Since the cruise, I have been to Hawaii, Seattle, The Kentucky Derby, and just returned from a two week stint in Costa Rica! The experience I had there was unlike any other trip I’ve ever taken (and, I am quite the globe trotter!).
I went with my best friend from childhood (“C”), and being with her made all the difference. For one, she’s a Biology major; she’s basically a walking encyclopedia. Put the two of our personalities together and we are no longer a collection of cells and organs; we are an army of Nerdfighter awesomeness!! (No, this does NOT mean we fight Nerds! Please read John Green for a full definition)
Did I also mention this was C’s first stamp on her passport?? The trip was an especially important one. NO room for disappointment!
The first week was spent at the Arenal Paraiso resort and spa a few miles away from the base of the Arenal Volcano. Our cabin’s porch featured a prime view of the volcano; but, it was our backyard awe-inspiring visual of the rainforest that made this particular resort a unique experience. (No joke, our back patio was directly positioned over the rainforest!)
Front view
Rear view
Of course, we arranged our first tour around the Volcano which was led by our guide Marcus, a grad student Volcanologist, looking to finish his thesis at Yellowstone. He was quite the body of knowledge, and by body…I do mean very attractive AND smart. Intelligence does wonders for woman’s libido!! ;)
Facts:
This particular Volcano is considered one of the 10 most active in the world. Its first scientifically documented eruption in 1968 buried 3 villages, sparing the now famously named city of La Fortuna (aka “The Fortunate”) on the southwest end. It is classified as an andesitic stratovolcano, basically meaning it spews an enormous amount of lava, gas and ash on a regular basis. That is until 2010 when it was rendered into an undetermined ‘resting phase.’ Lucky for us!
I would also like to note, the surrounding area boasted a wealth of natural hot springs to which C and I obliged ourselves to many a frequent gallivant. One cannot dispute the local’s belief of “healing waters.” And, I fully expect to recover from ALL my ailments ;-P
Our second tour featured the Hanging Bridges; suspension bridge’s held by cables throughout varying levels of the actual rainforest on a 2.5 mile trek. It featured all sorts of goodies from local wildlife, plant life, ecology, and interesting bits of the Costa Rican history. For instance, Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the area that actually instated laws to protect the rainforest and created a whole new level of tourism that we now call: eco-tourism. Another interesting note, bats compromise 40% of the mammal population in the country! This also includes…dun, dun, DUN, vampire bats!
Suspension Bridges
Nun's Nightmare
Owl Butterfly
Crested Owl
Hog-nosed Viper
Living Fossil
Long-nosed bat
I will update as I have time. It will be well worth the wait!!
