Pura Vida Trip Report
Sep 20th, 2015, 01:04 PM
#21
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For an area that hasn't seen any rain for a long time, we sure are seeing our share of it. We've had some awesome sightings though, so maybe our luck will hold out. It's just my husband and I on the night tour. Marino takes us up to the very highest point, an area where he has seen many owls. We each have our own umbrella and stand out in an absolute deluge that finally starts to let up a bit. It's a little eerie standing out in the pitch darkness, but it also has the feeling of a great adventure. Marino has a high powered flashlight which he shines around without much luck. He decides to take out his magical bird calling machine and says he will play the call for the mottled owl. He plays it over and over as we each wait under our own umbrella. Then I hear it, swooping right over my umbrella and whizzing right by my ear, a huge flapping of wings as I see the owl land on the tree in front of me. The funny thing is that neither Marino nor my husband see it! They're both looking in other directions, and honestly I would have missed it too if I hadn't heard it first. The beating of the wings was loud and rhythmic. I knew it would be something big before I saw it. I ask Marino to please shine his light on the tree, and then they see it too. Great moment, and we're all thrilled that we got to see something in this crazy downpour. "Mottled owl," Marino says.
Sep 20th, 2015, 01:46 PM
#22
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As the rain gets so hard that we can barely see, we all decide to call it a night and head back down the dark winding dirt road in Marino's car. He tells us some neat stories along the way. We pass a nice house, and he points to it and tells us that it's the Donald Duck house. "Not actual Donald Duck, but the rich one; this guy did the voice." Not Donald Duck but the rich one. "Uncle Scrooge?" we ask. "Yes, exactly, Uncle Scrooge!"
Dinner tonight is a buffet of pork with red wine sauce, carrots and zucchini, rice, eggplant au gratin, pasta with bechamel sauce, and you guessed it, trout. Dessert is pretty fancy and delicious - chocolate cake and ice cream with Bananas Foster. We see Christina and Sebastian and all walk over to the bar together.
We spend the evening looking at our photos and comparing notes on what we've seen. I have a mango daiquiri that's so good, and everyone else enjoys their drinks as well. The best wifi on the property is in the bar, so we all take the opportunity to download our emails, and Christina sends me some of her best photos. Turns out they are leaving for the Arenal area tomorrow just like we are, and we're only leaving half an hour apart. We all stay up until 10:00 p.m., which has to be a record for CR, and say goodnight. My husband and I walk back to our cabin, build a roaring fire, and fall asleep. We'll be picked up at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow to go to the next stop on our trip, the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Very excited about this because the lodge is known for having great wildlife.
Dinner tonight is a buffet of pork with red wine sauce, carrots and zucchini, rice, eggplant au gratin, pasta with bechamel sauce, and you guessed it, trout. Dessert is pretty fancy and delicious - chocolate cake and ice cream with Bananas Foster. We see Christina and Sebastian and all walk over to the bar together.
We spend the evening looking at our photos and comparing notes on what we've seen. I have a mango daiquiri that's so good, and everyone else enjoys their drinks as well. The best wifi on the property is in the bar, so we all take the opportunity to download our emails, and Christina sends me some of her best photos. Turns out they are leaving for the Arenal area tomorrow just like we are, and we're only leaving half an hour apart. We all stay up until 10:00 p.m., which has to be a record for CR, and say goodnight. My husband and I walk back to our cabin, build a roaring fire, and fall asleep. We'll be picked up at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow to go to the next stop on our trip, the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Very excited about this because the lodge is known for having great wildlife.
Sep 21st, 2015, 07:35 AM
#23
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The next morning we're surprised to find that we're given menus at breakfast. Since the lodge isn't very full, we get to order a la carte instead of having the usual buffet option. We order an omelette and an American breakfast - both good, and they offer us delicious homemade strawberry jam. We see Christina and Sebastian, and he points to his toast and says, "Hey guys, I'm in a bit of a jam!" LOL, we're impressed by a man making puns in his non-native language!
Our driver Hugo picks us up at 9:00 a.m. and soon we're back on the narrow winding road that will lead us to the highway. We ask Hugo if we can stop at Paraiso Quetzal to see hummingbirds, and he happily agrees. I've read on this board that this is one of the best places to see them. We have some difficulty getting into the property, a huge hill that we go up and roll back down, go up and roll back down, finally we make it over and go to the tiny restaurant where we buy drinks and head out to the back patio. Another nice view here, and there are feeders full of fiery-throated hummingbirds, the ones we wanted to see! As they turn their heads, their little throats are illuminated by the sun, and we can see where they get their name. Really beautiful.
We spend six long hours bumping along. I look down at my Fitbit to see that I'm getting credit for climbing 161 flights of stairs! We get to travel on the Pan American highway, a road that Hugo tells us runs all the way from Panama to Alaska. We drive through busy San Jose and see lots of bars on the windows, razor wire, and fast food joints. Even Denny's and Wal-Mart - the pinnacles of American culture! I ask our driver if he likes Denny's and he says yes, but that it is very expensive. There are people standing at busy intersections selling things, everything from towels to plastic containers full of goodies. It's very congested. As we leave San Jose and get closer to Arenal, we pass through the cloud forest and can barely see because the fog here is so dense. It's literally like driving inside a cloud. Our driver zooms along confidently, but we come to a long line of cars barely moving in front of us. We joke that they must be tourists. Hugo nods in agreement.
Eventually the clouds break, and we come to the road that leads to AOL. This road will be the worst one yet he tells us. And it is! Terrible, bumpy, long, rutted. People drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the bumps. We drive over a small river; Hugo tells us that the water feels warm because it's actually heated by the nearby volcano. This area is known for having beautiful natural hot springs. After about 20 minutes and our "free butt massage" as they call it in CR, we reach the front desk of AOL. Hugo leaves, and we check in and are given a list of available tours and spa services. Seems like every hotel in Costa Rica offers spa services now, even the rustic ones.
We drag our luggage to our room. We're very close to the reception area which is nice because it's started raining quite hard. When we enter our Smithsonian room, we're rewarded with a great view of the volcano and loads of pretty tropical flowers. We're close to the jungle and the fruit feeders put up by the hotel, so we're hoping to see some wildlife. We collapse on our king sized bed and enjoy taking in the view. I can already tell that we're going to really like it here.
Our driver Hugo picks us up at 9:00 a.m. and soon we're back on the narrow winding road that will lead us to the highway. We ask Hugo if we can stop at Paraiso Quetzal to see hummingbirds, and he happily agrees. I've read on this board that this is one of the best places to see them. We have some difficulty getting into the property, a huge hill that we go up and roll back down, go up and roll back down, finally we make it over and go to the tiny restaurant where we buy drinks and head out to the back patio. Another nice view here, and there are feeders full of fiery-throated hummingbirds, the ones we wanted to see! As they turn their heads, their little throats are illuminated by the sun, and we can see where they get their name. Really beautiful.
We spend six long hours bumping along. I look down at my Fitbit to see that I'm getting credit for climbing 161 flights of stairs! We get to travel on the Pan American highway, a road that Hugo tells us runs all the way from Panama to Alaska. We drive through busy San Jose and see lots of bars on the windows, razor wire, and fast food joints. Even Denny's and Wal-Mart - the pinnacles of American culture! I ask our driver if he likes Denny's and he says yes, but that it is very expensive. There are people standing at busy intersections selling things, everything from towels to plastic containers full of goodies. It's very congested. As we leave San Jose and get closer to Arenal, we pass through the cloud forest and can barely see because the fog here is so dense. It's literally like driving inside a cloud. Our driver zooms along confidently, but we come to a long line of cars barely moving in front of us. We joke that they must be tourists. Hugo nods in agreement.
Eventually the clouds break, and we come to the road that leads to AOL. This road will be the worst one yet he tells us. And it is! Terrible, bumpy, long, rutted. People drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the bumps. We drive over a small river; Hugo tells us that the water feels warm because it's actually heated by the nearby volcano. This area is known for having beautiful natural hot springs. After about 20 minutes and our "free butt massage" as they call it in CR, we reach the front desk of AOL. Hugo leaves, and we check in and are given a list of available tours and spa services. Seems like every hotel in Costa Rica offers spa services now, even the rustic ones.
We drag our luggage to our room. We're very close to the reception area which is nice because it's started raining quite hard. When we enter our Smithsonian room, we're rewarded with a great view of the volcano and loads of pretty tropical flowers. We're close to the jungle and the fruit feeders put up by the hotel, so we're hoping to see some wildlife. We collapse on our king sized bed and enjoy taking in the view. I can already tell that we're going to really like it here.
Sep 21st, 2015, 07:58 AM
#24
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Dinner time comes, and we head up to the lodge's restaurant. There's a huge observation deck there and an expansive view of Lake Arenal that's stunning. Dinner is buffet for $20 each, or there's a very limited menu that we can order off of. The restaurant is packed full of people with almost no empty seats available. We opt for the menu option, and I order pasta Alfredo, while my husband gets fajitas. The pasta Alfredo arrives covered in ham, which seems kind of weird. A huge pile of noodles in goopy sauce with chunks of ham in it. I remember RAC's warning of "never order anything with a sauce" too late! My husband's fajitas are good but cold. He offers me some of his peppers and onions to add to my pasta, and it's not terrible. Oh well, we didn't really come here for the food. We're looking forward to the free guided hike that the hotel gives every morning. And with that, we go to bed ready to be awakened in the morning by the howler alarm clock.
Sep 21st, 2015, 09:01 AM
#26
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The howler alarm clock goes off at 5:20 a.m. - they're roaring like lions and sound like they're fairly close. I love our room, right on the edge of the jungle. From our little patio we can see a flock of oropendolas already chowing down at the fruit feeder. As we're watching them, two big birds that look like turkeys strut across the green space in front of our room. They're huge - one is black with a big yellow knotted beak and curly black feathers on its head; the other is smaller and brown with stripes. I turn to our "Birds of Costa Rica" book and discover that these are great curassows, birds we've never seen before! I run out front to get some photos, and the big male bird chases me. He emits the strangest call. It's a cross between someone screaming and bombs dropping, starting with a high pitched whine and descending in pitch. Even though they're birds, they look more like small dinosaurs. Our book says that they are noted for their aggressive temperament. Good to know! It also says that they mate for life.
We go to the lodge for breakfast, and it's a fantastic buffet, a big improvement over dinner. There are scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, pancakes, terrific fresh fruit like pineapple and carambola, and some good juices.
After breakfast we meet at reception for our 8:30 a.m. guided hike. Everyone is wearing rain ponchos because it's started sprinkling. The front desk even has some for sale for those that don't have any. Someone asks our guide if it always rains this much, and he replies, "Only 366 days a year!" He tells us complaining about the rain is "like going to Colorado and complaining about the snow." True enough. Our trek begins with our crossing a hanging bridge, but only five people can cross at a time. The bridge bounces and sways as we go across.
The hike turns out to be quite good, but we're in a huge group of over 50 people. There's one guide with a scope, and if you aren't towards the front you can easily miss out on the things he's pointing out. He spies something and sets up his scope on a tripod. One by one people look through. We ask what it is, but he refuses to tell us, not wanting to give away the surprise. We're towards the back, but luckily we get to see a great closeup view of a howler monkey family. At the next stop, he sets up the scope again, and this time we see the beady eyes of an eyelash pit viper staring back at us - it's kind of fun not knowing what's at the other end of the scope! We hike some more and come to a tree covered in tiny branches and green leaves. "There's something interesting here," he says and points, but none of us can see anything. "Look closer," he tells us. Then one by one we see it, a small pit viper coiled around one of the branches just inches away from us. It's surprising how well they blend in. Everyone snaps photos, and the snake doesn't budge an inch. He tells us that if anyone gets bitten we have 30 minutes to head to the hospital to get anti-venom. You never know what's out here in the jungle.
We hike for a couple of hours. At one point, I feel like something is stuck to the bottom of my shoe, so I shake my foot, and the sole of my Keen sandal falls completely off. I go a few more steps and the other sole falls off. Weirdest thing. I've worn these on a number of trips without any problems, and now both my rubber soles are completely detached. My husband says, "Look babe, someone lost the sole of their shoe." Luckily there's a very thin layer of rubber left, or this would be a very long hike!
As we stroll along, we come to a pretty waterfall. The guide waits while we all hike down the big steps to take photos. The water is brown and muddy looking, but it's a gorgeous spot. Towards the end of the hike, we come across huge stands of pine trees that look out of place in the jungle. The guide tells us that they were planted because the property was originally used to produce telephone poles. He tells us you can tell the non-native trees because the other vines and plants won't grow on them. For a free hike, we've seen a lot of amazing things. As it ends, we find a big tractor waiting for us - a great surprise that we don't have to walk back to the lodge. We all climb aboard and head back to the restaurant for lunch.
We go to the lodge for breakfast, and it's a fantastic buffet, a big improvement over dinner. There are scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, pancakes, terrific fresh fruit like pineapple and carambola, and some good juices.
After breakfast we meet at reception for our 8:30 a.m. guided hike. Everyone is wearing rain ponchos because it's started sprinkling. The front desk even has some for sale for those that don't have any. Someone asks our guide if it always rains this much, and he replies, "Only 366 days a year!" He tells us complaining about the rain is "like going to Colorado and complaining about the snow." True enough. Our trek begins with our crossing a hanging bridge, but only five people can cross at a time. The bridge bounces and sways as we go across.
The hike turns out to be quite good, but we're in a huge group of over 50 people. There's one guide with a scope, and if you aren't towards the front you can easily miss out on the things he's pointing out. He spies something and sets up his scope on a tripod. One by one people look through. We ask what it is, but he refuses to tell us, not wanting to give away the surprise. We're towards the back, but luckily we get to see a great closeup view of a howler monkey family. At the next stop, he sets up the scope again, and this time we see the beady eyes of an eyelash pit viper staring back at us - it's kind of fun not knowing what's at the other end of the scope! We hike some more and come to a tree covered in tiny branches and green leaves. "There's something interesting here," he says and points, but none of us can see anything. "Look closer," he tells us. Then one by one we see it, a small pit viper coiled around one of the branches just inches away from us. It's surprising how well they blend in. Everyone snaps photos, and the snake doesn't budge an inch. He tells us that if anyone gets bitten we have 30 minutes to head to the hospital to get anti-venom. You never know what's out here in the jungle.
We hike for a couple of hours. At one point, I feel like something is stuck to the bottom of my shoe, so I shake my foot, and the sole of my Keen sandal falls completely off. I go a few more steps and the other sole falls off. Weirdest thing. I've worn these on a number of trips without any problems, and now both my rubber soles are completely detached. My husband says, "Look babe, someone lost the sole of their shoe." Luckily there's a very thin layer of rubber left, or this would be a very long hike!
As we stroll along, we come to a pretty waterfall. The guide waits while we all hike down the big steps to take photos. The water is brown and muddy looking, but it's a gorgeous spot. Towards the end of the hike, we come across huge stands of pine trees that look out of place in the jungle. The guide tells us that they were planted because the property was originally used to produce telephone poles. He tells us you can tell the non-native trees because the other vines and plants won't grow on them. For a free hike, we've seen a lot of amazing things. As it ends, we find a big tractor waiting for us - a great surprise that we don't have to walk back to the lodge. We all climb aboard and head back to the restaurant for lunch.
Sep 21st, 2015, 10:08 AM
#30
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Enjoying your reports! So weird about the Keens - I've traveled in CA with Keens and a pair of flipflops as my only footwear for 12 years and they've been my main work and home shoes, too; I've worn the treads flat on several pairs but haven't heard of soles falling off!
Sep 21st, 2015, 10:38 AM
#31
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For lunch, we find ourselves in the "order off the menu" scenario, and we play it safe - a cheeseburger and a grilled chicken casado with black beans. Both are excellent and sauce free! I have fresh mango juice - starting to notice I have an obsession with mangoes here. 
Afterward, we head out to hike the property on our own. The volcano is only two miles away and mostly visible, but the top is always enshrouded in clouds. In all our trips, I don't think we've ever actually seen the top. We explore the Saino and Hormiga trails, and are rewarded with sights of big black howler monkeys with tiny babies on their backs, a keel billed toucan, and some crested guans high in the trees. The toucan's call sounds like a great big croaking frog. The woman behind the reception desk had told us that she had seen lots of toucans down by the spa, so we hike down there and are rewarded with the sight and sounds of two chestnut mandibled toucans. These sound like a battle of creaking gates and bed springs. As we snap photos, a Costa Rican man tells us, "We feel about toucans, the way you feel about pigeons." Shows you how different the perspectives of locals and tourists can be.
As we explore, we meet lots of friendly people along the way, and we share info on what we've seen and where. My Fitbit rewards me for all this hiking by buzzing that I've gotten 10,000 STEPS!!! in bright flashing lights. It's so easy to get your steps in here and doesn't even feel like work on the well manicured trails. Speaking of manicured, on the way back to our room, we see a man actually cleaning the trails with something that looks like a big power washer and buffer. No wonder they're in such great shape!
We get back to our room and go out on our little patio to relax. Then we see spider monkeys swinging in front of our room, Mr. and Mrs. curassow again, and a huge troop of momma coatis with their babies. The coatis are so cute and always seem to have their noses in the ground seeing what they can dig up. I love coatis and snap lots of photos.
Then we see something strange through our side window. Right outside our room, a maintenance worker is setting up a huge wooden trap with some kind of bait inside. It has a big metal door that will slam shut on whatever it is they're trying to catch. Not sure I want this by my room, and what is it that's going to be so close to us?! He waves at us and smiles, and we wave back.
We enjoy watching all the wildlife and eventually make our way to the lodge for dinner. Tonight I order an Imperial, the official beer of Costa Rica, and my first of the trip. I ask for some limes, and the waiter brings me a martini glass full of a red liquidy syrup with an array or limes rimming the top. I ask what the red liquid is and am told that it is sugar. "Just decoration," he says. Seems pretty fancy. I order a Caesar salad to start, and it's very good - yay, a successful dinner item!, and also grilled chicken with rice and veggies. The veggies consist of one teeny carrot, one broccoli floret, and a tiny wheel of corn, but all of it is surprisingly good. The no sauce philosophy is a winner! The waiter also brings us a basket full of tasty garlic knots that are irresistible. As we finish eating, another waiter comes by wheeling a cart full of liqueurs and offers us complimentary shots of things like anise and lemoncello. We pass, but think it's quite nice of them to do that. I ask the waiter if he knows what they're trapping outside of our room. He tells me sternly that we are not allowed to trap the animals or bring them into our room. Somehow he thinks we're wanting to trap something which seems kind of funny! He tells us again firmly, "No trapping is allowed." Okay. We won't trap any huge animals and bring them into our room, but curiosity has the better of us. Since we're so close to the front desk, we swing by and ask the man behind the desk what the trap is for. He tells us it's for coatis, that they're terrible and they get into the trash and make a mess. The same with raccoons he says. They just had raccoons break into the kitchen and make a huge mess, so they've installed an electric fence to keep them out. He tells us, "All the tourists love coatis. Oh, you're so cute, you're so cute, I want to hug you and kiss you mwah, mwah, mwah!" We're enjoying his impression of tourists hugging the coatis. I guess they really are a problem here, but I only know their cute side. After dinner we relax and eventually fall asleep. We're excited that tomorrow we'll be doing a safari float on the Penas Blancas River.
Afterward, we head out to hike the property on our own. The volcano is only two miles away and mostly visible, but the top is always enshrouded in clouds. In all our trips, I don't think we've ever actually seen the top. We explore the Saino and Hormiga trails, and are rewarded with sights of big black howler monkeys with tiny babies on their backs, a keel billed toucan, and some crested guans high in the trees. The toucan's call sounds like a great big croaking frog. The woman behind the reception desk had told us that she had seen lots of toucans down by the spa, so we hike down there and are rewarded with the sight and sounds of two chestnut mandibled toucans. These sound like a battle of creaking gates and bed springs. As we snap photos, a Costa Rican man tells us, "We feel about toucans, the way you feel about pigeons." Shows you how different the perspectives of locals and tourists can be.
As we explore, we meet lots of friendly people along the way, and we share info on what we've seen and where. My Fitbit rewards me for all this hiking by buzzing that I've gotten 10,000 STEPS!!! in bright flashing lights. It's so easy to get your steps in here and doesn't even feel like work on the well manicured trails. Speaking of manicured, on the way back to our room, we see a man actually cleaning the trails with something that looks like a big power washer and buffer. No wonder they're in such great shape!
We get back to our room and go out on our little patio to relax. Then we see spider monkeys swinging in front of our room, Mr. and Mrs. curassow again, and a huge troop of momma coatis with their babies. The coatis are so cute and always seem to have their noses in the ground seeing what they can dig up. I love coatis and snap lots of photos.
Then we see something strange through our side window. Right outside our room, a maintenance worker is setting up a huge wooden trap with some kind of bait inside. It has a big metal door that will slam shut on whatever it is they're trying to catch. Not sure I want this by my room, and what is it that's going to be so close to us?! He waves at us and smiles, and we wave back.
We enjoy watching all the wildlife and eventually make our way to the lodge for dinner. Tonight I order an Imperial, the official beer of Costa Rica, and my first of the trip. I ask for some limes, and the waiter brings me a martini glass full of a red liquidy syrup with an array or limes rimming the top. I ask what the red liquid is and am told that it is sugar. "Just decoration," he says. Seems pretty fancy. I order a Caesar salad to start, and it's very good - yay, a successful dinner item!, and also grilled chicken with rice and veggies. The veggies consist of one teeny carrot, one broccoli floret, and a tiny wheel of corn, but all of it is surprisingly good. The no sauce philosophy is a winner! The waiter also brings us a basket full of tasty garlic knots that are irresistible. As we finish eating, another waiter comes by wheeling a cart full of liqueurs and offers us complimentary shots of things like anise and lemoncello. We pass, but think it's quite nice of them to do that. I ask the waiter if he knows what they're trapping outside of our room. He tells me sternly that we are not allowed to trap the animals or bring them into our room. Somehow he thinks we're wanting to trap something which seems kind of funny! He tells us again firmly, "No trapping is allowed." Okay. We won't trap any huge animals and bring them into our room, but curiosity has the better of us. Since we're so close to the front desk, we swing by and ask the man behind the desk what the trap is for. He tells us it's for coatis, that they're terrible and they get into the trash and make a mess. The same with raccoons he says. They just had raccoons break into the kitchen and make a huge mess, so they've installed an electric fence to keep them out. He tells us, "All the tourists love coatis. Oh, you're so cute, you're so cute, I want to hug you and kiss you mwah, mwah, mwah!" We're enjoying his impression of tourists hugging the coatis. I guess they really are a problem here, but I only know their cute side. After dinner we relax and eventually fall asleep. We're excited that tomorrow we'll be doing a safari float on the Penas Blancas River.
Sep 21st, 2015, 10:46 AM
#32
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hopeful, I know I couldn't believe it happened to both almost simultaneously. Someone on tripadvisor told me the locals say that the volcano emits gasses that can destroy adhesive. It was pretty weird.
Sep 21st, 2015, 11:51 AM
#34
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Patty, yes definitely. Some of the lodges closer to town have almost none at all. The further out you go, the more likely you are to see wildlife. AOL is way out by the lake. We've also seen some nice wildlife at the Lost Iguana which is also out by the lake and has the same jungly feel to it, but we saw almost none at Nayara or The Springs, hotels that are closer in.
Sep 21st, 2015, 12:22 PM
#35
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The AOL has more wildlife than anywhere else in the area--its rainforest reserve is contiguous with the mountain slopes that separate Arenal from Monterverde--so it's part of a wildlife stronghold. Not unusal to see cats like ocelot (or in our case, jaguarundi) there. There isn't a paved road within 10KM of the main lodge building there.
Sep 21st, 2015, 03:04 PM
#37
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The Lost Iguana is nice; it's a little more upscale than AOL, a little more romantic. I think AOL is more family friendly. One thing about AOL is you can't flush your t.p. there, not a big deal, but just a heads up. I was three for three for non-flushable spots this trip. It is very comfortable though.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 09:40 AM
#38
Glad you enjoyed AOL. I wish we had nice weather and could have even gone outside! It was cold! Our Smithsonian room did not have a patio. Just a big window. Where from reception was it? Our was just down from reception in a cinder block building.
Sep 22nd, 2015, 10:10 AM
#39
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Because we're staying at AOL, we have the earliest pickup time for the Penas Blancas river float. We're going with Desafio, and the driver picks us up promptly at 6:00 a.m. It's already very sunny, and we see the coatis digging around with their long noses, and the oropendolas feasting at the fruit feeder.
Since we're missing the complimentary breakfast buffet, AOL has offered to pack us breakfast to go, and we're curious about what's inside the big brown paper bags they have given us. This day it takes us 30 minutes to drive down the bumpy AOL road that leads back to the main road, so we dig into our bags before the suspense kills us. The first thing I pull out is a foil wrapped package containing two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Score, I love PB&J and have never seen it in CR before. My husband also has two sandwiches of his own. I also have an apple, a very ripe banana, and several little packages of Pozuela brand cookies - chocolate and vanilla cream, a juice box, and saltine crackers! My husband who is gluten free digs into his apple while I eat my PB&J. This breakast is huge!
Once we reach the main road we travel to Los Lagos to pick up James and Anthony, the couple that will be doing the river float with us. They're from L.A., tan, tall, muscular, and probably the most well groomed men I've ever seen. Both have perfect five o'clock shadows. They look like they've stepped right off the pages of a catalog. We all ride to the Desafio office where we meet our guide, Andres. After checking in, we pile back into the van to travel the 25 minutes it takes to reach our drop in point. The van actually has free WIFI in it which is pretty sweet. It's a beautiful drive past agricultural fields, and before we know it, we've arrived at the river. We also love the Cano Negro tour, but this is so much easier to get to and only lasts half a day.
Andres drags the boat down to the river, and we all walk down the dirt steps that are carved into the bank. Andres says to my husband and me, "Let's let the big guys row us. They can be in front." So we get to be lazy, sit in the middle, and not do any paddling. They're really fun guys and love seeing all the wildlife - we see tiger herons, kingfishers, sandpipers and other water birds. Then we see a single howler monkey. Andres tells us that he's the lookout, that there's always a guard keeping an eye on things, and that more monkeys will be coming up. He's right; soon, we come upon a big troop of monkeys moving through the trees. Several of them have small babies on their backs. They come quite low to the ground so we get a nice view. Andres tells us that they won't drink out of the river because they're afraid of crocs, so they'll quickly dip their tails into the river and back out so they can sip the water right from their tails. Pretty amazing. As we float further down the river, we see another troop on the opposite side. Andres says that when the two troops meet, we'll definitely hear it because they'll want to defend their territories. Five minutes later, we hear the lion-like roars of the howlers as the two troops duke it out. They're really loud, and the sound echoes down the river.
The water is beautiful with a slight greenish tint to it. Andres says it's one of the cleanest rivers in Costa Rica. We pass a few small houses high along the banks, and he tells us that these families are completely self-sufficient. They have orange tree, avocado trees, gardens, and they get fish from the river. He also tells us that kids swim here, which is surprising given that there are crocs in the water. The water is calm for the most part, but we reach a few small rapids that require everyone (but us!) to paddle. Towards the end of our float, we see a capuchin monkey, the lookout, and then come upon a big troop of them. These too will battle with the howlers for territory Andres tells us. Eventually we reach the end of our trek, and we come out at a family-owned farm. It's pretty interesting because the family has several daughters who are rodeo stars! They have an entire arena with barrels right on their property and a nice garden with cilantro, guanabana, lychee, lemons, oranges, carambola, and avocado. There's also a strange looking fruit we've never seen before. The tree is covered with big knobby green fruits, and underneath are piles of the same fruit but in a ripened state. They almost look like big white strawberries. Andres asks us if we know what they are, and why it's the only tree with fruit underneath it. I've never seen this fruit before. We ask if it's poisonous, and he says that no, it's actually known to be very good for you and a cancer preventative. We're perplexed as to why no one would eat it until he takes his knife, cuts one open, and asks us all to inhale the scent. It smells like blue cheese! He tells us it's a noni fruit and that it's becoming popular to take for health benefits, but it's definitely not known for its great taste. Funny that we've never seen it before in all our trips.
As we all relax at the farm, Andres and the driver pull out a cooler full of chilled Tropical Mango - my fave! - and some bottles of Imperial beer. The guides use the Tropical bottles to pop the tops off the beers. I think they've done this before! Finally it's time to head back to our respective hotels, but we've really enjoyed our time on the river.
When we get back to AOL, we see that the volcano barely has any cloud cover at all, just the very tip of it is covered in wispy clouds. People are all gathered on the observation deck, and then it happens... the last wisp of a cloud blows away, and there is Arenal Volcano in all her glory, the best view we've ever seen. People actually clap and high five each other! There's also a gorgeous view of the sun shining on the lake. We hang out there for the rest of the day and get to enjoy a beautiful sunset with no clouds whatsoever. We're very glad we've chose to stay at AOL. It's a special place.
Since we're missing the complimentary breakfast buffet, AOL has offered to pack us breakfast to go, and we're curious about what's inside the big brown paper bags they have given us. This day it takes us 30 minutes to drive down the bumpy AOL road that leads back to the main road, so we dig into our bags before the suspense kills us. The first thing I pull out is a foil wrapped package containing two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Score, I love PB&J and have never seen it in CR before. My husband also has two sandwiches of his own. I also have an apple, a very ripe banana, and several little packages of Pozuela brand cookies - chocolate and vanilla cream, a juice box, and saltine crackers! My husband who is gluten free digs into his apple while I eat my PB&J. This breakast is huge!
Once we reach the main road we travel to Los Lagos to pick up James and Anthony, the couple that will be doing the river float with us. They're from L.A., tan, tall, muscular, and probably the most well groomed men I've ever seen. Both have perfect five o'clock shadows. They look like they've stepped right off the pages of a catalog. We all ride to the Desafio office where we meet our guide, Andres. After checking in, we pile back into the van to travel the 25 minutes it takes to reach our drop in point. The van actually has free WIFI in it which is pretty sweet. It's a beautiful drive past agricultural fields, and before we know it, we've arrived at the river. We also love the Cano Negro tour, but this is so much easier to get to and only lasts half a day.
Andres drags the boat down to the river, and we all walk down the dirt steps that are carved into the bank. Andres says to my husband and me, "Let's let the big guys row us. They can be in front." So we get to be lazy, sit in the middle, and not do any paddling. They're really fun guys and love seeing all the wildlife - we see tiger herons, kingfishers, sandpipers and other water birds. Then we see a single howler monkey. Andres tells us that he's the lookout, that there's always a guard keeping an eye on things, and that more monkeys will be coming up. He's right; soon, we come upon a big troop of monkeys moving through the trees. Several of them have small babies on their backs. They come quite low to the ground so we get a nice view. Andres tells us that they won't drink out of the river because they're afraid of crocs, so they'll quickly dip their tails into the river and back out so they can sip the water right from their tails. Pretty amazing. As we float further down the river, we see another troop on the opposite side. Andres says that when the two troops meet, we'll definitely hear it because they'll want to defend their territories. Five minutes later, we hear the lion-like roars of the howlers as the two troops duke it out. They're really loud, and the sound echoes down the river.
The water is beautiful with a slight greenish tint to it. Andres says it's one of the cleanest rivers in Costa Rica. We pass a few small houses high along the banks, and he tells us that these families are completely self-sufficient. They have orange tree, avocado trees, gardens, and they get fish from the river. He also tells us that kids swim here, which is surprising given that there are crocs in the water. The water is calm for the most part, but we reach a few small rapids that require everyone (but us!) to paddle. Towards the end of our float, we see a capuchin monkey, the lookout, and then come upon a big troop of them. These too will battle with the howlers for territory Andres tells us. Eventually we reach the end of our trek, and we come out at a family-owned farm. It's pretty interesting because the family has several daughters who are rodeo stars! They have an entire arena with barrels right on their property and a nice garden with cilantro, guanabana, lychee, lemons, oranges, carambola, and avocado. There's also a strange looking fruit we've never seen before. The tree is covered with big knobby green fruits, and underneath are piles of the same fruit but in a ripened state. They almost look like big white strawberries. Andres asks us if we know what they are, and why it's the only tree with fruit underneath it. I've never seen this fruit before. We ask if it's poisonous, and he says that no, it's actually known to be very good for you and a cancer preventative. We're perplexed as to why no one would eat it until he takes his knife, cuts one open, and asks us all to inhale the scent. It smells like blue cheese! He tells us it's a noni fruit and that it's becoming popular to take for health benefits, but it's definitely not known for its great taste. Funny that we've never seen it before in all our trips.
As we all relax at the farm, Andres and the driver pull out a cooler full of chilled Tropical Mango - my fave! - and some bottles of Imperial beer. The guides use the Tropical bottles to pop the tops off the beers. I think they've done this before! Finally it's time to head back to our respective hotels, but we've really enjoyed our time on the river.
When we get back to AOL, we see that the volcano barely has any cloud cover at all, just the very tip of it is covered in wispy clouds. People are all gathered on the observation deck, and then it happens... the last wisp of a cloud blows away, and there is Arenal Volcano in all her glory, the best view we've ever seen. People actually clap and high five each other! There's also a gorgeous view of the sun shining on the lake. We hang out there for the rest of the day and get to enjoy a beautiful sunset with no clouds whatsoever. We're very glad we've chose to stay at AOL. It's a special place.
