An incredible day!
I got up and went to get some things I'd left on the clothesline last night to dry. Some desperate bugger stole my shirt! Now that's something, to steal a guys shirt right off his back. He must be worse off than me for sure. He was a gentleman though as he left my gaunch and a pair of socks. He also took a ladies things that was staying there. I guess a present for his wife.
We ate and went to the internet for a couple of hours and then took a cab to the Arenal Observatory Lodge where we're booked in for one night. We arrived here at noon but check in wasn't until 3 so we checked our bags and went for a walk along one of the hiking trails. The gardens here are beautiful and it's like going to the botanical gardens all over again. We then followed a path past the swimmng pool and hot tub until we came to a sign that read falls. We hiked through the woods amongst ferns, unusual trees, and mosses. It was an easy hike compared to some we've been on, all except another suspension bridge. This one at least had wire sides on it so I wouldn't slide through and fall the 60' to my demise. Why do all these things bounce so much when I took such great pains to not shake it? Maybe it was my knees knocking. Anyway I survived the crossing even though It felt like Blondin crossing Niagra Falls on a tightrope.
The falls were great and on the way back we saw a toucan which was much different that the one we saw on the East Coast. When we got back to the lodge it was only 2 pm so we sat on the observation deck and had a beer and watched the volcano which was right in front of us as huge boulders came tumbling down the slope. You could see the smoke when they first appeared over the top of the crater. They continued to smoke and pick up speed as they tumbled down until when they reached top speed (I figured about 100 mph) they began to bounce. You could tell how far they were bouncing because of the smoke every time they landed. They must have been covering over 100 yards between landings. It was incredible to sit in a comfortable chair, sipping a beer and watching this display which continued one right after another.
We had supper at 6 pm and then went into the reception area where they had a dvd going of a day last Sept. when the volcano really got going. We bought a copy as it's very impressive and then got the receptionist to book as a "jeep/boat/jeep" ride to Monteverde in the cloud forest where we have a place booked for tomorrow night. We'll stay one night there while we look for a cheaper place. This place is $108/night incl. taxes and a free breakfast and a short hike in the morning. It's the best value we've had since arriving here. What an incredible place! I'd recommend this to anyone! We've got a huge room, two queen size beds, extra pillows, extra towels, a beautiful bathroom and a balcony that we can sit on and watch the volcano. It began raining shortly after we got back to our room so we'll get up before the sun comes up and try and get some pictures. We have seen the same boulders coming down only now they're balls of fire and they shower sparks whenever they hit the ground. They're too far away to film and that's why we bought the video.
Just off the observation deck when we were having a beer they put out fruit for the birds. And birds there were! Most we had never seen before and I got some great shots (check out facebook). They also had some coatamundie's come for fruit. At one point there were 22 of them! We can see the volcano from the bed so we'll be sleeping with one eye open tonight. We don't leave here until 2:15 tomorrow so we have lots of time for another hike.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29078&l=597f7&id=680056043
Al Cotton
al.cotton@shaw.ca
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