We journeyed from Monteverde through some amazing countryside on horseback. This is a great way to really appreciate a country's flora and fauna. I was given a wonderful beast to ride, who ran like the wind, and in an all out race against the most experienced riders, my mount literally sailed to the front, galloping like a demon, leaving everyone in its dust...it was thrilling to ride so fast. We road past monkeys in trees and lush jungle tangles, and along the side of Lake Arenal at the base of the active volcano Arenal. Everywhere you go in Costa Rica there are wild flowers of everything imaginable...orchids, hibiscus, rhododendrons, and roses. Even the weeds are pretty here. The air smells sweet...like a fresh spring day.
After riding, we went by boat across the lake and finished our journey to Lafortuna by bus. That night we bought beer and pizza and ventured to the base of the volcano to try to catch sight of the lava...we caught a few peeks, and it was amazing...though only a glimpse of what we would later experience. Afterwards we went to the Baldi hot springs. There was an amazing place! 28 different pools of natural hot springs, with sit in bars (as in drinking establishment), complete with big screen tvs, disco balls, you name it. You can wander from bar to bar (pool to pool), and stop in a variety of places, depending on how hot you like your water and what kind of bar atmosphere you like. There were hot waterfalls where you could stand beneath...it was like a dream come true. Endless hot showers and baths...the very thing I have dreampt about daily since I left on this trip. Acres of hot water....I was giddy!! All while drinking a cold beer...pretty cool (hot) place!
The next morning, with sore butts indeed from horseback riding, we headed to the bungee jumping, where, leaving my senses behind, I agreed to be sling shot from a crane on a giant rubber band. They harness you up and attach you to some release mechanism, and then tighten the rubber bands until the force of the tension stored in them, when released, catapults you about 100 feet in the air at a zillion miles an hour. Then you boing and bounce up and down like a giant yo yo until the tension is gone and they reel you back in. It was a hoot and I can't wait to do it again. Needless to say, Joel would have nothing to do with it. However, much to my surprise, that afternoon, with Satinder's baiting (amazing what boys will do for girls), Joel reluctantly agreed to go canyoning.
Canyoning requires you to climb down a canyon, through the water, rock climbing (only down instead of up), and when you get to a waterfall, you rappel over it by rope. It was so much fun, and the scenery was stunning. And Joel did amazing and even liked it. I took a bit of a fall off a log, but really enjoyed the experience. However, the next morning the effects of all day horseback riding and canyoning had taken effect and I could hardly move...I have bruises on my body as big as grapefruits that are black and blue...so going white water rafting the next day was, in hindsight, a bad idea.
The rapids were class 3 and 4, and no tour company in their right mind in North America would let inexperienced rafters like us go...but there we were, winding our way down the Rio Toro. It was terrifying...and exhilarating. I have never worked so hard in my life. Every muscle in my body aches! The task required a solid two hours of pushing and pulling water so hard your arms thought they would break after 10 minutes. But I survived, and am not sorry I went. I have had a huge fear of rivers most of my life (except the lazy, slow moving kind), so challenging myself to do this was good...except it added to my collection of black and blue bruises. I will NEVER do it again mind you...Well maybe some class 2 rapids would be fun!
The most memorable and amazing experience we had these past few days, however, began at 3:30am before rafting. A few of us hired a van to take us to the base of the volcano just outside Laforunta in hopes of catching a better view of the volcano's lava. It was a stunning, clear, night with no clouds. The sky was ablaze with stars, and the only sound was a chorus of crickets. We laid a blanket down along the shores of the lake, and on the other side was Volcano Arenal. Red lava spewing from its top and crashing down the side of the mountain. The rumble was clear...like the sound of distant fireworks. We sat on the ground amazed and in awe (though secretly I was thinking to myself...what the hell are these people doing living beneath an active volcano that spews magma and throws blazing boulders the size of cars?)
Anyway, we watched it all in amazement, and then, as the sun rose, and the sky lighted, we were greeted by the eeriest sound of howler monkeys all around us. Then, joining the symphony of crickets and monkeys came all manner of birds and bugs. The sounds were incredible to listen to...made more intense by the site before us. I am certain this day will find its way into one of Joel's books, for it was truly a thing of fairy tales...yet there we were, in real life...listening to monkeys while watching lava spew, beside a lake so beautiful it took your breath away...
And that is a lesson I have learned on this trip. Life can be like fiction....all stories and pictures, and someone else's adventure... until you make it your own. Life is there for the taking. Just do it.
Strange critters on the road below...cannot remember what they were called, but they were everywhere
Above was one of the 28 hot pools with bar.
Below I am getting attached to the bungee
Getting ready to tackle the canyon
Look carefully below and towards the top of the waterfall, to the left of the water, you will see me. At 220 feet, this was the largest ot the 7 waterfalls we rappelled or climbed down.
The pictures I took of the volcano at night did not turn out because of the darkness...however, this is a photo of a photo, taken from the very spot we were, and this is what it looked like...only more dramatic with the sky black. The flash of my camera has lit up the black sky in the picture.
The sun rose behind the volcano...and the symphony of sound began
Disaster loomed as the raft above was stuck on a boulder...even the safety kayaks that followed us were unable to come to the rescue...and the water too forceful and dangerous for anyone to get out. It took some time, and was actually very scary to watch, but eventually they loosed themselves and all was well. There were many such mishaps along the way, and several people besides myself were banged up and bruised.
Three toed sloth above, and monkey below
Just a few of the many bruises my body has right now. I guess with extreme sports come extreme owies.
Below, Joel stands beside one of many roadside waterfalls on the road to San Jose
Today, we are in San Jose. Last night we had a last supper with our tour group, and while I nursed my owies, Joel spent the evening visiting (and saying a sad goodbye) with his new friend Satinder. The Joel and I left the hostel (yeah - no more roughing it), and promptly moved to a resort spa where I ordered a decent glass of red wine and booked myself in for a full body pampering...steam bath with eucalyptus and peppermint, a full body scrub with salt to take off the months worth of dirt, a papaya pulp body wrap to (God knows what), and a full body massage. Now I feel like a noodle, and still hurt like hell all over...think I will try another glass of Merlot.
