The river didn’t freeze after all, and neither did we, as we glided (crashed?) our way down 12 miles of the Sarapiqui River. 
The water was actually quite warm, and we got to sample quite a lot of it as we splashed out way through a series of Class III rapids. Pretty exciting, makes rafting on the Lehigh seem like a bathtub experience.
In the afternoon we visited the little one street town of Sarapiqui, to get a glimpse of small town life in this largely agricultural community. Kind of grim environment, but if that is all you know of life, it probably feels pretty natural. 
What is unnatural to the people here is seeing 20 Americans with expensive photo gear and fancy shoes walking up and down their commercial street, looking for souvenirs.
Back to our thatch huts in the evening for drinks and dinner, then early to bed to rest up for the next day’s activities