Morning in Arenal

We woke up early, must have been before 7:00, still hungry but well rested and in a much better mood then last night.

Now, with the sun shining through the huge windows we started to look around and really appreciate the room we were in.




A large room with a queen bed and 2 twin beds, a table with chairs, a balcony with a very nice view of the volcano in the distance, a huge walk in closet and a bathroom with a nice size shower (with hot water).





After a quick shower we decided to go and check in and figure out where to eat...I don't thing what mattered much at that time...The staff at the desk were very nice and as soon as we walk it welcomed us and knew that we arrived late last night and advised us that breakfast will be served as soon as all the tables are set.






Since we had more then 30 minutes to waste we decided to explore the property a bit and we started by walking down the winding road leading to the gate that last night was secured by a chain.




The property was very well maintained with meticulously cut lawn and nice landscaping full of different flowers and trees. While the road on the property was nicely paved, the one outside the property was a gravel road with enough space for 2 cars to pass. The description provided by the teenager last night came to mind ..."the rocky road"...and with that also came a huge sense of relief, "We made it!"

We followed the road until we saw our balcony and realized we actually had the corner room and the room next to us appeared unoccupied. The cow that wished us good morning was long gone by then.








By the time we made it back up the road to the restaurant the tables were set and the buffet with the complementary breakfast was being served...Since we learned from Tom that the cows in Costa Rica are mostly a different bread then the ones in North America (they are an Indian breed able to stand the high temperatures)...I was reluctant to go for the cereal and milk option, but the eggs, cheese and fresh fruits were delicious.

Once the food started making its way to our stomach we started talking and laughing about yesterdays adventure and the face I made when I saw the chain on the gate...pure desperation and defeat...





After breakfast we talked to the front desk agent about the local attractions I had planed to see (the National Park with the hanging bridges, the volcanic springs, the volcano...) and was suggested one of the packaged tours that included the National Park, the La Fortuna Waterfall, lunch, and remainder of the time at the Baldi resort and hot springs where we also received a buffet dinner. The best part was that the packaged came with a bilingual guide at the park and a driver which will wait for us at each location (so we could go at our pace and spend as much or as little time at each location as we pleased).

Waiting for our tour I decided to take some shots of some of the flowers when I noticed a strange bug flying like no bug I noticed before...when I saw it fly up, down, forward, and backward around a flower I realized it was not a bug....but a Hummingbird, smaller then the bee I just photographed, unfortunately my camera was not quick enough to zoom on it and even if I kept seeing them all over the flower bush I could not get one decent shot....at the same time my husband called me over to show me a bigger one ...I barely got one shot before it was gone...but I saw hummingbirds for the first time in my life....I was ecstatic.

Off to our tour...

Happy Travels.

From Tortuguero to Arenal

This was the first morning that we had a chance to sleep in. We purchased a 'private' transfer to take us from Tortuguero to Arenal.











It was a wonderful sunny morning that almost made you regret that you are moving on, but we stayed already a day more then we planned and we still wanted to see so much more.

the one missing came home with us

We had a good breakfast, picked up a few souvenirs, took the last few photos of the village and said our good byes.

our guide and his youngest daughter

 We boarded a bout with about 20 other passengers and started our adventure up the canal to a transfer point where a private car was supposed to meet us.








After 2 days of heavy rain the canal was overflowing and in some places we saw property fences half submerged in water, and the canal also looked a lot more ruff then what we saw on the way to Tortuguero. (we were now travelling in a different direction)







We saw a bit of wildlife and just when we relaxed a bit the weather turned again and the downpour started. Once the rain started we were not able to see much and we were to preoccupied trying to stay dry, which was impossible, and listening to the sound of the engine chocking and being restarted. After what seemed like a very long time we finally made it...but the weather did not stop to inconvenience us, because of the raised canal we had to get out of the boat at a different dock then the one they usually used.



The dock we used was part of someone's fenced property that had tall grass and a few horses...it took only a few steps for the group to realized that the short distance that we had to cross to get to the road will have to be done with much care as the terrain was uneven with holes hidden by grass and water puddles... and since the horses were free to walk about that meant there was always the chance of stepping in something unpleasant.



We formed a chain and slowly made our way to the road.

Once out of the field we looked around to see that we were at a road crossing and the only shelter was the covered terrace of a bar which became very crowded, but by then the rain was stopping and we were soaked to the bones anyway.




A bus stopped and took most of the passengers...it was just us and a British student left. With her help we managed to understand from the staff that because of the rain the car that was coming for us was delayed, so we sat back and waited....and waited....and waited some more....after more then an hour we were told that the driver picked up the wrong passengers and they were getting a different car...about another hour later a taxi stopped and we were on our way....with the student.

While we were under the impression that we purchased a private transfer, I was happy to have her with us. They say there is strength in numbers and her Spanish was much better then ours and she knew the area. At some point we stopped and switched cars since our initial driver decided to return and pick us up after all.

By the time we made it to Arenal it was dark and after our adventure I was reluctant to get out of the car and look for a cab to take us to our hotel, so we decided to pay the driver a bit extra to take us to the hotel...it was the least he could do since we had to wait so much for him.....well now looking back I wished I would have looked for a different driver.

The easy part was dropping off our new friend to the village where she lived and was teaching English for the summer. Once we were sure that she was safe we explain the driver which hotel we want to go ....."Arenal Vista Lodge" on the south side of the Arenal Lake...I even showed him on the map.

First the driver took us to Arenal Lodge...I told him it was the wrong hotel and repeated the name "Arenal Vista Lodge"...then he took us to Visa Lodge...I showed him the map again...and pointed out that we were on the wrong side of the lake...he continued on the same road again until he said there are no more hotels that way....I asked him to go back and showed him the map again....I was getting mad and frustrated...2 hours passed and he was still insisting to go in the wrong direction, but out lucked turned when we passed the bridge that offers a great view of the Arenal Volcano and we noticed some teenagers.

I think I screamed quite loud as my "Stop" did make the driver slam the breaks and stop the car even if he did not speak one word of English.

Some of the teenagers spoke English and I explained them where I want to go....they did not know the Hotel name but when I showed them the map and the hotel next door the knew exactly where to send us....They gave the driver directions and then they gave us "Dora the Explorer" type directions...'you go until this bridge is over then turn right very hard...go on the rocky road until you cross a bumpy bridge...then you reach a cross road go right and follow the signs from there"...It must sound funny, but it worked...it was very dark so knowing the type of terrain we travelled on was a great help in making sure the driver was taking us, finally, to our destination....once he reached the signs he stopped and waited for us to tell him which way to go.....but this meant we were sure we were on the right road...after 10 minutes we made it...just to see the chain on the main gate.


My heart sank, and as I got out of the car and looked at my husband I was ready to scream....but my husband started to smile and pointed to the gate...a security guard was opening it...I was ready to jump of joy....we paid the driver and followed the security guard.

We were tired....to tired to even care that we were hungry and all we had since breakfast was a beer and a beg of chips.

The security guard gave us a key to a room and said we can check in in the morning when the staff arrive.

The room he picked for us was huge and had a nice view of the volcano...my husband saw a bit of the lava spill but I looked to late to catch it.

After such a roller-coaster of a day all I wanted to do was sleep...

Happy Travels