Idyllic Costa Rica: ATVs, rafting, and thermal soaks

It was a whirlwind five days of hiking, rafting, and ATV riding--a rejuvenating soak in the therapeutic mineral waters. And all of it was great. Exquisite pools of thermal water yawned in front of me, spilling over meticulously-landscaped terraces, one by one, in a rippling domino effect. I clung to the edge of my crystalline pond, chin poised atop my hands, staring into the distance.