Next we stopped at a waterfall near Arenal. A small stream blasts over the side of a cliff then falls at least 50 feet to a small pool below. We all stripped down to our bathing suits and jumped in the cold water: a welcome relief after a cramped four-hour bus ride (not to mention in-transit movies Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "All About Steve". Both just awful).
After that, we briefly stopped in the town of La Fortuna de San Carlos for lunch before driving to our hotel, excuse me, our resort near the base of the volcano. The resort offered (potentially natural) hot springs, pools with large water slides, a miniature zoo of sorts with butterflies and crocodiles, and a hiking trail. While most of the night was spent at the hot spring (did I mention its wet bar?), I opted to hike the trail the next morning.
Or I tried. The hike became a wild goose chase for an apparently inexistent observatory. Furthermore, though Arenal is one of the world's most active volcanoes, the Fates were not on our side this weekend; most of the time, the top was covered by clouds. We did not see any lava flow, but the volcano was still impressive without. This is the best picture I got of the cone.
Yet another fantastic trip. Back to the beach next weekend!
Pura vida,
Eric
No comments:
Post a Comment