- Planning
- Contact
- Day One Traveling to Costa Rica
- Day Two San Jose and Coffee
- Day Three Tortuguero
- Day Four Tortuguero Continued
- Day Five Transfer Day Again
- Day Six White Water Rafting
- Day Seven Off to ARenal
- Day Eight Hanging Bridges
- Day Nine Going to the Coast
- Day Ten An Afternoon at the Beach
- Day Eleven Another travel Day
- Day Twelve
- The Trip Home
Today was Laura’s birthday and I wasn’t in Richmond again. I did get to call her and wish her a Happy Birthday.
I must say it was a great day. We woke to rain which cleared up before we left for breakfast. I had been praying it would be a sunny day and it was. As I was getting dressed and went to put on my hiking boots, I noticed the rubber was coming loose from the sole on both shoes. When I saw Evie later, we realized we had the same problem. After breakfast we went to the reception desk to ask for string or rubber bands. All they had was masking tape. Evie used this around the toe of her shoe. I tore off a couple of long strips and rolled them lengthwise to make string. I tied this around my boots to keep the rubber from flapping as I walked. It actually worked for most of the hike. I did decide that this would be my last hike for my boots and they would be staying behind in Costa Rica.
The bus left for Arenal Hanging Bridges in Arenal Volcano National Park. (http://www.misticopark.com/) The view of the volcano was magnificent even though we could not see the very top because of clouds. The trail was almost two miles so the group broke into two. Mom was in the smaller group of four. Each of them had their own personal guide because they were not going all the way.
The rest of us headed up the trail with Javier. The trail had 6 hanging bridges and eight fixed bridges with a couple of short cuts back to the beginning. We saw a colony of bats hanging under a large exposed root, a tarantula in its hole, a green snail on the hand rail, and a jumping pit viper lying in wait to strike. At the first hanging bridge, everyone posed for individual pictures while waiting to cross. Only 15 people are allowed on any of the hanging bridges at one time. This bridge was 246 ft. long and suspended 147 ft. off the ground. It was hanging from steel rope with galvanized steel and a high-strength aluminum bottom and fencing along the sides. The only way anyone could fall off would be to jump over the sides. It did have a good swing to it but not as much as I thought it would.
Once across and a little way down the path, we reached a short cut that went back to the reception area. Most everybody decided to go back. Evie, Yael, Carol, Andy, Rachel, Jeff, Laura and I decided to continue with Javier. Right before the fourth hanging bridge was a path that cut to the right and went down to a waterfall. Jeff, Laura, Yael and I had to go check it out. The path felt like you were going almost straight down at a 45⁰ angle. Thank goodness there was a rope handrail. The waterfall was beautiful.
Near the last hanging bridge, Javier stopped and looked over the handrail and lost his microphone to the foliage below. He had to leave us waiting to cross the last bridge to find help retrieving his device. While waiting to cross the bridge, Yael looked at the woman standing in front of her and said, “I love your haircut, may I take a picture?” The woman from Belgium laughed and started posing for her.
We made it over the last bridge which was 3318 ft. long and 79 ft. high. As I came off, Linda C. let me know that Victoria had an incident while on the path back. According to Victoria, her legs began to shake and it reached the point where her legs felt like rubber and she couldn’t walk. She ended up in a squatting position and had to be helped up by two “very cute” young men. A nurse was sent to check on her and someone escorted her out. Luckily she was alright. Mom offered Victoria the use of her walking stick which seemed to help. Victoria really wants to thank Karin and Wendy for staying with her until help arrived.
I must say it was a great day. We woke to rain which cleared up before we left for breakfast. I had been praying it would be a sunny day and it was. As I was getting dressed and went to put on my hiking boots, I noticed the rubber was coming loose from the sole on both shoes. When I saw Evie later, we realized we had the same problem. After breakfast we went to the reception desk to ask for string or rubber bands. All they had was masking tape. Evie used this around the toe of her shoe. I tore off a couple of long strips and rolled them lengthwise to make string. I tied this around my boots to keep the rubber from flapping as I walked. It actually worked for most of the hike. I did decide that this would be my last hike for my boots and they would be staying behind in Costa Rica.
The bus left for Arenal Hanging Bridges in Arenal Volcano National Park. (http://www.misticopark.com/) The view of the volcano was magnificent even though we could not see the very top because of clouds. The trail was almost two miles so the group broke into two. Mom was in the smaller group of four. Each of them had their own personal guide because they were not going all the way.
The rest of us headed up the trail with Javier. The trail had 6 hanging bridges and eight fixed bridges with a couple of short cuts back to the beginning. We saw a colony of bats hanging under a large exposed root, a tarantula in its hole, a green snail on the hand rail, and a jumping pit viper lying in wait to strike. At the first hanging bridge, everyone posed for individual pictures while waiting to cross. Only 15 people are allowed on any of the hanging bridges at one time. This bridge was 246 ft. long and suspended 147 ft. off the ground. It was hanging from steel rope with galvanized steel and a high-strength aluminum bottom and fencing along the sides. The only way anyone could fall off would be to jump over the sides. It did have a good swing to it but not as much as I thought it would.
Once across and a little way down the path, we reached a short cut that went back to the reception area. Most everybody decided to go back. Evie, Yael, Carol, Andy, Rachel, Jeff, Laura and I decided to continue with Javier. Right before the fourth hanging bridge was a path that cut to the right and went down to a waterfall. Jeff, Laura, Yael and I had to go check it out. The path felt like you were going almost straight down at a 45⁰ angle. Thank goodness there was a rope handrail. The waterfall was beautiful.
Near the last hanging bridge, Javier stopped and looked over the handrail and lost his microphone to the foliage below. He had to leave us waiting to cross the last bridge to find help retrieving his device. While waiting to cross the bridge, Yael looked at the woman standing in front of her and said, “I love your haircut, may I take a picture?” The woman from Belgium laughed and started posing for her.
We made it over the last bridge which was 3318 ft. long and 79 ft. high. As I came off, Linda C. let me know that Victoria had an incident while on the path back. According to Victoria, her legs began to shake and it reached the point where her legs felt like rubber and she couldn’t walk. She ended up in a squatting position and had to be helped up by two “very cute” young men. A nurse was sent to check on her and someone escorted her out. Luckily she was alright. Mom offered Victoria the use of her walking stick which seemed to help. Victoria really wants to thank Karin and Wendy for staying with her until help arrived.
Next we went to Arenal Vida Campesina which is a self-sustained cultural education center. The first thing we learned was how to make corn tortillas by hand. Actually, the dough was already made. We were each given a ball of the dough and taught how to shape it. These were cooked on a traditional cast-iron stove-top and served with our lunch. The lunch was delicious. Everything served was from items grown on the farm. There was this one sauce that Mom, Linda C. Carol and I really liked. We asked for the recipe. The young man guiding this activity rattled off the ingredients. Linda C. wrote them down in her phone. The only problem was that he didn’t know amounts. Mom and I will just have to play with this when we get home. Desert came with a demonstration of how coffee was made approximately 50 years ago. We tasted it and the coffee was very good. (Funny thing is because the coffee is so good here, I am finding myself drinking it black now.)
We then moved to a staging area where the history of the Costa Rican mating ritual, which included dancing, was explained. A presentation was given by four school age children. We were then shown some of the produce with explanations of their uses being grown at the center. One of the items is sugar cane. A demo was given on how the juice was extracted from the cane about 50 years ago. No one volunteered to turn the crank so I did. It was amazing seeing how much juice came out of one cane. The cane was then folded in half and twisted and put through the ringer again. This time Carol volunteered. We all had an opportunity to taste the sugar cane liquid. This is also fermented to create “guiro” which is liquor between 70 %– 90% alcohol. Everyone was given a shot glass with a small amount to taste. It was very strong and went right to the back of the throat. I must say by my third and last sip it was going down much easier.
The tour finished up with a short walk around the plants that are grown. I had never seen a star fruit tree before and the fruit looked weird hanging in it.
Back at the lodge, Mom and I suited up for the hot springs and pool. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. We had a sit down group dinner in the dining room and it was wonderful to be served. I am getting a little tired of buffets. Javier said that if it was clear in the morning around 5.00 a.m. we should be able to see the top of the volcano. I do hope so. I plan to try.
We then moved to a staging area where the history of the Costa Rican mating ritual, which included dancing, was explained. A presentation was given by four school age children. We were then shown some of the produce with explanations of their uses being grown at the center. One of the items is sugar cane. A demo was given on how the juice was extracted from the cane about 50 years ago. No one volunteered to turn the crank so I did. It was amazing seeing how much juice came out of one cane. The cane was then folded in half and twisted and put through the ringer again. This time Carol volunteered. We all had an opportunity to taste the sugar cane liquid. This is also fermented to create “guiro” which is liquor between 70 %– 90% alcohol. Everyone was given a shot glass with a small amount to taste. It was very strong and went right to the back of the throat. I must say by my third and last sip it was going down much easier.
The tour finished up with a short walk around the plants that are grown. I had never seen a star fruit tree before and the fruit looked weird hanging in it.
Back at the lodge, Mom and I suited up for the hot springs and pool. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. We had a sit down group dinner in the dining room and it was wonderful to be served. I am getting a little tired of buffets. Javier said that if it was clear in the morning around 5.00 a.m. we should be able to see the top of the volcano. I do hope so. I plan to try.
