Arenal and Rio Celeste

Arenal!

This weekend myself and the other API kids (Albert, Jill, Scott, Abbie, and MaryClaire) had the opportunity to visit Arenal and Rio Celeste with our fearless guide and director, Esteban! We were all super excited, and for good reason.

We left San Joaquin de Flores at 9am on Friday. It was very nice having private transportation, and not having to deal with the bus system. We followed some windy roads up into the mountains. Our first stop, about 1 hour into the trip, was a town called Zarcero. It’s a small town with around 4,500 residence, but we went to see the gardens at the Parque Francisco Alvarado and the church, la Iglesia de San Rafael. The park is full of bushes and trees that have been shaped into fantastic animals, shapes, and are altogether wonderful. We all had fun running around and taking pictures. The church was also beautiful. It is made of wood, which is different from many of the stone churches you will find in Costa Rica. There was a pianist playing when we visited, so the experience was quiet majestic.

The drive from Zarcero to La Fortuna was beautiful. The skies were clear and we saw many mountain villages. The roads are very twisty, so if you have problems with motion sickness, like myself, take medication. It will help! As we descended, we saw the first view of the Arenal Volcano. It instantly reminded me of the lonely mountain from The Hobbit. Arenal is very impressive, and loams up. It is the quintessential volcano. It has stopped spewing lava, but we did see a little bit of gas released from the top.

We checked into our hotel, Arenal Paraiso, and then took off for the national park. We took a short hike and went to the observation point where there are views of the volcano and Lake Arenal. See the pictures below:

After, we had a few hours at the hotel, then headed to Baldi to visit the hot springs. They were wonderful! The water was super warm, and we explored the whole complex. Our ticket time was for 6-10pm, but we all were tired, so we found Esteban and returned to the hotel around 8:30. I checked the Olympic games, then fell asleep.

On Saturday, we had a delicious buffet breakfast and headed to Rio Celeste. It was raining, and I forgot my raincoat! I guess I’m used to the semi-desert of Wenatchee, where I never need one. Esteban and his girlfriend, Lucia, didn’t have raincoats either, so we stopped and got dollar ponchos. Best purchase of the weekend!

We hiked into Rio Celeste and saw the waterfall, sulfur pools, and where the water changes from normal to the brilliant blue. Although it was raining, we still could see the color, which was a blessing. We went to the end and soaked in some natural hot springs, and then headed back out. After a total of 5 hours of hiking in the rain and mud, we all were grateful to head back to the hotel.

*Note, if anyone is planning on going to Rio Celeste, the trail is pretty treacherous. It was super muddy for us, and there are many tree roots and rocks. Take an extra pair of shoes, because my tennis shoes were covered in mud and soaking wet.

On Saturday night, we all went to a nice group dinner in La Fortuna, and I had yummy steak. J  I also experienced Pops ice-cream for the first time. It is delicious, and reminds me of Baskin-Robbins.  

Sunday morning rolled around and we had the morning to ourselves. The group basked in the sun, watched movies, and used the WiFi in the hotel lobby. At 12, we headed back to San Joaquin. I got back at 3:45, dropped my bags, and went to the church to attend 4pm mass. Once I got back, I had some quality time with my Tica mom as we cleaned and scrubbed my tennis shoes. They are now squeaky clean, but I need some bleach to get them white again.

On the agenda this week: Classes, teaching English, working out, observing a physical therapist, and enjoying the package my boyfriend sent me for Valentines day. J Lots of yummy chocolate and candy!!

The weekend was a blast, and now I have a normal week ahead of me. Hope everyone is having a wonderful February!