Day 9--Horseback Riding

Today we went down the road to a stable and went horseback riding. It was raining a bit at the beginning, but after about 20 minutes or so, it stopped. (We have been very lucky with the rain on this trip!) We rode up the mountain and had great views of the valley, the lake, and the volcano. We then got to take and break and hike down to a waterfall. It was a very steep hike down. When we got there, our guide cut up some pineapple for a nice break. Then after hiking back up the hill, we got on our horses for the ride back. Our guide was very nice, and the trip was great. (Hindsight--we should have done this first, and then had our day of pampering.)

The beautiful views

The Waterfall

Day 8--Tabacon Hot Springs

Today was all about pampering. We went to the Tabacon Hot Springs and Spa Resort. There are natural hot springs due to being right near the volcano. It was all very lush. We went all out and got a couple's massage also. (It was Dan's very first massage!) We then enjoyed a nice dinner at the resort after all of our pampering.

Enjoying the hot springs

On the way to the springs we saw an entire "pack" of coati. They are kind of raccoon like animals.

A coati

Day 7--Arenal Volcano

Today we went to the base of the Arenal Volcano. It is an active volcano. We hiked up some lava rocks from the 1992 eruption. We then hiked around the forest at the bottom. We didn't see very many animals, except for lizards and butterflies. There were many different types of plants and trees to enjoy. The pictures just don't do it justice. It was a gorgeous day for being outside.

Arenal Volcano Park

Walking on 1992 lava flow

After our hike, we went to the town of La Fortuna for lunch and to go grocery shopping. (The village we are staying in, El Castillo, is very tiny and don't really have any real stores.)
Late afternoon, we had several thunderstorms where the clouds just opened up and poured, and then suddenly it would stop--it did this off and on all afternoon/evening.

Day 6--Monteverde Cloud Forest

Today was another adventure. We went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. We hiked out to "The Window", in which we were to see the Continental Divide...well, we went there, but the clouds prevented us from seeing anything. (I guess that is why it is called the "Cloud Forest".) Then we hiked over the "Hanging Bridge". It was all very beautiful--lots of forests and plants. We didn't see very many animals--some of that was probably because we did this on our own without a guide. Bob saw a coati, we think.

On the hanging bridge

 Then we stopped at the dairy/cheese factory--they were not making cheese when we were there. We really just went for the ice cream, which was okay. Then it was time to drive to Areanal. Again, it was not the best roads, and took about 3 1/2 hours to go to 60 miles!

We made it to our "house" for the next few days. Beautiful view from the house. We had an early dinner/late lunch, since we hadn't really had anything all day to eat except for ice cream. Then we relaxed by playing some cards.

Our View

Day 5-Zip Lining

This morning we drove from Jaco (on Pacific coast), inland to Monteverde (in the mountains). Mileage wise, it shouldn't take that long, but due to the quality of the roads, it took almost 3 hours to go 75 miles. The last 12 miles were on an unpaved, rough road, which took at least 40 minutes. It started raining, just the last few minutes of our drive.

Once at our hotel, the shuttle came and took us to the zip line place. At this time, it was raining pretty hard. Luckily, it stopped raining as we started zip lining. We did 9 different lines, including the longest zip line in Latin America--1,590 meters, 5, 216 ft. long!! It was crazy. We could choose to do that one, and another one Superman style--which means lay on your stomach and the cables are connected to your back! We both did it! Then we did the Mega Tarzan Swing. This is where you go to the end of the platform, 295 ft. above the ground, and step off! You drop free fall for 148 ft. before the rope's tension catches you!!!!! It was the scariest thing we have ever done in our lives!!!!

After we were brought back to the hotel, we had a late lunch, picnic style on our balcony. Then it was off to the Don Juan Coffee plantation to buy some coffee and chocolate. Next, we strolled around town, looking at the shops, and eating ice cream. We found a fun place for dinner called the Tree House--basically we sat around a huge tree that was in the middle of the restaurant. To end the night, we came back to the hotel for drinks, and then to bed. It was a tiring day.

Day 4--Relaxation

Today was a day of relaxation. We hung out at the pool and beach. Luckily, the rain stayed away all day. It was nice to sleep in, and be lazy all day! While swimming, Dan and Chris got stung by a jellyfish, but all was fine--it only stung for a short time. While Dan was reading a book on our balcony, he spotted a HUGE  iguana--it may not look like it in the picture, but it was about 3 feet long. We went back into the downtown area of Jaco for dinner. Tomorrow we leave early to drive to Monteverde to go zip lining.

Iguana outside our room

The beach

Day 3--Manuel Antonio National Park

Today we went to another national park, Manuel Antonio. It is known for its monkeys and sloths. It was a much different experience than yesterday. First of all, it was very crowded, people everywhere. Second, we walked on a wide path (at least 20 ft. wide), instead of ducking under branches and having to walk single file. Also, in our group there was 8 people, instead of just us with our friends, Chris and Bob. We did see some animals/insects that we didn't see yesterday. We saw the following: red eyed tree frog, helmet lizard, tropical land crab, whipped tail lizard, gold & green rainbow grasshopper, golden orb weaver, blue hummingbird, iguanas, three toed sloths, howler & white face monkeys, and raccoons. The best thing was seeing a sloth really close (usually they are farther away and up very high--hard to see with the naked eye), and then it was moving, not fast, but still moving.

3 toed sloth

After our guided hike, we ended up at the beach. We sat and had nice picnic lunch, quick swim, and a short walk along the beach. It was beautiful. At the beach, the white face monkeys hang out, looking for handouts. We saw a little family--mom, dad, and little baby--so cute. We also witnessed two raccoons being "very friendly" with each other--didn't really need to see that!

Monkey Family

We heard thunder, packed up, and headed out of the park. We were not fast enough--the downpour began, as soon as we packed up! It took about 30 minutes to walk out--we were drenched! We were mainly concerned with keeping our packs dry, so we covered them, and we were soaking wet.

It continued to rain, hard at times all evening, so we just enjoyed staying in our room.