Full Disclosure: These wines were received as marketing samples.

Casillero Del Diablo 2017 Reserva Cabernet Costa Rica Limited Edition, Chile

Mardi Gras Far From Home

Mardi Gras has always been a special celebration for us. We’ve loved New Orleans since the first time we visited. Since then we’ve marked the occasion with celebrations large and small. This year was different.

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We decided to take an eco-adventure to Costa Rica. This Central American country is about as far away from good grape growing territory as you can get. Pineapples, watermelons, bananas, mangos, and papaya -- that’s a different story. The fruit is incredibly fresh and delicious.

The wine in Costa Rica primarily comes from Chile. While we didn’t comb through wine and liquor stores, I didn’t see any US wine on the shelves at the places we did go.

The Search For Vino

When we stopped at a supermarket in Santa Elena for some provisions on Fat Tuesday, I slid down the beverage aisle to see what the options might be. There were several South American wines that seemed very interesting.

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This bottle caught our eye because our friends are big fans of Casillero Del Diablo. What made me pull the trigger was the beautifully ornate bottle. The artwork includes toucans, blooming flowers and lush vegetation in an ornate and very Central American design. This is a limited edition Costa Rica release and that sealed the deal.

Although this is a reserva wine, it won’t blow your doors off. The reserva term indicates that the alcohol level is at least 12% but doesn’t require any special aging.

That being said, it is an enjoyable wine. For a Cab, it is light and fruit-forward. There are juicy flavors of plum and cherry and some wafting notes of oak. It was quite a treat in our bungalow room in Monteverde as we celebrated Mardi Gras 3,500 miles from home after a nighttime stroll through the cloud forest.

Casillero Del Diablo wines deliver great value for the dollar. While the entry range will satisfy your everyday drinking needs, the winery offers several ranges of quality with some nice bottles on the upper tiers.

Whitewater Rafting Costa Rica’s Pacaure River With Exploradores Outdoors

Our whitewater adventure was rolling right along – then we encountered the rapids called Graveyard…

Costa Rica White Water Excitement

White water rafting has always held an appeal for us since we first dipped our toes into the rushing waters of West Virginia’s New River. We’ve been rafting about a half dozen times, but never outside the US. When we booked our travel to Costa Rica, one of the main attractions was the chance to raft the Pacuare River.

Our Costa Rica travels began in San Jose where we overnighted at Hotel Auténtico. The next morning we boarded the Exploradores Outdoors van for our trip to their Exploration Center, the launching point for their raft trips.

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We started by fortifying ourselves with gallo pinto, the staple breakfast for Costa Rica which is rice and beans mixed with onions and peppers. It was quite good -- and we would need the energy for what lay ahead.

Our guide Roy was funny and obviously an expert rafter. We got the safety rundown as our bus rumbled to the river. He covered the basics of paddling, the various commands he would use, and safety instructions in the event someone went into the river. He also mentioned that drinks were on the first person to go overboard.

Packed With Rapids

The Pacuare River flows about 80 miles from the Costa Rican hills to the Caribbean. The one-day raft trip would cover 18 miles packed with 38 rapids. For the trip you’ll need the right rafting clothes, including light shoes that will stay on in the water, a quick-dry shirt, swimsuit, and sunscreen. There are lockers at the Exploration Center, so you can stow your luggage or change of clothes. At the half-way point, we would stop for lunch.

On either side of the river, tropical forest and steep green walls bracket the river. The weather had been mostly dry prior to our trip, but two days before the area had gotten a substantial rain -- which meant good rafting. During the first part of our ride, we practiced the various commands, such as “get down” where we would all crouch in the center of the raft while Roy guided us through a particularly rough passage.

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!

The section of the Pacuare we were rafting has Class III and IV rapids. The top classification for commercial rafting is V, which we’ve done a few times. Soon the water was churning and slapping over the edges of the raft as we paddled in rhythm.

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“Wow, was that a Class III?” someone asked. “No,” Roy responded. “That was a one.” We strapped on our helmets a bit tighter and paddled on.

There’s nothing like the exhilaration of being on a raft navigating through jutting rocks, riding high on a rapid’s swell then plunging down into the spray. Meanwhile, you’re paddling like crazy with your fellow rafters. The rapids come fast and frequent, but there are still opportunities to savor the beauty of the river and the forest beneath the impossibly blue Costa Rican sky.

We also had the opportunity to swim in the river, or more accurately drift in the current, in the calmer sections. The Huacas Waterfall plunges 100 feet into the river and you can paddle underneath to get an invigorating shower.

It’s Called Graveyard For A Reason

There are many named rapids including Pinball, Double Drop, and Bye Bye Burrito (which is right after the mid-way lunch stop). The lunch was a nice break to refuel with some tortilla wraps, fresh fruit, and cold drinks. One rapid that I won’t soon forget is Graveyard.

The key step to stay locked in the raft is wedging one foot under the inflatable strut in front of you and your other foot under the strut behind you. Maintaining that while all heck breaks loose is the trick.

Our raft went nose down into Graveyard. It hit a rock or wall of water and momentarily compressed. When it did, my foot pushed down on the raft bottom, freeing it from its locked-in position. The raft uncoiled and I saw the front paddler lurch over backward toward the water. My wife then splashed down.

I was catapulted out of the raft, twisting in the air for a moment I could see the sunshine reflecting on the cascading water. Then I plunged in, enveloped by a swirl of foaming water and bubbles.

When I resurfaced, I was about 20 feet from the raft, still clutching my paddle. I tried swimming to the raft but had no luck against the swift current. I made my way to a safety kayak and tried holding fast to a rock, but soon slid off into the roaring current. The second time was the charm, as I locked onto the kayak and was soon hoisted back into the raft.

Never before had I been tossed from a raft, but the Pacuare was a worthy opponent, full of exciting rapids and rocky challenges. Thanks to the safety briefing and professionalism of the Exploradores Outdoors crew, I never felt unsafe despite bobbing like a cork in the swirling chaos.

It was a trip to remember. I know my raftmates certainly will -- I had to buy them each a cold Imperial beer when we got back to base camp!

Both Exploradores Outdoors and Green World Adventures (who put together our Eco Adventure) are highly recommended.