Costa Rica Comfort

Well, we survived the Tica Bus ordeal. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? (Or in my case, just really ticked off.) Our 3 days in Costa Rica were very nice. Almost enough to make up for the four days of torture. Almost.

After we got our rental car, we drove out of San Jose and toward the Poas Volcano National Park. The scenery we saw on the bus on the way to San Jose had been really brown and dry...not at all like you imagine Costa Rica. But now it all changed . . . beautiful green jungle, tall mountains, gorgeous flowers. And clean. So clean! The roads were smooth and nice. They certainly weren't built like our super highways. They flow with the terrain, following the natural curves of the earth. This didn't help with my carsickness, but it made some gorgeous (and terrifying) scenery! There were times we were a few feet from plunging off a cliff, views from thousands of feet up looking down at the clouds, gorgeous farms and forests . . . it was breathtaking!

Our first destination was Poas Volcano. It's a dormant volcano, and we got to go up above the crater and look down at it. You can still see and smell and feel the sulphurous fumes coming from it. The sign even said not to stay too long, especially if you have lung problems. It's usually covered in clouds, and we'd been praying that they'd clear off enough for us to see it, and that's just what happened! We got a perfect crystal-clear view of the crater. Very cool!

After that we drove the rest of the way to our hotel near the Arenal Volcano. Definitely the coolest hotel I've ever stayed at! It's built on the side of the mountain, with over a dozen pools of various sizes and temperatures, filled by the natural springs in the area. There are pools with slides, a pool with a swim-up restaurant, hot tubs of still water, hot tubs with jets, a water volcano. And it's all built to look natural, with rock formations and jungle plants all around. So much fun! We spent most of our time swimming and sliding. Jesse must have done the big slide at least 100 times!

We had two outings as well. One day we got to go horseback riding around the volcano. This volcano last erupted in the 1960's I think, but lava was flowing until about 8 years ago! The top was constantly covered in clouds, but one day we did get a glimpse of the top for less than 10 seconds. Unfortunately we weren't quick enough with the camera, and then it was gone. Anyway, the horseback riding was nothing like other rides we've done before! For one, it was 3 hours long, and this was no “trail ride.” We were actually free to direct the horses as we pleased, rather than them just following the tail in front of them. It was pretty cool! Slightly scary when we went up and down hills though! The guide even took Rayanna away from Heath for one part because it was that intense and he didn't want her to fall. She (very uncharacteristically) ended up staying with the guide for the rest of the ride because he let her hold the reigns more than Daddy did! The kids did really well with the horses, and other than being very saddle sore, we all had a good time. We even got to hear and see some howler monkeys in the wild. Very cool!

The other outing was to the hanging bridges. We took about a 2 ½ -hour hike through the jungle, crossing several very scary hanging bridges! The only snakes we saw were tiny but very dangerous ones. No boas or monkeys. We did get to hear the howler monkeys again, which was cool.

 

The next day it was time to leave. After a delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel, we made sure we had PLENTY of food and water, US Dollars, and stamina, and set out in our rental car for the 3-hour drive back to the bus station. Unfortunately, the beautiful scenery on the curvy mountain roads has its price. Jesse's carsickness got the better of him, and we didn't pull over in time. Enough said. Great way to start the day. Fortunately, we were able to get some Dramamine, so he and I both took some, and the bus ride back was much less terrible than the way down. Not fun, but certainly more tolerable.

So, 4 days of torture for 3 days of beauty and relaxation. Seeing more of God's beautiful creation, and having a few days of refreshment almost makes it worth the bus ride. Almost. But if we ever have the urge to go to Costa Rica again, we're flying!!