Last entry before we head to the boat

Continued from previous posted entry: 11:00 p.m.

What I didn't know is that our main view at the hotel is a volcano. Seriously...a volcano! It's the worlds most active volcano to boot! We drove to the other side of it and watched lava bubble and roll down one side of it tonight. I asked what their emergency plan is for if/when it erupts (it already killed almost a hundred people in 1968) and he replied, "run!"

It reminds me a lot of Roatan, Honduras with it's narrow winding roads that go up and down, all around, and crazy drivers. We were passing another vehicle and these two kids on a bike didn't move and we almost hit them...someone asked something along the lines of, "what are you supposed to do in situations like that" and the guide responded, "Just do what the driver and I do...close your eyes!"
He's entertaining and knows a LOT about their government, the volcano, the states, their agriculture, surrounding countries, etc...which made the trip back to the hotel entertaining and educational.

After dinner (sea bass, cabbage and carrot stuff similar to cole slaw, some kind of fried root, and flaming sugared bananas with ice cream for dessert), Alex and i scoped out the pool. The pool is actually several pools and natural hot springs, all different temperatures. There's even a bar inside one of the hot springs that you can sit on a stool that's underwater and have a drink. This diving group LOVES to drink, cause trouble, and have a good time. They're a riot to hang out with.

We have to get up at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow for breakfast then the canopy tour. The group is going horseback riding and I'm extremely allergic. I break out in hives, my eyes swell shut, and my throat starts to close. I was told my alternative is to get a massage and hang out in the hot springs. Oh my...how awful...I really feel like I'm loosing out...HA! My babe's peacefully snoring so I suppose that's my cue to end this and hit the hay.





10/7/2007 - 4:18 p.m.

Today we were up, fed, and off to the canopy tour by 8:a.m. It's funny being on vacation...getting up at 6:30 in the morning doesn't suck the life out of you. Breakfast is huge here. We had a big buffet breakfast with everything from fresh omelettes cooked on the spot in front of you to dessert. We eat a large lunch, rice and beans with every meal (they must put crack or something in them...it's delicious) and a small dinner that's easier to digest while we sleep. The canopy tour was fun and breath taking. Nature and beauty is one thing they do not lack around here. After we were harnessed in, we hiked up a ways to get our instructions. There were busy fire ants all the way up the path. They have what they call a Bullet Ant here. It stings and bites something fierce and feels like being hit by a bullet - hence the name. There were quite a few on the trees that the platforms were based on. We zipped over 200 feet above ground, past a small water fall and over a river. You wear a thick glove over your hand that works as your break. If you pull down you slow to a stop. I kept turning to the side and tried to straighten myself out by pulling the cable...duh. When you stop before reaching the platform you have to turn around and pull, hand over hand, yourself up there. It's tough work so it's better just to whiz through until they give you the sign to slow down. After that we went to town to mingle with the locals. I can't remember what their money is called here. Alex and I had a large lunch, mine consisting of the rice and beans along with a pasta salad and some kind of potatoe concoction. His was similar and the two meals combined were eight dollars. The meat eaters we're with got 22 oz. steaks last night and their meal was $5.00 each. I picked up a nice pair of water shoes for five dollars. I think Jack spent somewhere around $40 on his dinner, but that included two bottles of wine and the flaming banana dessert.


9:19 p.m.

We're getting ready to head to the wet bar...the bar that is located in the hot spring. We just got back from dinner located on the side of the volcano that has the lava tubes. The restaurant has a large patio and windows around the whole dinning area. We watched lava as it came out here and there, and I had the good fortune of seeing it "burp".

We've been warned to not walk off the path because of snakes...poisonous snakes that is. Today we saw spider monkeys, hollering monkeys, and toucans. Of course this is no zoo, so they were sudden stops on the side of the road and not always the best of viewing, but hey, any view is a good view to me. I'm just happy we had the opportunity to see them while we're here.

Tomorrow our bags are moved out at 6:30 a.m., we eat, then on the road at 7:30 for a long ride to the white water rafting location.

This "hotel", which I forgot to mention is nothing like a hotel, is located in La Fortuna. I'm learning that Coasta Ricans have a lot of pride and respect for their country. Rudy said that everyone from the states is welcome here except for Mr. Bush. They don't like him. It seems like Rudy can take everything, big or small, and it's something to boast about. They're efficiant use of electricity, their unemployment only being 4%, their health care for everyone, their peaceful nature.

If you can prove that you have an income of $600 a month coming in, or in a CD, you can retire here, regardless of your age (as in us, Americans, anyone). You get alot of the tax exemptions and dual citizenship. I wouldn't mind seasonally living here.

Everything has been so jammed packed since we got here. I didn't know that we would be on a guided tour. In Roatan Alex and I did whatever we wanted, when we wanted, so long as we were there in the meal time frames to eat. Of course we always have the option to skip out on a tour, but you don't get the option to do it later.

On our way to dinner we stopped to see what they call a "Begger", which is their form of a raccoon. Looks nothing like a raccoon, but it was cool to see. It came right out to the road to snag some marshmallows a group stopped to feed it. As soon as another car stopped to see what everyone was gathering to see it came right back out to see if this new visitor had something to offer it. Mind you, we're in the wild, this "Begger" came right out from the forest, and was peaceful, unafraid....

We did not, for the record, have rice and beans with dinner tonight. We had fresh tilapia, mixed veggies, asparagus soup, the house salad, and mashed potatoes.

Alex is to impatient for me to complete a thought on here...I guess we're off to the wet bar...adios!


10:39 p.m.

It's almost time to retire for the evening. We skipped the bar scene and went right for the hot springs. I haven't seen the main source for the heat...you walk along a trail of them dipping you feet in each one until you find the right temperature for you. The one closest to the wet bar is luke warm and the one we settled on was estimated to be around 98-100 degrees.......and there were higher temperature ones to follow. They're very private, surrounded with palm trees and plants, dimly lit, and spaced out just enough that you felt like it could just be you in the area.

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