Arenal Volcano

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We spent last weekend in the Arenal Volcano area. Besides the volcano itself, a highlight was our beautiful hotel. We were greeted with a welcome fruit drink and a relaxing warm hand towelette before we were shown to our rooms. Each room was a little villa with gardens for privacy and a spectacular view of the volcano. It is very common to miss seeing the volcano entirely, since it is often clouded over, but we were lucky and could see it during most of our visit. On Saturday evening, we went to soak and relax at Baldi Hot Springs, which is a series of thermal springs from the volcano in natural-looking pools. There are also small waterfalls and couple of waterslides. We don't have pictures from Baldi Hot Springs because we were busy in the water and there is no way to secure a camera and enjoy the springs at the same time. Everyone was very hungry for our nice buffet dinner at Baldi. On Sunday morning, we took a hike in a private reserve called "El Silencio." We saw lots of amazing small creatures and plants and got our closest view of the volcano. The group picture that appears at the beginning of this entry was taken at the beginning of the trail. After the hike, we had time to go back to the hotel and shower before loading the bus and heading further up the mountains to Monteverde.

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Photos

Group at Arenal
We posed for a group picture with Arenal behind us before starting "El Silencio."

Welcome
Courtney relaxed and enjoyed her welcome fruit drink.

Hailie and Laressia
Hailie and Laressia also enjoyed the welcome.

The View
This was the view that everyone had from the hotel window.

Up Close
If you zoom in, the volcano looks like this.

Open
The beginning of the hike was mostly open.

Sleeping Plant
Kayla is taking a picture of a plant that folds up and "goes to sleep" when you touch it.

Wild Fruit
Johnny was explaining about a fruit that grows wild here.

Creepy
Erica didn't seem to mind having this millipede crawling on her hand and arm.

Tree Huggers
We discovered that we had some tree huggers in the group (Hailie and Abby).

In the Forest
Most of the hike through the forest looked like this.

Lunch after the Hike
This was a particularly attractive plate of food -- grilled sea bass, avocado, salad, rice, beans and fried plaintain.

Comments

[Dr. Carol O'Connor]

Hi from the ASU Dean's Office!
It looks as though all of you are enjoying a wonderful time in Costa Rica. Thank you to Dr. Ruth Owens for putting together another successful summer trip. The beautiful locations, friendly people, and scrumptious-looking food make me want to join you. I know that you are beginning to think about your return to the U.S.A., but much of what you've learned during your stay in Costa Rica will be a part of your lives from this point on. Best wishes to all of you, Dr. O'Connor Interim Dean, Humanities & Social Sciences