The Life Aquatic

After getting our fill of what Monteverde had to offer (14 ziplines, 4 organized activities, 6 meals featuring rice & beans, and exactly 1 tarantula), we headed across the continental divide to Arenal. This consisted of another bumpy bus ride through rolling green hills, many of which were covered with giant windmills:

After we had seen enough windmills to power a small Central American nation, we pulled up to Lake Arenal, an artificial lake created by a hydroelectric dam that we were told powers 90% of Costa Rica. We transferred from the bus to a lovely boat:

From our boat, we saw the dramatic peak of Arenal volcano rising in the distance. We were pretty impressed, but didn’t realize how lucky we were until we read in the guide book that 50% of tourists who visit Arenal never get a clear view of the peak (because of the clouds). Sure enough, after that first afternoon, we never saw the peak clearly again!

As we approached the far end of the lake, we saw a strange activity near the shore. It was too large to be a bird, but too close to the water to be a plane. It was definitely moving slower than a speeding bullet, and it was displacing too much water to be a locomotive. When we got close, it turned out to be Costa Rican Superman!

That evening, we took a hike to a scenic viewpoint on Arenal Volcano. As we had recently visited the Pompeii exhibition and learned about the horrors of that eruption, we were very wary and cautious about getting too close to any volcanic activity:

Here is the requisite scenic photo of us posing in front of the sunset over Lake Arenal. If we posted higher quality images, you’d be able to see very tiny windmills along the ridgeline in the distance.

The next day, we went on a whitewater rafting adventure on the Rio Balsa. We stopped at a fruit stand on the way and Jessie was not on board with my plan to put these dragon fruits in a fire with a human sacrifice.

We ended up in a raft with a very nice couple from outside Toronto and a very adventurous guide. On more than one occasion, he tried to time the rapids like a trampoline to leap high above our boat, and on at least one occasion, he landed directly in the water. He also made us go down rapids standing up, backwards, crowded in the back of the boat (for a “wheelie”), and doing 360s, which flung the poor Canadian girl out of the boat and put a stop to tricks for a little while.

Because our one set of clothing was soaking wet, we decided to stick with the water theme and take a “safari float” in the pouring rain the next morning. Because we were on a raft in the pouring rain, photo opportunities were limited. However, we did manage to see a sloth, a whole family of howler monkeys, toucans, a small crocodile, a variety of tropical birds and trees, and, of course, an animal that Jessie spotted and our professional guide said he had only ever seen once before in his life: tropical river otters. Instead of photos of these amazing animals, all we have to offer you is this historical farm house where we stopped for coffee, plantains, and cheese:

And, because you have been such good readers and made it all the way to the end, here is the kitty who lives at the farm and is a very big fan of Costa Rican cheese:

 – Phil & Jessie

Location:Arenal, Costa Rica