After church we headed out to see the lava flowing down the side of Arenal. You need to go at night, because that is when you can actually see the lava or glowing boulders rolling down the side of the volcano. It is a very long drive from Puriscal. It was supposed to take 3 hours, but ended up being closer to 4. We only had one vomiting incident this trip, which was a blessing considering the windy roads. I had booked some cabins on the West side of the volcano, because that is where the lava is currently flowing. Unfortunately when we arrived, the entire mountain was engulfed in clouds and it was raining. I asked our host at the hotel if there was any chance of seeing the volcano that night, and he said that it might clear up around 7 or 8. Unfortunately it did not.
For dinner we decided to eat at the restaurant on the property (big mistake). Not only was the food overpriced, it was not any good. I think it will be a long time before I order any Italian food in Costa Rica! The cabins were simple and sparsely furnished, each one having three beds and a large picture window facing the volcano. The girls set their alarms and woke up several times during the night to check if the volcano was visible. Finally around 5:00 AM the clouds cleared and we were able to see the volcano. As it was already beginning to get light we couldn’t see much lava, but we did see some. If you look closely at the picture above you might be able to make out the lava up near the top of the crater.
Monday we spent exploring La Fortuna. We ate at a little Soda and the food was better priced and better tasting than the hotel restaurant. I asked one of the people working there if there were any free waterfalls nearby. He said no, but that there was a swimming hole nearby. We got the directions and drove over. It was a fantastic spot, with some small waterfalls, a large pond for swimming, rocks for diving off, and even a rope swing. We spent a few minutes exploring this area and then headed back to town.
Next we went to a butterfly and wildlife reserve. We saw many birds, several sloths, poison dart frogs, etc. The regular price of admission for everyone was $77, I asked for a group discount and she lowered the price to $70. I then explained that we were currently living in Puriscal and she lowered the price to $50.
After spending several hours at the reserve we headed off to La Fortuna Waterfall. The ticket person here was not nearly as hospitable and we had to pay full price for everyone including Matthew and Elly. It is a very long walk down some very steep stairs. The waterfall is magnificent, and swimming is allowed. However, the water is quite cold, much more so than the water in the Turrubares river. We stayed at the waterfall until closing time and then headed back home. The trip back was a little faster and we arrived in 3 1/2 hours.
Karen and I then drove Rachel up the San Jose airport for her 12:35 AM flight back to Utah. After making sure she was checked in and past the immigration station, we headed back home.