March 2 to 5

Monteverde to Arenal

Recovering from stomach revolt at Casa Batsu. What a great 6-room inn with friendly Carlos, but I am pretty laid up

Batsu

But day 2, I am finally able to walk through the old coffee plantation that has been converted to ecotourism

Nice and chilly at night here but no room at the inn and an bus-boat-bus ride to La Fortuna at the base of Volcan Arenal.

central mountains

We pass many wind generators. Costa Rica produces 99% of its energy from renewable sources.

launch site Lake Arenal

Once again, climb onto the bow of a beached scow to cross the lake.

The volcano overlooks all.

Colores de Arenal is a simple, almost monastic roomed hotel on a river with a pond at the center filled with ducks, frogs, and the dachshund/chihahua muts that jump in and bark

view from my window

Colores has everything I need, including a desk and coffee by the river. At night, the frogs and insects are deafening. But the hotel is only a little out of town. La Fortuna is definitely the most touristed site I have yet seen, including Panama City. There is everything from simple hostels to Club Med type resorts and many bars.

final recovery

So now time for a hike with a naturalist to Volcan Arenal

The very white spot at the top of Arenal is not a cloud, it is steam.

Beautiful hike through lava fields and jungle. We saw honeybees the size of gnats who burrow in trees and build a wax tube entrance. There was a big toucan and a little toucan, many monkeys, bats, a kind of turkey and a long way up to really only the base of the volcan.

hello Arenal

Mario was a great funny guide

So, March 5 early I went again with Mario to the hanging bridges nature park, an engineering wonder in the rain forest rich with life (and quite a few tourists)

Very high and shaky but fun

hanging

A little hot at the end of that hike

time for a siesta.