| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 |
| Costa Rica Honeymoon, Fall 2000: Tamarindo, Day 11
|
|
Thursday, November 2, 2000: Off to Arenal
We'd anticipated daily rains when we planned our trip (they call it the "green season" here, and it runs from August/September through December or January), but so far, we haven't seen anything remotely resembling a rain cloud. That's been of some concern to locals, who rely on seasonal rains to fend off drought and keeps crops in good shape. Anyway, last night we were awoken by thunder and by heavy squalls. We set the alarm for 5 a.m. again (surf session) but called it off for an hour or so due to rain. By 6 a.m., the downpour had slowed to a trickle, and we tackled the water under drizzly gray skies. Actually, David tackled it alone...I wasn't feeling much in the mood for storm surf, especially since we'd both had epic days just yesterday. So while he surfed, I prowled the beach picking up shells, including the omnipresent tiny, white, conical swirled shells that will always remind me of Costa Rica. After schlepping back to the hotel and showering and packing, it was time to hit the road. We turned in our surfboards, bid farewell to Lisa and Surf Patti, and jumped into our 4Runner to hit the road for Arenal by 10 a.m.
After a couple of hours of back-road driving, we finally hit the Pan-American highway (which is all of two lanes, whoopee, but at least it's paved). We stopped for gas and were astounded as a team of four sprang into action, washing down our car, filling our tires, refilling the gas...it was amazing. They did a better job than our local auto detailer. Talk about full service! We weren't sure of the etiquette, so we tipped what seemed to be the lead guy, and headed on our way again.
We finally reached our hotel, the Tabacon Lodge, at about 2:30 p.m. This turned out to be our most "normal" hotel thus far, in that it looked almost like an American hotel room: one room with a bed, dresser, small table, closet, and an attached bathroom. Standard stuff, but I think we've been spoiled by our villas.
After we checked in, we walked over to the Tabacon Resort, a sprawling conglomeration of geothermal springs, funneled by man into umpteen pools of various temperatures and situated in a gorgeously landscaped park environment. Twisting paths brought you to get more hidden hot springs, and waterfalls and rivers joined them all.
Afterward, back to the room. We couldn't see much of the volcano, as its top was shrouded in clouds...but at 2 a.m. David woke me up and rushed me to the window. The clouds had cleared and we were just able to see a trickle of red lava racing down the side of the volcano--we were shocked by how fast it was moving. Alas, our glimpse was short-lived, as the clouds came floating back in. But it was an amazing sight. And had we seen it in broad daylight, and not wreathed in clouds, it would have looked like this (amazing):
|
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 |
Our last day in Tamarindo...and, fittingly, the perfect weather has finally given way to the long-delayed rainy season.
The countryside as we drove, even in the steady drizzle, was lush, green, and beautiful. It took us a while to leave what we thought of as "beach country," but after a couple of hours we were into rolling pastureland and hillsides dotted with ranches and higher-end homes. There were leafy, spreading guanacaste trees everywhere (indeed, they give their name to the region in which Tamarindo lies, which is called Guanacaste), and herds of cows and goats milled by the roadside. At one point, I cajoled David to pull over to the side of the road to take a closeup of a particularly cute cow and her comrades. It wasn't until they started moving aggressively toward our (bright red) car that we realized (1) they were BIG, and (2) they were bulls, not cows. Yikes! (Luckily, the 4Runner has decent acceleration.)
An hour or so later, we turned off onto the roads to Arenal. We'd been warned that the roads were dicey, and as we climbed in elevation we began to run into potholes, rocks, mud, and so forth; pretty happy to have four-wheel drive! Lake Arenal, an enormous man-made lake in the middle of Costa Rica, finally came into view...and despite the foul weather, it was still breathtaking in its size and loveliness, surrounded by hills covered in rolling green with verdant trees. There were flowers everywhere around us, both growing wild and planted around the houses and hotels we passed.
Just under four hours into our trip, we made a short stop for coffee at a well-known tourist spot called Toad Hall, which is somewhat overhyped in the guidebooks. It's cute, but it's probably not worth a special trip. On the other hand, it's a nice stopping point on the journey to Arenal.
Oh...standard, that is, except for one thing: The volcano in the backyard. Our sliding glass doors opened onto a small patio, from which you could see giant Volcano Arenal rising up, seemingly just across the street. You can actually hear it mumbling and grumbling. David was awed, impressed, and more than a little bit nervous about its proximity.
We spent about three hours playing in the pools and exploring, then had dinner at the hotel. The food was good, but nothing special, although the unctuous, overly attentive service would have made you think you were at a 5-star restaurant. It was also pretty pricy, about $60 for dinner for two. We're a little nostalgic for Tamarindo already...