Alex vs the Volcano

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Geo: 10.3584, -84.5147

Breakfast is served at 8am at the Tree Houses Hotel. This is a little late for us. We had some quiet time in the room first thing and then Mom headed out with her tea to see the hummingbirds and whatever else she could find. Lucy down at the office gave her a tip that there was a sloth hanging out low on one of the trees. She went down to check him out. He was indeed quite low and next to the path, probably 7 or 8 feet off the ground. She got to watch him groom for a while and was close enough to identify him as a 3-toed sloth, although one of his 12 toes appeared to be missing. We suppose that if sloths had a number system it would either be base-12 or base-8, depending on their species (oblique reference to Multiplication Rock).

The family all met up at the campo for breakfast. The staff, Darlene and Patricia brought out a lovely spread. We started with fresh fruit: papaya, mango, pineapple and watermelon arranged artfully on our plates. The second course included yucca and breadfruit chips, corn muffins and egg/potato mini soufflés. The whole thing was very tasty and filling. The kids asked and found out that breadfruit is actually a vegetable. The only other folks eating breakfast here this morning were a young couple on their honeymoon visiting from New Hampshire on their honeymoon. Later this week they will be visiting a beach in Panama that has a lot of starfish (playa estrella). We thought that sounded lovely but possibly rough on the bottoms of your feet.

Kate and Josh walked back to the house. Mom, Dad and Alex took a little hike to see the sloth and also saw some leaf cutter ants. We followed them from their hole up to their tree where we were able to see them perforating pieces of leaf until they broke free. The ants then carried them down the tree, across the grass about 4 yards and down into a hole where they apparently engage in subterranean farming. They grow fungus on the leaves and that is their food source.

Alex was hot to try getting a drink from the cooler where he could "pay" by leaving a bean in a cup. So he got a Gatorade and Mom & Dad will settle his debts at checkout.

So far the most painful part of Costa Rica has been something we brought with us. During the last 6 months or so the kids were introduced to two “fabulous” songs from the '80s: “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. I think that was Uncle Dave's fault, and “Take on Me” by Ah-Ha. They keep playing and singing them over and over. It wasn't so bad at home, but in the close confines of a treehouse, it's pretty maddening.

Cultural note: One of our drivers, Mainor, told us that there is a pilgrimage going on in Costa Rica right now. About 2 million people are heading toward Cartaga near San Jose for a celebration of Los Angeles Day when people travel, frequently by foot, to go the Basilica there and pray to the Virgin (la Negrita) for something or someone important to them. There are special masses, music and other celebrations to mark the feast day of the nation's patron saint. We saw several people walking the highway and he pointed them out to us. The date is Aug. 2.

Alex vs the Volcano

At 12:30 our guide, Juan, arrived to take us to see La Fortuna waterfall and the Arenal Volcano. On the road to the waterfall Juan pulled over because he heard toucan calls. We got out of the van and scanned the trees along the road and were able to find three hopping about high in the tree branches. Mom now just has one animal left that she wants to see before she leaves: the elusive tree frog.

Lonely Planet describes the waterfall as, “a sparkling 70m ribbon of clear water pouring through a sheer canyon of dark volcanic rock arrayed in bromeliads and ferns.” Juan drove us up to the visitor's center where we paid $10 per head to enter the park. There are a few stands there where you can purchase a drink or quick snack on the way up or down. There is a nice overlook at the top of the waterfall and then a pretty well maintained walk/stairway down to the bottom. Visitors can swim in the pool with the waterfall or one of the pools down below it. Swimming too close to the falls is very dangerous because of the sheer volume of water dropping from such a great height. It churns like crazy when it hits. Mike and the kids swam a bit around the outskirts. They report that it is cold but really fun because you feel the irregular current from the falls and the spray swirling around in the air. Mom took pictures. When they were done we all walked a little farther down to one of the lower pools and fed bread crumbs to the fish that live there. Juan said that they are very tasty, but that they have really small bones and are difficult to fillet. Someone else said that they fry them at high heat and get the bones crunchy enough to eat them whole, kind of like soft-shell crabs.

Juan said it was time to get going so that we could stay on time to get to the top volcano view by sunset. Back up the hill. Josh observed that next time they should put the waterfall at the top so you can hike down on the way back.

Juan knows a wealth of information about local agriculture. For instance, fruit bearing papayas are all females. A farmer only needs one male per orchard to keep production going. Local grass-eating cows require about a half hectare each for grazing. Some of the farmers in the Fortuna area are switching to rice because it is more profitable. At least one other is starting to feed his cows corn because he can graze 20/hectare.

We had some intense rain on the way to the volcano, but the weather here is very erratic. As we approached the bottom of the volcano it started to clear. Juan gave us each a bamboo walking stick and after the boys got a few ninja moves out of their system we started off up the mountain. Arenal had its last major eruption in 1968 which killed somewhere around 100 people in the area. Juan's family lived here then and he says that the numbers for the disaster are very inexact because communications were terrible and most of the locals were poor farmers. People literally picked up children and ran. Juan's family was living in Fortuna at the time. It was close enough to be scary, but not an immediate threat. Juan's mother told the children that it was a fireworks show and not to be frightened. The eruption lasted for days. Now the volcano spits lava pretty regularly, but is more of a tourist attraction than a danger for most people.

Juan showed us many different trees and plants along the trail and told us about their uses. One is used as a natural bug repellent and its leaves are crushed and applied to wounds. There were some rushes in the water that he pulled and let us play with that have an interior structure that is a little like bubble wrap. As a kid he said he used to pull them up and pop them for fun. He says that they make excellent bedding because of the air trapped inside and their antibacterial properties. You just swap the rushes out every 6 months or so. He told us the story of the Oropendula bird whose males will build a nest and hope to attract a mate. If no mate comes, he will destroy that next, move to another tree and try again. When he finally is successful, other birds will come and build their nests in the same tree, creating a kind of community. Once one pair of birds finds favor with a tree, everyone wants to live there. Juan said that many of the trees they like are tall and slick and difficult for snakes to climb. Their nests look a little like pendulums hanging from the trees, hence their name.

Juan picked up different kinds of volcanic rocks along the trail and told us about them. We hunted for bits of quartz along the way, “volcano diamonds.” When we got to the highest point that the volcano is approved for hiking we had a great view of Lake Arenal, a manmade lake that produces 70% of the electricity for the country. The volcano came in and out of view with the shifting of the clouds. When the clouds moved into place you really could not see the giant volcano right behind you. We felt very lucky to have had enough clear minutes to get several good views and photos.

When we got back to the parking lot there was a tour guide there without a car so he hopped a ride with us back to Fortuna. During the drive back Juan asked if we wanted to see the tree frog. Yes! He pulled over next to an abandoned building, we hiked 10 meters across a field and boom: there were several flashy looking tree frogs singing to each other in a tree. Score it, Mom has Animal Bingo! Dad got the best photo of the little guys although mom got one where, if you look closely, you can see that he is being bitten by a mosquito. Kind of cool.

These tours usually end at one of the hot springs hotels, but since we are going to stay at a hot springs, we decided to just get a bite to eat and call it a night. Juan took us to a restaurant close to the hotel and we talked about his family and life in the Fortuna area.

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Photos

Sacrificial offering
We took a group vote and decided that Alex would be the one to be carried up the volcano and sacrificed.

Us just before heading up the volcano
Most days the volcano divides its time between being visible and being completely hidden by clouds. It's pretty impressive how quickly it can disappear entirely.

Lake Arenal
This man-made lake supplies 70% of the electricity for Costa Rica's 5 million people. It's also used for recreation. You have a beautiful view of it from the hiking trail on Arenal Volcano.

The famous La Fortuna waterfall
The guide says it's 70m high and, because the volcanic rock around it is very porous, plants grow out of the rock like a kind of hanging garden.

Swimming in the La Fortuna waterfall pool
The wave action created by this waterfall is very impressive and dangerous.

Breakfast!
The triangle thing in the souffle is a slice of fried breadfruit

Breakfast!
Our artfully arranged fruit plate

3-toed sloth
This guy hangs out (literally) near the entrance to the Tree Houses hotel. He doesn't do much, but his tiny face on his big body is pretty comical to look at.

Leaf cutter ants cutting leaves
We were lucky enough to be able to see them from leaf to hole. We did not follow them down.

Hummingbird
These guys are almost as bad as butterflies for trying to get a photo. Almost everywhere we go people put bananas or something out to attract birds so we have seen many different varieties of hummingbirds. We are told they can fly at 80 mph for great distances.

Oropendula nests
The Orapendula males create nests to attract females. If the females don't like the nest they don't come. The male destroys the nest and tries again. He keeps trying until he is successful. Once he gets a lady bird other males will put their nests in the same tree, creating a community atmosphere. They favor trees that are slick and difficult for snakes to climb.

Bottom of La Fortuna Waterfall
A view besides the very photogenic waterfall

Toucan!
Our driver and guide, Juan, heard these guys talking up in the trees and pulled over to help us spot them. There were at least three, maybe more. We pulled over across the road from an open-air place where some people were having breakfast. When they saw us taking pictures they stopped eating and came over too.