Around Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano National Park

We planned to hook up with the Germans (Sonja, Klaus, and Mia) in Nuevo Arenal on the north west of Lake Arenal.  They were still in Costa Rica for another week, and G needed to deliver some electronics acquired in the States to Klaus.  The road around the lake is paved and well maintained, but still scenic.  Sonja had prepared us for the authentic German bakery in Nuevo Arenal.  We started seeing signs for the place 30 km out of town.  Once in town, we thought the best bet to meet up with our friends was to go to the bakery.  We soon found why they had been raving: delicious German bread, pastries and Costa Rican coffee.  How can you go wrong? We were not wrong to stop there, because they soon rolled in.  We headed to a camping spot on the lake that they had already taken advantage of.  G and I were getting a little ripe, so we took advantage when the sun went down and took showers from our tank.  No curtain yet – so we were counting on no surprise visitors.

The following day we headed for another lake camping spot in a little down a dirt road from the Arenal Park entrance.  On the way there, Brummer (the German’s Mercedes) had some mechanical issues – they were out of diesel.  We soon remedied the problems and were on are way again to the campsite.  We were treated to great views of the volcano and an ample wood for a roaring fire.

We visited the Arenal Hanging Bridges in the morning.  The $24 entrance fee was steep, but the park was wonderful.  A short 3 km loop took you over 6 hanging bridges in the forest canopy and past jaw dropping views of the volcano.

We spent our final night with Sonja and Klaus in the parking lot of the La Fotuna Waterfall, which worked out perfectly for us, because I wanted to check it out the following day.  Sonja treated the men to burritos thus satisfying G’s meat cravings for a day or so.

The next morning, after seeing our new friends from Germany off, we hiked down the stairs to the waterfall for a dip.

 

1st Try at Mountainboarding …

Ok, we are back on the road.  We spent 2 days at Bahia de Salinas in Northwest Costa Rica.  The place is known for awesome kitesurfing however the wind was super gusty and the water was infested with jellyfish so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out my mountainboard for the first time.  Enjoy 🙂

 

 

Rio Celeste – going off the beaten track

In Monteverde, we struck up a conversation with a fellow hiker who suggested we visit Rio Celeste, a turquoise river and lagoon in Tenorio Volcano National Park. The color is an effect of a chemical reaction between sulfur and calcium sulfate. Pretty hike, but rubber boots are advisable. Lucky for us, there doesn’t seem to be public transport along the dirt road into the park. We set camp in the parking lot, and soon were asked if we were going back into town. Another visitor needed a ride out of the park 7km to the nearest village. That must have been a long walk as dusk was approaching.

Our pictures seem to have disappeared for this park.  Internet to the rescue.

Monteverde – a forest in the clouds

After getting our acts together, we headed into the northwestern highlands of Costa Rica. Our destination was Monteverde, a cloud forest.  It was a beautiful drive (I’m blocking out the long pot hole ridden dirt road).  None of the roads into the park are paved – we hear the dirt roads are part of an effort to maintain the fragile forest.  The views reminded me somewhat of Ireland, green rolling hills.  Your first views of the park are bordering on magical, a lush green forest in the clouds.  The campground we intended to sleep at was closed.  G managed to secure a place to stay at the local tourist information center.  A local hotel owner agreed to let to pop up Taj in her parking lot.  We asked her how much we owed her, but she didn’t want any money.  Wonders never cease.  We repaid her generosity by eating in her restaurant for dinner both nights.  Now, this turned out to be no hardship for us 1. it was raining and cold 2. the food was good + cheap and 3. we were tired.

The next day we visited the park.  We decided to go the park alone without a guide mostly because we are cheap.  In these parks, the guides are probably well worth the money simply because they can help point out wildlife and plants that you might not otherwise notice.  Because we’re in the off-season, the park wasn’t too full.  Most of the time, it was just the G and I hiking the 13 km of park trails.  The sounds of the forest were incredibly soothing.  We even lucked out and came across two separate guides who pointed out a butterfly with translucent wings and a quetzal respectively.  G has been hankering to see a quetzal for a while (beautiful bird) and this one generously hung out for a good long while so we could snap some pictures.

After the park, we intended to hit up a waterfall in the area.  The directions in Lonely Planet were lacking, so we stopped to ask a local, “turn right after the school”.  Well, we turned right alright, and G claimed he saw a school (there was no school).  We drove some number of kilometers down a steep gravel road and had to think twice about crossing a questionable bridge, but decided to go for it (no guts, no glory).  Along the way, we ran into a older gentleman (~75) who had been raised in the area.  It was his first time back since he was 8 years old.  In the end, I finally strong armed G into turning around.  We eventually found the correct turn only to discover that the waterfall was closed – it was on private land.

To make the most of the rest of the day, we stopped at a frog pond so G could scratch his frog itch.  He wanted to see the bounty of frogs native to Costa Rica.  I checked email in the lobby – bugs and amphibians are not really my cup of tea.  I wasn’t completely safe though – G was bubbling over with stories of the strange and alarming after the tour.

Since we were heading out early the following day, we popped into town to the Tree House Café for some internet.  This particular café actually was built around a tree, and that particular tree had seen better days.  Several large branches had snapped and were precariously hanging over the street.  The employees and local policia were trying to cut the branches down with a machete (not the most useful tool on wood).  Now, since we roamed the great north, wood cutting devices are crucial.  We learned that bigger is not always better, and had consequently picked up a little saw on the way.  Fast thinking G whipped this out and convinced the men to give it a try after some prodding.  Our dessert and coffee were free that night.