I woke up this morning with my calves in knots (bounding up 500 steps will do that to you). I dragged myself out of bed, waited for a break in the rain, and walked to the yoga deck for a 6:30 a.m. class. Although not quite awake, I couldn’t help but appreciate the peaceful setting, and I looked forward to loosening up my tight muscles and stiff joints.
In nearly every asana, I noticed something special.
Standing in a wide-legged forward fold, I turned my upside-down focus to the blooming plants surrounding the spacious gazebo. I watched a hummingbird hover and sip at a huge persimmon-colored trumpet blossom before zipping away. The light rain tip-tapped on the metal roof. Back upright, I looked out at the heavy fog blanketing the Arenal Volcano. Moving into a balancing pose, I fixed my gaze on a fountain in the garden, steadily pouring water into a small pond. By the time we reached savasana, resting pose, torrential rain obscured the view and drowned out the gentle voice of our instructor, Griselda. Lying on my back, I smiled up at the draped white fabric and ornamental lamps hanging from the dark wood rafters before closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and letting the downpour provide a backdrop for deep relaxation.
At the end of the class, we all enjoyed a cup of tea while waiting for a relatively rain-free moment to head out. Eventually, the deluge dwindled to a drizzle, and I jogged the short distance to meet Tony for breakfast, ready for another Costa Rican adventure.
We are feeling pretty lucky about our full day in Tortuguera, cruising along the river under partly cloudy skies. When we got up the next day, the rain was so heavy we couldn’t see beyond the edge of our restaurant terrace. Our hotel’s water taxi took us back to La Pavona, where the downpour paused long enough for us to get our rental car out of the parking lot.
After about three hours, we reached La Fortuna, a tourist town full of hostels, souvenir shops, and restaurants. We drove through the town and then turned off the main road to reach our hotel. Following the signs to Arenal Springs Resort & Spa, I started to get anxious. The signs themselves looked dated, and they pointed us up a hill to an unimpressive entrance with a gatehouse and a bunch of people loitering about. “This looks dodgy,” I said. Once we passed through the gate, however, it was like Walt Disney himself waved a magic wand to make this glorious place appear in the rainforest. We checked in and drove to our room, which is really half a duplex, and like all the guests here, we have a view of the Arenal Volcano (although presently it’s shrouded in clouds).
After a quick lunch, Tony and I changed into swimsuits and walked to the pool complex, which includes two pool bars, a sushi bar, and four thermal pool ranging from 93° to 104° F (34° to 39°C). This is from the hotel website:
Our hot springs have been created to give you the feeling that you are in natural thermal river in the middle of the rainforest. Tropical gardens surround the river to add to the sensation. The floor of the pools is made from limestone which adds to the soothing atmosphere. The light color allows you to see your feet and verify the cleanliness of the waters.
The thermal water is naturally heated by the Arenal Volcano and its underground rivers. The water reaches our thermal pools taking advantage of the force of gravity without the need for pumping or drilling. The minerals naturally found in the water, such as calcium, magnesium, sodium bicarbonate, and chloride contribute to a complete relaxation of mind and body, promote circulation, and help to balance pH levels, liberate free radicals, soften both skin and hair, and promote better sleep. We have also created special features like carefully chosen river rocks to form the bar stools of the wet bar, waterfalls to offer you a relaxing hydro-massage, and a soothing jacuzzi.
We hung out at the pool for a while and then ventured in to town for dinner at Restaurante Don Rufino. I had charged Tony with picking a restaurant, and he chose well. (It was a bit pricey, so we pretended we were celebrating our anniversary.) I discovered my new favorite thing: guaro, which is liquor made from sugar cane. Yum!
The history of Mistico Park, where you can find Costa Rica’s famous hanging bridges, began at the beginning of the 20th century. Spouses Landelina Rodríguez Sánchez and Adrian Castillo, who were natives of La Fortuna, San Carlos, dedicated their time to working the land they had inherited from their parents in the foothills of the Arenal Volcano.
In those times, this incredibly rich natural land was ignored as it was far from the city and difficult to access. However, the Castillo Rodriguez family had great vision, as they knew the true value of their land could be found in its natural resources. Thus, they made the decision to keep this wooded portion of the mountain intact.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the family decided to open this natural forest sanctuary to the public, and they hired a company in order to develop the Hanging Bridges of Arenal eco-tourism project, which would allow thousands of people to enjoy the forest’s beauty comfortably and safely.
Twelve years later, as per the initial agreement, the development company returned the project to its owners, and the family’s third generation currently manages the nature reserve.
Tony, the guide (who I will call TG from now on to differentiate him from Tony Dent), had a brilliant sense for spotting wildlife, and he shared fascinating facts about the rainforest. He also used my phone to take photos from his telescope. Before we reached the park, TG told the driver to pull over. He jumped out of the van and quickly set up a tripod to show us this, a rainbow toucan.
At the park, TG spotted quite a few other interesting critters:
a scaly-breasted hummingbird
a howler monkey enjoying a snack (That’s TG making the howling sound, fyi.)
a rufous motmot
a greater white-lined bat
an eyelash viper (This guy – whose bite can be fatal – was actually pretty small, but he was just a few feet from the path.)
a couple blue jeans poison dart frogs, croaking at each other
We also saw a tarantula guarding its egg sac inside a small hole in the side of the hill. I couldn’t get a photo of her.
The animals were not the only attraction in this park. During our 2-mile walk, we crossed 16 bridges, including a suspension bridge 318 feet (97 meters) off the ground. From there, we could see nature’s battle for survival. TG had explained that 60 percent of rainforest plants do not grow from the ground up but rather grow on other plants. Our bird’s eye view revealed trees whose trunks were completely overtaken by other plants, such as ficus, moss, and ferns that had won the race for sunlight in the canopy.
TG called this a “broccoli tree.”
Guide hogging while TG points out some tiny bees with a hive in this tree.
Posing by a little waterfall.
After leaving the park, we drove to the La Fortuna Waterfall. I left my phone in the van, which was a bummer because the place was stunning. We walked down 530 steps to the spot where the 230-foot (70-meter) waterfall crashed into a churning pool of chilly water. I snagged this photo from the Catarata Río Fortuna website.
Another member of our little tour group took this shot for us.
I loved getting in that water and soaking up the scenery, but it was dang cold and the force of the waterfall created waves that nearly thrashed us to death against the rocks. Sooo… it was a short but fabulous swim.
Our tour wrapped up with a traditional casado lunch at a family’s covered pavilion in a riverside village. So simple, and yet, so delicious!
Tomorrow, we’re hiking on the volcano. Can’t wait!
