Weekend temperatures in northern Minnesota are in the low teens. 12 inches of snow in southeastern Wisconsin. Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, 85 degrees F. and sunny!

Now after six days in Costa Rica, I have officially forgotten about snow and Ice. Did cold ever exist? I don´t think so. With the Pacific Ocean stretching to infinity, I am no longer a polar explorer. Instead, I am Eric Larsen, tourist. It is a role that I am still getting used to.

There are, of course, benefits to my new job. The office space is accomodating - a wide swath of warm sandy beach. Coworkers are genial, too. After all, when was the last time you played office politics with iguanas, sloths, monkeys and crabs. On the beach, playing in the waves, having someone else cook all my meals. This country is truly amazing. The plants. The forest is so thick. Walking through the Manuel Antonio National Park, it was hard to take it all in.

Enter Dream Forest Canopy tours. I wanted to get a closer look at the top layer of this uniqe ecosytem, learn more about the wildlife here and as always, have fun. My friend Sean and I were met by Gil who with driver took us toward the interior. We picked up photographer Luciana (a Costa Rican Adventure Racer) and Freddie along the way. Just when we thought the tour might be a scam to get two Gringos away from the police and ´roll´us, we arrived at our starting point.

There Gil and Freddie helped us get our gear on and we were off. What an incredible ride. Zipping from one platform to the next, we learned about many unique aspects of the rain forest here. It was a lot of fun and would highly recommend taking a tour with these guys. You can check out their web site at www.dreamforestcanopy.com. Thanks to the guys for use of this great picture, too.

While I haven´t given up on polar exploration quite yet, the weather here is enticing. I´m not sure I want to leave. Then again, I don´t have to yet. Next stop, Pacuare Lodge and a whitewater rafting trip.