Arenal Adventures

Hey, that was not on the brochure!!!! --more on that later..

Last night we decided to explore La Fortuna center. It was tour shops, souvenier shops, restaurants and little else. It had none of the quaintness of the Santa Elena center in Monteverde, and I was a bit disappointed. I wont be spending much time there! We ate dinner at La Choza, which was very good. Comida tipico (local cuisine) in an outdoor, open air place. Tile floors and picnic bench tables. The food was fairly pricy relative to some other places weve been to, but the portions were huge. We both got chicken as we were told thats what they are known for. Also got an avocado y platain dish for an appetizer.. wasnt sure what to expect and it was a surprise. They mashed the plantains and fried them, almost like a thick (very thick) tortilla, and then they had guacamole, bean dip and pico de gallo. It was very good with hot sauce (good but I thought a little bland).

We then went back to the hotel and sat by the hot spring. Saw a HUGE toad, well a smaller one and a big one, and got pics. We watched them eat dinner too! Had a margarita and went to bed early. The volcano cleared a bit, but no sparks to indicate lava flow. Maybe tonight. Oh, and to keep my mom from having a heart attack from my last post, the lava flow is on the other side of the volcano.

I woke up really early in the morning and headed to the restaurant to watch them feed the birds. Not sure what I expected, but it wasnt it! They stuck pieces of banana on a bare tree and birds really flocked to it. And two mice too!! The colors were amazing, and there was one that was black and a flourescent red-orange, and one that was a baby blue color. Also a vivid violet one that was very small. In no time the fruit was gone.

For breakfast I had desayuna tipica. Rice and black beans with cilantro, scrambled eggs on a very thick and small tortilla. It was incredibly good, esp with some hot sauce! I met a bunch of guys in town from LA for one (Eric´s) bachelor party week. Much more exciting than a night of drinking and watching strippers! There were seven of them and they were a riot. Just Eric was out at first and I sat down with him. His friends one by one started piling in, and one was more of a riot then the next. They just got in the night before so I shared my MV adventures with them. They were staying here for a few days then headed to Jimenez (I think) for surfing. Seems to be the hot surfing spot, as i heard several people talking about it. I do love traveling for the amazing people you meet.. both locals (Ticos) and tourists. Ive met several folks from England, Australia and many from all over the US. its fun to share our adventures.

Met a wonderful couple with a cute little baby from Indianapolis. They heard me talk about MV and were planning to go there, and asked about it. They were very excited. I saw them again climbing the falls, but more on that...

I got picked up at 8 for my horseback ride to the La Fortuna falls. I was a bit nervous as I had only been on a horse twice, once a month ago. But this excursion sounded so wonderful and i didnt want to miss it! I met with Jonny, my guide, who was an adorable (Oh god, I cant believe Im going to say this) kid (ugh!!) of 21. My horse was HUGE and much bigger than his! I could barely get up in it, and there was no little step to ease the way up. Thank goodness for yoga! The horse, Jitano, was a bright red color and 10 years old. He was also not the docile trail horse i rode in Phoenix! He had a bit of spunk and wasnt pleased when I tried to slow him down from the trot he broke out in!! I got used to it after a while, and with a little arguing we managed just fine. We rode for maybe 40 minutes on a dirt road that was very rocky by several small rapids and rivers, then cut off through a beautiful field. Jitano wanted to socialize with the other horses we saw (thus our arguments!) but i managed to keep some control and off we went. We stopped first at a small fall called Pino Blanco, and left the horses. The rest of the way was climbing.

350 steps down, with some of the steps so wide I could barely navigate them on the way up! Through the forest, and it was really beautiful, with the sound of the falls. We climbed down and saw a river that was maybe 50 feet wide. Large rocks and some rapids in this section and just below. Across the river was a set of stairs. Jonny pointed and said thats where i was to go! ?????? Seriously! There was another way around that you could view the falls, but not get close. Um, ok. Of course I didnt bring a plastic bag for my camera, but did wear my suit. Good thing! And thankfully I brought my tevas instead of sneakers. While i was a little leery hiking through the forest with them, I was thankful!!!

So, stripped to my suit and proceeded to step into the coldest water Ive felt!!! i had my camera tied on my neck, and i was praying to keep it dry. After two steps in the river, i was just praying to make it across! The rocks were very slippery and sand was hard to come by under my feet. The current was strong but i was determined! Off i went! it took around 10 minutes to wade across, in water that was waist deep. Whew! I don{t recall reading about this in the brochure!!!! I climbed the steps and off I went to the falls. it was worth the view and simply magnificent. I climbed down to the base and took lots of pics, and this is where I ran into the couple with the baby from my hotel. I recommended the tour guide Adrien, that we had in the cloud forest and spoke with them for a bit. The air was misty from the falls and the weather was perfect.. warm in the sun and a little cool in the shade.

After 15 minutes or so I decided to make my way back. I{m not sure if it was the excitement of seeing the falls or if the current was stronger, but it took twice as long. Instead of being waist deep it was chest deep and I started getting really nervous! It seemed to take forever and i slipped a couple of times and thought I was going down, but managed to catch myself. I got 10 feet from the end and tossed my camera to Jonny. I finally made it over and kissed the ground! After a few minutes of drying off and calming down, I tossed my jeans back on and off we went. The stairs were quite a hike, and I{m thankful I do a bit of it back home! We got to the top, took a break, got the horses and headed back. We ran into another group and my horse was very happy to have company.

What a blast! Jonny works on the farm with his grandfather, whom I met. Hes lived in La Fortuna his whole life, and has been to San Jose and one other area in CR. Hes never been out of the country or anywhere else in CR. He is curious but wont leave his grandfather, whom he feels needs his help. Hes a really nice guy and we talked a lot about life in both countries. Oh, forgot to mention that there are zip lines going near the falls, which would be quite cool! I met a big black dog when we got back, whom Im told does zip lines. They said they have a harness for him and everything.

Headed back to the hotel for a shower, then we go into town for lunch. Im starved! Were going to a soda, which is a Tico restaurant for the local cuisine (the locals are called Ticos. I made the mistake of calling someone a local, and got a funny look. Then i realized he probably thought i said loco, or crazy person. ooops!)

Few things I forgot-- found that theres a very big mountain next to the arenal volcano, called cero chato. Its a volcano as well, but not active. We also passed a maleku indian hut on the ride, which was interesting!!

Not much planned for today, just maybe some exploring, then Eco Termales tonight. Its a hot spring that is family run and offers local cuisine. I heard the gardens are beautiful and its very much worth seeing.

No sign of lava flow yet, and I was told that if there is some youd usually see sparks at the top of the volcano. Ive been told the best views are in arenal park (you cannot hike the volcano, but can hike around the base of the volcano) and the Arenal observatory lodge, which I think I was told is closed at 5 to non-guests. Eliomar told me about a guided hike that you can do, so I will think about it. The roads are very windy and dark at night, so not sure we want to drive. Will see tomorrow what i feel like doing!

Eliomar has been very wonderful to us, sharing tips and great information. Hes adorable too, and I told him he´s in my blog and now famous. He got very embarassed so I said that I would just say how handsome he is! I swear he blushed...

Ok, Im off. I have no idea how i got that apostrophe in the last paragraph (i know Im obsessing, but I hate when my typing is this bad!) Having trouble as the keyboard is set up differently and since I dont look at the keys to type, I am getting goofed up! Anyways, very tired from the day and its only noon! Looking forward to some exploring though. No rest on vacation!!!!