Costa Rica: Rincon de la Vieja
Written by admin on March 6, 2012 – 9:09 am -<< Back to: DAY 8: Rio Celeste
DAY 9-10: Rincon de la Vieja National Park
In the morning, the owners made us breakfast with toast, homemade jam, and eggs from their own chicken coop! They’ve got a few roosters and hens in their coop doing the work and they get unlimited supplies of eggs for the guests. Well the eggs couldn’t be more fresh than that!
In their backyard, they’ve got hummingbird feeders and fruit outside for the birds to feed on.
We had a hard time connecting to their wifi so the nice owners let us use their daughter’s laptop to take care of our errands online. We finished, checked our routes, thanked them for their wonderful hospitality and headed out.
It was about an hour drive to Rincon de la Vieja National Park and we got a hotel at Hacienda Lodge Guachipelin, just outside of the park. It was a big resort/hotel with lots of room, staff, and space. Too bad it was very old and the rooms were dirty and the shower was disgusting. We found a dead cockroach inside the room and wondered if they even did an inspection beforehand. They also had lots of activities and tours for those eager to spend some money on.
It was a hot day and we were looking forward to some kind of a waterfall in our hike. Since we started late again, we took the shorter route to visit the fumaroles and mud pots with a small waterfall instead of the 3 hour hike to a large, main waterfall.
There was heavy vegetation at the beginning of the hike, including a very cool small waterfall coming down the rocks and then everything disappeared to an open dry field where the mud pots and fumaroles were.
We couldn’t get close to the fumaroles as the sulfuric smell was too strong. I’m still not sure why people are attracted to them. Pretty unique stuff but just not for me!
The hike was short and as we were about to exit, we finally saw some monkeys following us from tree to tree. I’m guessing they usually get food from some of the people coming through the park. They eventually ran off and that was our encounter with monkeys in Costa Rica.
We were told of another waterfall right outside of the park so we wanted to check it out. We parked and followed the small trail out and you can almost hear the waterfall right away. We couldn’t see it just yet and had to descend way down to the bottom and across the stream.
Of course we weren’t thinking at all and attempted to cross the rushing stream with all our gear, including our dslr camera! I made it through but Azusa slipped and fell in the cold water completely submerging the camera! Luckily, she was fine but our camera was not. Miraculously, the memory card of our entire Costa Rica trip survived so we kept it very safe! Still curious about the waterfall, I went ahead while Azusa stayed safely behind. At just a few more steps through the stream and around a huge rock, the hidden waterfall was there undiscovered and roaring down the walls into the canyon pool below. I quickly got a shot of it from my waterproof GoPro camera and hurried back.
Well, our camera was done but we weren’t just yet. There was a hot spring in the area and we still had some time to kill so that would be our last stop. The fee was waived for the hotel guests so I guess that wasn’t a bad thing. We skipped the mud painting and got right in.
Back at the hotel, we let the camera air out and got ready for dinner. We found a place down the road and thought to try it out. The restaurant was more like an extension of a house with a few tables. The server was not friendly at all but we ordered anyway since we were hungry. Food was ok but when we got our bill it was about double of what we had been paying, for the same types of meal! There was no price on the menu and we never asked beforehand. Lesson learned. Well what a day it’s been!
The next morning was a different story and our complimentary breakfast was pretty good. RIP to our camera and luckily this was our last day in Costa Rica.
We were so fortunate to still have the pictures from our entire trip to share with everyone.
Costa Rica was an amazing adventure for the past 2 weeks! We learned to scuba dive, ate delicious meals, saw beautiful sceneries, drove through mountains and valleys, hiked varieties of terrains, relaxed in hot springs, and so many more experiences. Thanks for the memories! Muchas gracias, pura vida!
*Update: Our camera has turned back on and is now working again!*
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Costa Rica: Rio Celeste
Written by admin on February 20, 2012 – 2:14 am -<< Back to: DAY 7: Arenal Volcano
DAY 8: Rio Celeste - Tenorio Volcano National Park
We woke up, stepped outside and still couldn’t see a volcano in sight. It was time to say goodbye to this hidden volcano and move on. We had breakfast and headed northwest to our next destination, Rio Celeste.
It took a few hours and a stretch of dirt road and we found our hotel just off the main road. Sueño Celeste was a small bed & breakfast hotel run by a very nice couple. Quite a lovely place with some interesting decor.
We got checked in and the owners pointed us right away to the main attraction in the area, Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio, the national park with a waterfall, a hot spring, and some insanely blue water it’s pretty damn magical.
How incredible! The turquoise blue water is the result of a chemical reaction from the mixture of sulfur and calcium carbonate from the river and volcanic activity in the ground. You can see the bubbles coming from the ground and it was probably a few hundred degrees C!
We continued the hike and got to Aguas Termales, the hot spring that was located right by the flowing river. There were some people there already and we had to try it out! The cold water from the river would mix with the piping hot water emitting from the rocks so it was just a mix of cold and hot water at the same time! We spent way too long there and lost a bit of time.
The last stop was the finale, the main waterfall at the end of the trail. It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to set. We wanted to get to the bottom of the waterfall but it would take too long to get down and back so we got down enough to just see it, took some pictures and headed back before dark.
We hiked out fine and the only car left was ours. All we could hope for was to get out of the park with no incident since it was still another 30 min. drive from the park to the main road, all on a rough dirt road. Here’s what it looked like.
Back at our hotel, we got cleaned up and ready for dinner. The owners suggested a place just down the road from their hotel. It was a very local joint and the price was good. We had a nice meal and the rain came down throughout the night.
We have just one more day of adventure before we have to leave beautiful Costa Rica. Tomorrow, we head out to Rincon de la Vieja for some volcanic mud and waterfalls!
Continue to DAY 9-10: Rincon de la Vieja
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Costa Rica: Arenal Volcano
Written by admin on January 22, 2012 – 2:57 am -<< Back to: DAY 6: Monteverde Cloud Forest
DAY 7: Arenal Volcano
The rain was on its way out and we awoke to a nice rainbow so close we actually saw the end of it! Our next destination was a few hours away around Lake Arenal and to the base of Arenal Volcano.
We ate a quick breakfast and said goodbye to Rustic Lodge. We had a very pleasant stay and would highly recommend this hotel. Service was excellent and everyone was friendly and courteous. Thumbs up!
Getting back on the rugged road reminded us how lucky we were to not have gotten lost on our night drive in to Rustic Lodge on the first night. But just when we thought it might not happen to us, we found ourselves in the countryside an hour away from our starting point. At least we had some great views driving through some very rural farmlands in the hills.
So after roughly 2 hours of wasted time being lost, we got back on track and got closer to where we needed to be.
On the drive around Lake Arenal, there are many tourist stops such as cafes, restaurants, and hotels to stop for a quick rest or a view. We held off on those stops and came to a place that was a perfect rest stop and also had some affordable, delicious Costa Rican meal.
The drive around Lake Arenal took a long while as it was a massive lake. We found the Volcano Lodge & Gardens ok and got checked in.
It was now almost 2pm and we went closer to Arenal Volcano park for a hike to try to get a glimpse of the famous volcano. But it was so cloudy and fully covered that we couldn’t see a thing. At the park entrance, we took the 1968 volcano lava flow trail and did the shorter 2 hour loop since we didn’t have much time until sundown.
The trail wasn’t that fun since the lava rocks were sharp and jagged, which was very hard on the feet. At the top, however, we got a great view of everything below.
Later that night, we took a drive into the nearby small town of La Fortuna for dinner. It was fairly busy and very much catered to tourists. We didn’t have anywhere else to go and our dinner pretty much ended in disappointment.
Not to worry as tomorrow we head out to Rio Celeste -Tenorio Volcano National Park for some waterfall, hot springs, and something so blue it’s out of this world!
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Costa Rica: Monteverde Cloud Forest
Written by admin on January 8, 2012 – 10:41 pm -<< Back to: DAY 3-5: Scuba Diving
DAY 6: Monteverde Cloud Forest
The strong mountain wind whistled through the night and we awoke to the same sounds. Certainly a change in climate and temperature from the dry and hot beaches. The owner greeted us in the dining room and we had their complementary breakfast which included fresh fruits, eggs, toast, fresh coffee and juice.
We quickly left and headed out to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, about a 20 min. drive, to meet up with a guided tour group through the park. Along that road, we passed by many tourist stops such as a bat jungle, butterfly garden, insect exhibit, frog ponds, and numerous canopy tours; so many in such a small area.
We found the park and soon met up with our guide. It was a small group and the guide took us through about a 2 hour short trail loop. The rest of the group was much older and the walk was slow and kind of boring. Lengthy descriptions of floral and plant species ensued, as we didn’t really witness any animals along the trail.
The most exciting thing we did kind of see was spotting a Resplendent Quetzal, a very rare bird only found in the surrounding areas of central America. Another group had spotted one and we came up and were able to see it way up in the canopy far away. The guide set up his telescope and we took turns looking through it.
Our tour ended and we saw a total of 2 quetzals and a few other birds. No monkeys, snakes, jaguars, or other wild amazonian creatures like I had somehow imagined. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed. We should have gone on another hike of our own right away but somehow didn’t. We left the park and stopped in downtown Santa Elena, Monteverde on the way home for lunch. Didn’t like the tourist prices so we went back to Sabor Tico for lunch instead. Yummy.
In the late afternoon, we headed back to downtown to check out some more shops, get some small groceries, and to find a good restaurant for dinner. We went to lots of different places but most served American dishes and/or were too pricey. We agreed on Sabor Tico again and it was definitely our best choice. The owner remembered us and thanked us for our patronage. This place is so good we would gladly eat here again and again!
Tomorrow, we continue our trip through the countryside to Arenal Volcano for a one night stay around Lake Arenal.
Continue to Day 7: Arenal Volcano
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Costa Rica: Scuba Diving
Written by admin on January 2, 2012 – 5:16 pm -<< Back to: DAY 1-2: Miami to Costa Rica
DAY 3: Scuba Diving Pool Session
In the morning one of the gal at the dive shop we signed up with, Diving Safaris, picked us up in front of our hotel. We soon found out that it was just a block away and within walking distance. We got there and was introduced to Mark who would be our instructor for the entire 3 days. It turned out that we were his only students so we pretty much got private instructions for the entire course!
We started out day one of the lessons in the swimming pool. We learned about all the gear and how they work. We also practiced breathing techniques and safety steps underwater. It was around 4 hours before we finished our session and headed back to the hotel. Took a nap and also went around on the hotel shuttle to see the entire Villa Sol resort.
Scuba diving can be exhausting, even in the pool! It was a lot of fun to do some test dives but tomorrow, we take what we learned and apply it in the real ocean!
DAY 4-5: Scuba Diving Ocean Dives
For the next two days, we met the crew on the beach and hopped on a boat out to certain dive spots I can’t remember. Our first ocean dive was really intense and a bit uncomfortable. Waves were strong as we entered the water and made it very difficult to start the dive. After a while, we gained confidence and started our descent underwater. Pool diving was nothing compared to the open ocean! There’s no making mistakes once you start going down and you just have to calm your mind and trust that all your equipment will work.
Our first dive started at the deepest dive of 60 feet! I don’t know how we did it but we went from a shallow pool dive of 5 feet to 60 feet the very next day! The deepest dive is always first and we dived twice per day.
By the fourth and last dive, everything felt a lot more natural especially after we finished all the training skills we had to do underwater. We had passed the course and are now certified open water divers! To top it off, on that last dive, we saw a few stingrays, lots of puffers, needle nose fish, and even a baby sea turtle; all on the last dive! Here’s a video of our dives:
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Our instructor Mark took our pictures and gave us our official PADI Open Water ID cards back at the shop. We had arranged for a rental car drop off and they arrived just as we were finishing up. We filled out the necessary paperwork and got the keys to a Mitsubishi SUV for the next 6 days! Our next stop is Monteverde, a town known for its nearby cloud forest, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve.
We left that afternoon and were told it would take around 3 hours to get to our next destination. We read that it was not a good idea to drive at night since most of the roads there were unpaved, unlit, and well…almost non-existent. We sure found that out to be very true. It was around 3:30pm by the time we left the beach hotel. Hurried on the highway and we could see the sun starting to set about halfway on the trip. It was already dark before we got to Cañas, where the route to Monteverde turns into a dirt road with big pot holes and large rocks all over. There are no big signs or lights to confirm direction. We basically had to use our intuition to follow the path as it curves and splits without warning.
Almost 4 hours later and after a few random stops along the road practicing Spanish and asking directions, we safely found Rustic Lodge, and checked in for the night! It was such a relief to see our lodge! The friendly manager referred us to a nearby family owned typical Costa Rican restaurant, Sabor Tico. It was nice to eat at a local place where no one speaks English, completely different than the beach resort we were just at. Great prices and super delicious foods too!
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After the fulfilling dinner, we drove back to the lodge and rested up. Tomorrow, we head into the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve for hopeful sightings of some exotic birds and animals.
Continue to: Day 6: Monteverde Cloud Forest
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