Starting with arriving at the Adventure Inn, close to the San Jose Airport. We met and got acquainted … at the bar :) Julie, Mary Ann, myself, … Sylvia joined us that night.
The next morning, 7am, our driver took us to Playa del Cocoa. After 2 days of diving, we took a day off and drove an hour NE to Hotel El Hacienda Guachipelin, in the Rincon de la Viejo Volcano National Park.
Mary Ann arranged a day of fun for us, beginning with HorseBack riding to a Falls. My horse was attacked 3 times by 2 other horses and I was almost thrown. But because of my ‘strong core’, due to Pilates :) …. I stayed on his back. This was the least favorite part of the day.
Then they suited us up for Tubing.
I've been 'tubing' before ... i thought this was a bit over-kill.
We jumped in the tube and right out of the gate we were off …. OMG .. hold on tight. This was an intense river, serious stuff! Thankfully they had ‘staff’ all along the way …either to push us away from a rock … or twirl us around through a falls,,, i’m not sure which !
OK, not what i was expecting ... but WoW ... that was the MOST FUN i've had in a long time! I'd do it again in a heart-beat!
Drowned Rats sitting down for lunch.
Next up was Zip-Lining. I know many of you have done this, but i never have. They got us all geared up for this too, with lots of instructions. There were 9 platforms ... small platforms ...
The Zipping part was fun, i was just disappointed that it didn't go slower ... what part of 'zipping' didn't i understand? It was such a beautiful canyon we were in, but i missed most of it.
The part of getting hooked up, was a bit scary; standing on a box, on a platform, with the river FAR below. As you can see, my girlfriends were a bit concerned too. Those guys had to be really focused to get one unhooked, and the other hooked, and receiving and sending in between !
That was fun, then off to some mud bathing in a mountain Hot Spring, then cleaning off in the river. This was fun too.
That was a full fun-filled day! Our driver took us back to Playa del Cocoa. We ate at a great restaurant on the beach twice and had whole fresh fish. They were massive and delicious, mine was a 'small' fish.
The cocktails were good too.
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| Me and Julie |
There was so much i couldn't eat it all, and shared with a couple very sweet gentle dogs.
It was a great end to fun times at Playa del Cocoa
The next morning our driver took us to LaFortuna ... another 4 hr journey
On the way there we were hijacked by these Banditos ... Coatimundis; standing in the middle of the road, knowing we'd have to stop ... they were looking for handouts :) They are a cousin to our Raccoon.
LaFortuna is at the base of the Arenal Volcano which looms over the city. Arenal is considered active, last erupting in 2010. We were able to catch a glimpse of the top, which is unusual.
We did not climb the mountain, but we did take the Hanging Bridges RainForest Tour... and, yes, ...starting in the rain. We had a great guide that showed us a lot of animals that we would have missed, like this pretty bird.
Some of the bridges were quite expansive, with a great view ... but also 'tippy' ...
It was a fun day.
The next day we pampered ourselves with a Day Pass to Tabacon Hot Springs. This is a first class establishment, and I highly recommend it. They treated us like 'queens', even on a Day Pass. We each had an extra 'treatment'. I had a Volcanic Mud Wrap. We went down a secluded path, into our own bungalow. This was interesting. The bed was heated, with a plastic sheet on it. I didn't like the idea of laying on a plastic sheet, but i did. She came in an applied Volcanic Mud to my body. Then she wrapped the rest of the plastic sheet around me. Then wrapped me in several warm towels. ... I was a BURRITO ! While i lay there and 'marinate?" for 20+min, she massaged my neck shoulders and head. Then she unwrapped me, and i took a hot spring shower to wash off all the mud, then she 'anointed' me with oils. No photos of any of this :)
Then drinks and lunch at the Swim-up Bar.
Did I mention that it rained all day? It really didn't matter though since the water was hot. After lunch we got a bit crazy 'playing' in the Hot Springs' many many pools, as the water rushed down the mountain. This is just one section of the many twists, turns, and falls, with swiftly flowing water... enough to knock you over! It's unbelieveable that so much water, hot water, continues to flow, with force, day after day after day. It was very cool !
We got there at 10am, and were there until 8:30pm. We laughed A LOT !
...more fun ...
The next day another 5hr drive back to San Jose, but taking a tourist shopping stop at Sarchi.
Sarchi boasts the largest Ox Cart... in the world ?..... On display in the Town Square, ...and it IS large! The Ox Cart, brightly painted is the 'National Symbol' of Costa Rica. They have so much to be proud of, but they chose the Ox Cart.... ?
The Ox Carts were a means of transportation for people and cargo. Ox carts are able to navigate harsh road conditions: like sandy beaches, rocky mountain terrain, muddy swamps, small rivers, and handle curves and hills. Part of this is due to their use of spokeless wheels. These wheels have traits from both Aztec discs and Spanish spoked wheels and are able to navigate through rough terrain, turns, and hills. Honestly, i can't imagine how....
We finally arrived back at Adventure Inn in San Jose for our last night. Sat by the pool for awhile.
And went back to the Indian Restaurant, Taj Mahal, for our final meal together. This is our final photo, ... yes, in the bathroom :)
This was really fun trip, and made extra special by the re-acquaintance with Mary Ann and new friendships with Julie and Sylvia.
We hope to meet again... somewhere…
