Johnny's Journeys : COSTA RICA 2008

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JOHNNY’S JOURNEYS : COSTA RICA 2008



APRIL 12, 2008 (Saturday)

4 a.m. and it is still a few hours before sunrise. Just a couple of things to add to the

luggage. Janet’s sister, Susan, drives us to the Mobile airport at 5:45. We have a smooth

check-in at the Continental ticket desk. It looked like 200+ passengers were waiting

for flights out. American Airlines had cancelled 1500 flights in the past three days.

Our 6:40 flight is **only** 15 minutes late leaving. Much better than last summers

two hour flight delay. It was a small plane and we felt some turbulence a few times.

It should be about 85 minutes until landing in Houston. As we approached the Texas

coastline, we saw many oilrigs dotting the edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

Welcome to Texas! This is Bethany’s first time to visit the Lone-star state. And at age

13, she has now been in 13 states. We have about a one hour layover in Houston. I find a

currency exchange desk. $657 USD are now 280,000 Costa Rican colonies. (426 c. / $)

9:30 and we are starting to leave, **only** about 15 minutes later than planned. Break-

fast is served at 10:30. There is a small bowl of fruit, egg and cheese bagel, muffin, and
strawberry yogurt. Plus, we can choose water, tea, coffee or juice.

The pilot alerts us that we are now flying over Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. It was a

mere 24 years ago when I flew down here to Cancun. Jimmy Crump and I joined 30

Auburn students on spring break. It is a beautiful day to fly.

In a little while, we pass over Belize City, Belize. Such pretty blue water, along the

coast. “How much longer?” Janet must have asked a dozen times.

12:00 noon landing in Central America. Bienvenidos! Welcome to Costa Rica! Our

first line to stand in is for immigration. Then we pick up the luggage. We are ecstatic to
receive all three suitcases. Then we finally go through Customs. Right at 1:00 p.m. we go

to the taxis and busses. And I see my name on a sign: JOHN R. COBB. Our taxi driver,

Jose, is a welcome sight. He grabbed Janet’s suitcase and started rolling it to the van. His

friend took the other two suitcases from me and said, “Senor, I will get those. You are on

vacation now.”

We leave the airport in Alajuela and have a three hour ride ahead of us. Jose has

points out fields of sugarcane and coffee plants growing on the hillsides. “Look, there is

a volcano,” as we wound through the curvy two lane mountain roads. Made a quick stop

in San Ramon at a supermarket. We bought four bottles of water and a cold Coke. Did

not know if we would be able to drink the tap water.

Since it has been about four years since my last trip here, I had forgotten how much of

an “adventure” it is to drive in this country. It would be kind to describe the driving as a

“controlled chaos.” At other times, it alternates from “almost chaos” to “stop signs are for

sissies.”

As we approached La Fortuna, Jose pointed out the Arenal Volcano. Since we could

see the top, I was clicking away on my digital camera. My two previous times to this

location, clouds have covered the tip of Arenal. But this time, the clouds had cleared and

there was white steam coming from the cone.

We check into our deluxe cabin (room # 261 ). This will be our home for the next

seven days. There are 140 cabins and we are staying near the back, at the beginning of
the rain forest and zip line tour. Let the adventures begin…

We can walk to the restaurant in just a few minutes. Our little vegetarian has alfredo

fettucuni. Janet orders the grilled sea bass, while I order the breaded sea bass. These

plates are loaded with veggies. The sun sets about 6:00 each day. Since it has been a

very long day, we are all in bed by 7:30.



APRIL 13, 2008 (Sunday)

We have a 5:30 alarm this morning. Since our shuttle bus will be here early, our quick

breakfast is a box of assorted muffins. Our 7:20 ride is right on time. We stop to pick up

tourists / passengers at 3 more hotels. We have a total of 20 of us as we head northward

to the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge boat ride. Our local guide, Corina, is very interesting

and informative. We pass fields, even plantations, of pineapple, sugarcane and papaya.

“For ten points, what is this on our left?” Corina asked. Someone guessed bananas.

That is what it looked like. I said it was plantains. “That is correct.” Bethany was pleased

with her daddy for knowing that. As we drove past a huge field of plantains, we noticed

lots of blue bags. These covered the fruit. Our guide explained that this not only kept the

birds and insects out, but also speeded the ripening process. Occasionally the bags will be

blown away and eventually reach the Caribbean. Turtles mistake them for jellyfish, eat &

choke on the bags. The people are still looking for a compromise.

We pass a more mountainous stretch and see coffee plants. We are told about the

“living fences”. Branches are cut and stuck into the ground. When the farmers plant a

stick, it will start to grow within a week. Of course the height of the fence will vary. Our

driver, Marvin, stops at a huge field of pineapple. Most of us are surprised to learn that

we are really eating the flower, not the fruit. Some of the farmers / scientists are experi-

menting with a combination of pineapple and mango. That sounds like something I would

try. Be on the lookout for that in the juice section of the grocery store.

Corina informs us of an unexpected stop. We are in el Muelle and will stop at the

Restaurant Las Iguanas. Never seen so many huge green iguanas. I counted 14 of them,

but there could have been more. The older, mature ones were four feet long. The tails

were a striped yellow and gray pattern. The restaurant owner has been feeding fruit and

other food scraps to these iguanas for several years. These animals are not tame, but there

is no fear of humans. An iguana will lay 60 - 70 eggs, but only 20% will reach maturity.

This has been a pleasant little stop, with lots of pictures being taken.

Our bus passes another sugarcane field. The fields are burned to kill off the rodents,

and subsequently, the snakes that feed on them. A long stalk of cane is placed down on

the ground for planting. A machete chops 5 or 6 notches into the cane. New growth will

appear in just a few days. These fields of cane will grow and be harvested for 4 years.

Then they will be burned again. The ash is gathered to be used as a rich source of fertili-

zer. The fields are then replanted.

We cross over the small river Pocosol. I notice that so many of the bridges are only

one lane. This forces drivers to slow down and yield to oncoming traffic. Next we pass a

large grove of orange trees. There is a quick rest stop and we have free coffee or water.

Our bus now arrives in Los Chiles. The population is about 9000, and most people are

of Nicaraguan descent. We unload at the concrete pier and get onto our tour boat, which

holds 40 passengers. We have 20 onboard today.
According to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, Costa Rica ranks # 5 among

149 listed countries. Some categories include: environmental health, water, air quality,

biodiversity, climate change and productive natural resources. The country of Costa Rica

has preserved about 23% of its land in national parks, wildlife refuges, preserves, etc.

Very interesting. Our guide is quite informative.

We have only been on our river journey a few minutes, when the captain notices two

spectacled caiman. Caiman are in the crocodilian family and grow from 5 - 8 feet. They

tolerate salt water as well as freshwater. A bony ridge between the eyes gives the appear-

ance of a pair of spectacles. A kingfisher bird flies by. We float past a kapok tree, which

is in the genus: Ceiba. It is huge, with some growing up to 70 meters tall. There is a very

large spreading canopy. And the buttress roots can be taller than a grown person. In pre-

Columbian cultures, such as the Maya Indians, the tree was considered sacred. We see a

snakebird sunning its wings as it sits on a branch. It must regularly dry its wings.

Our guide excitedly tells of another sighting. It is the green basilisk lizard. It is

commonly called the Jesus Christ lizard, because it walks or runs on water. He was not

moving today. Close by is a black crown heron, having difficulty choking down a frog.

There are three young caiman lying on a log.

High up in a tree is a troop of howler monkeys. Leaves make up 85% of their diet;

fruit and flowers the other 15%. Corina is pleased to see a golden-orange colored one.

They make a distinctive loud barking whoop, which is heard up to three miles. A trained

ear can tell the difference between a male, which sounds like a powerful roar and the

female, which sounds like a grunting pig.

Our boat captain, Enrico, has spotted something on a tree trunk. We all peer to get a

closer look. There are eight long neck bats. They look like blobs of brown mold on a

brown tree. Eagle eye Enrico knew where to look. With a mirror, he shined some sunlight

onto them. What a tremendous camouflage! We see a couple of white ibis in flight. They

gracefully glide by. There goes a yellow feathered jacana bird. There are families who

live on the river, and we wave to them. There are happy smiles from the little children

who wave back. The people are fishing, mostly for bass, gar, or tilapia.

Our captain spies something else for us to view. It is a Great Potoo owl. They rarely

move during the daytime, and usually resemble part of the stump or branch. They prey

mostly on large flying insects, such as large beetles and also bats. That was a surprise

to me. We spot an Amazon kingfisher on a tree branch. We continue upriver.

The Rio Frio continues into Nicaragua. Our boat turns around after a few minutes,

then stops at the barbed wire fence. This is the border. Most of us get out and take plenty

of pictures at the international boundary. There is a large black sign: Welcome to Nicara-

gua, in Spanish of course. There is also a 5-foot tall concrete obelisk, with a flag of each

of the two countries. Several of us stuck our foot under the fence, and snapped a picture.

We now have proof of being in two countries, simultaneously. I have now been to 21

foreign countries, and this Central American trip kicks Bethany up to seven countries.

We ease toward the bank and stop. Corina picks a few leaves that are yellow and

fragrant. We are all surprised to learn that this is used in the making of Chanel No. 5

perfumes.

We view a cormorant and a few more snakebirds as we approach the pier. Since April

is the end of the dry season, this tour could not take us into the Cano Negro Lake (low

lake level). That is an excellent place for bird watching. Our time here flew by. We just

visited a small part of the 24620 acres, but we all have been touched by the beauty of this

special place.

As our bus slowly goes through Los Chiles, I spot the “No Frills Hotel” with rooms

costing $5.00. A few minutes later, we are at a pleasant restaurant, joining a couple dozen

more tourists. And they have prepared four vegetarian meals. There are black beans and

rice, chicken and rice, cole slaw, and chips. The fresh fruit juice tasted like a combo of

papaya and passion fruit. It was so good.

The trip back to the Arenal area was uneventful, except a quick stop for me. I had seen

giant concrete pineapples atop columns at the entrance to the Dole pineapple plantation

fields. I ran up the roadside for a short distance and took two pictures. Two hours later,

we were back home at the Paraiso.

The room had been serviced and our towels were folded into the shape of a swan. It

even had two eyes (from a green leaf). Cute. It is only 3:30, but the Cobb family is very

tired. We all sleep soundly for the next 4 hours. I awake at 7:30 and since it is dark out-

side, I am not sure if it is day or night time.

It must be time to put on my bathing suit and head over to the hot pools. Eleven of the

fourteen pools are warmed by the underground thermal features. I have to try them all.

In some, I am the only swimmer. In others, there are many guests. I enjoy visiting with a

group of 11 people from Conexion. Originally from Columbia, this is a Christian group

which facilitates mission trips and other service projects. Right now, there are 64 doctors

and family members from Chicago working in the area for two weeks. Two of the young

Conexion men could speak English. I told them about my three previous dental mission-

ary trips with the Methodist church. Don’t know if any of the others could understand

what I was saying, but I sure had their attention.

It was so pleasant, watching the steam rise from the pools as I gazed up at the stars.

What a wonderful day this has been. It is 10 p.m. Kind of hungry, but the restaurant is

closed. I enjoy some grapes and plums for supper. The resort had “welcomed” us with a

fruit tray yesterday.


APRIL 14, 2008 (Monday)

I awake before the 6:30 alarm. Sat on the front porch and listened to the howler

monkeys. Quite loud! Janet couldn’t believe how close they were. Overcast this morning

so we cannot see the volcano. Hope it clears up soon. We’ll have time for a nice sit-down

breakfast today.

What a breakfast buffet feast we have in store for today. There are black beans and

rice, scrambled eggs, bacon, buttered potatoes, French toast and syrup, muffins, pastries,

fruit, coffee, water, juice and omelettes. It is as good as I remember it.

We have a 9:45 taxi / van pickup today ($24 dollars round trip). A few minutes later,

we add three passengers from Connecticut. Our reservations are for the Sky Tram and

Sky Trek. (Some call it the zip line).

Each of us is fitted with a safety harness and gloves. Our tram seats six people, and we

enjoy a leisurely 15-minute ride to the top of the facilities. There are two very short lines

to practice on. Nobody backs out. We tourists have an opportunity to take lots of pictures

and filming on the camcorder. Beautiful Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano are in sight.

Arenal is a manmade lake, created in 1979 to help with hydroelectric power. It actually

produces 70% of the country’s electricity. After the small lagoon was dammed, the lake

which was formed became the second largest lake in Central America. Windsurfing on

the western end of the lake is quite popular. Due to strong winds, this spot is rated as the

third best place in the world for windsurfing.

There is a jet plane flying by. No, that can’t be. That is really the volcano, about five

miles away. Arenal wanted to remind us that it is still very active (and loud). On the first
long cable ride, we watch Bethany zip along until she is no longer in sight. That was

rather strange, to see your only child disappear into the canopy of trees. Janet and I tried

our first long cable, and neither of us made it to the very end. We each came up short by

about 15 feet. One of the guides had to go out and “retrieve” my wife. I didn’t want to

come in too fast to the platform. When I stopped, I grabbed the cable in front of me,

turned 180 degrees, then placing one gloved hand ahead of the other, I was able to easily

pull myself in. What a thrilling view.

The dimensions of the eight cables are: 65 feet, 82 feet, now we’re ready , 1525 feet,

1476 feet, 1344 feet, 2000 feet, 2460 feet (that is approaching half-a-mile), and 164 feet

where we are on the ground. One can see for miles and miles; and on the longest zip line,

we were zipping by at 40 miles / hour!!! In a few places, we were 600 feet above

ground level. The word “thrilling” does not seem adequate.

Bethany gave today’s tour another 10 rating. My happy little girl had a lot to smile

about today. Pictures were available of each of us zip-liners. Bought one of our fearless

teenager, then a few souvenir tee shirts. Our taxi / van returned us to our cabin at 1:30.

Our lunch table today was by the window, and we enjoyed looking at hummingbirds.

I wanted to try something different, so I ordered the rice with squid. Not bad. Janet tried

black bean soup, while Bethany felt safe with the fettucini alfredo. Went back to the

room at 3:00, then rested until 4:30.

It’s time to get into the swimsuits and head for the hot pools. This was SO relaxing.

The hottest pool is near the top of our resort. Water flows down a rock-lined stream into

the next hot pool. Then that water flows into the next hot pool. There are 11 hot pools,

with varying temperatures. The three of us stayed and soaked our bodies in the hot,

thermal spring fed mineral water. Did I mention how relaxing this was? Nice.

We have a take-out supper tonight: one cheese sandwich and two huge cheese-

burgers, plenty of French fries and canned colas. Janet and Bethany went to bed at 8 p.m.

I walked over to the pool and returned the towels. Then I walked to the registration desk

and placed a wakeup call. Sat on the front porch in the rocking chair. For a few minutes,

I gazed at the lights of La Fortuna in the distance. Another early bedtime for me: 8:45.


APRIL 15, 2008 (Tuesday)

Gentle rains awaken me at 3 a.m. When the wakeup call rings us at 6 a.m., Janet says

she has already heard the howler monkeys and lots of early birds. We are soon off to the

breakfast buffet.

Our van picks us up at 8:10. We make another hotel stop and two others join us. There

are eleven in our group this morning. We shall ride horses to La Fortuna Waterfalls. My

horse is named Camerena while Bethany will be riding Tequila. Our group will ride for

one hour. We cross over / through three small creeks. Sometimes the horses wanted to

walk and then they seemed to enjoy trotting. We passed through open pastures. On some

of the gravel roads, small children were playing in their front yards. Had to call out

“hola”. Saw several women sweeping out their small, but tidy houses.

Our group has arrived at the catarata (waterfalls). Off of the horses and walk on a long

suspended (hanging) bridge. Now is the time to descend 450 steps. Most are very uneven.

Takes about ten minutes to reach the bottom. What a view! There is a 70 meter ribbon of

rain forest water coming down into a great swimming hole. We are surrounded by a lush

tropical forest. And the cold water is so clear, we were able to view a few dozen fish.

Most of us stayed down there about ½ hour. The water at the falls was really kicking up
a mist. On a much smaller scale, I thought of the Maid of the Mist at Niagra Falls, NY.

There were 30-40 other tourists down at the water level, We had a strenuous climb

back up to the top. We were sure huffing and puffing.. Time to mount our horses and

enjoy another hour of horse riding. I noticed six old, used horseshoes out on the trail.

And saw a banana plant, too. Arenal Volcano was dead ahead of us as we rode back to

the stables. This has been FUN!

Bethany and I arrive at Arenal Paraiso at 12:30. Janet is ready for lunch. Another

cheese sandwich for Bethany. Seafood soup for my wife. And I’m in the mood for some-

thing different. I’ll have the heart-of-palm salad. I gave Bethany a sip of my mango juice

in milk drink. She liked it so much, I had to order another one. Came back to the room

and rested.

At 4:00, the three of us started to hike through the forest, down to the Arenal River.

STEEP! Too steep for Janet, so she turned back after a few minutes. Bethany was very

cautious. We went downhill quite slowly, holding onto roots, vines, trees and branches.

After about 30 minutes, I figured we were a little past the halfway point. Took a few pix

of the Arenal River, and the hills and cow pastures in the distance. This is so tranquil.

As darkness was approaching, I absolutely wanted to be back in civilization. So we

climbed back up. When we reached the outskirts of the Paraiso cabins, Bethany spotted

some howler monkeys in a tall tree.

“Go get your momma!” I told her as I quickly pulled out the camcorder. We enjoyed

a wonderful twenty minutes watching and listening to these monkeys. There were five in

one tall tree. We were able to view three in another tree. Their black tails which are used

for gripping are so long. This was truly a treat.

As the sun was setting, we walked toward the far edge of the cabins. I found cabin

# 244. This was THE one I had the chance to stay in 4 years ago. No one was home at the

time, so we walked around to the back. This cabin also had a back porch, with two

rocking chairs. I pointed to a tall tree nearby, telling Bethany that this is where I had seen

two toucans. We walked about 20 feet down a trail into the forest and climbed up some

steps to a zip-line platform. My, what a view! Hope I didn’t bore them with my remem-

brances from 45 months earlier. It was easy to think back about how exhilarating that

canopy tour ( zip line ) trip was.

6:30 and time to put on the swimsuits again. We lounged in two of the hot pools for at

least an hour. Bethany identified a few of the constellations for us, as I was mesmerized

by the steam coming off the water.

We will have another takeout dinner this evening. Tonight’s supper is a cheese sand-

wich, a ham-and-cheese sandwich with lots of fries, and black bean soup. I go down to

the tours reservations desk, trying to find an activity for Friday. I had tentatively planned

for a trip to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Just couldn’t work it out. But close by in the

small town of El Castillo is a Butterfly Conservatory. That has possibilities.

As our family prepares for bed, we hear a rumble and roaring noise. At 8:40 we are on

the front porch watching the red sparks flying from the top of Arenal. This is what we

have really been wanting to see. Arenal is listed in the top 15 Most Active Volcanoes in

the world!!! Absolutely thrilled. We’re in bed by 9 p.m.


APRIL 16, 2008 (Wednesday)

Waking up at 4 a.m. was not on my itinerary this morning. But it due to the howler

monkeys. I looked out the bathroom window, and it sounded like they were only 20 feet
away. They were farther away, of course, but I did check to make sure the door was

locked. Up at 6:30 and there was a drizzling rain. As I picked up our takeout breakfast,

the weather changed to cloudy and overcast.

Our van driver arrives at 8:40 today. He suggested we return to our room and get a

dry set of clothes. We are heading eastward to the Sarapiqui River. We would appreciate

the dry clothes after our raft ride.

We ride for about an hour and 45 minutes, crossing the upper central part of the

country. Most houses we see are the same basic style. Too many I would have to politely

describe as wooden shacks. There is such poverty in this incredibly beautiful country.

Our van driver, Roberto, could speak just a little English. He did a fine job, in the

small towns and on the open roads. We discussed that eco-tourism is the #1 industry in

the country. That is followed by the Intel computer chip factory in San Jose. Third on the

list is agriculture. The top three exports are bananas, coffee and pineapples.

As we pulled off the main road, I noticed an Aguas-Bravos Adventures sign. It stated

that rafting on the Sarapiqui River is 100% safe. I sure hope so.

Here is some info I read on an internet site about white water rafting on the Sarapiqui.

In a tropical wet forest environment, the crystal water river travels along green pastures

and farmland, lush vegetation of towering trees, vines and flowers, cascading mountains

and the La Selva Biological Reserve. This environment is home to several monkeys,

sloths, crocodiles, river turtles, iguanas, toucans, hummingbirds, woodpeckers and

much more.

The fantastic setting also makes the Sarapiqui a great river for white water rafting.

The moderate Class-III rapids are ideal for novices and families. A perfect balance of

excitement and relaxation. And there is plenty of opportunity for wildlife viewing on

the calm stretches between rapids.

Our raft guide, Victor, fits us with safety helmets and life jackets. Then the three Cobb

rafters get the basic instructions. There are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of rocks

in the river. These were part of the Poas Volcano explosion from eons ago. The water

level is down since the rainy season has not quite started yet. The rapids will not be as

difficult today as normal. Bethany and I sat at the front of the raft, Janet was sitting on

top of the edge of the middle section, and our experienced guide was at the back. This

rubber raft could seat six people. Each person had a place to stick one foot; inside a

rubber covering, attached to the bottom of the raft. It was something “extra” to hold onto.

We could even lean back a little and be more secured.

We start off very gently. We would paddle for awhile, then just float. About 15

minutes into our trip, we approached our first rapids. Victor called out the name of it.

The front right side took a nice dip and I was totally soaked. And it was cold too.

On the smooth stretches, Victor would point out different birds, lizards, etc. in the

trees or on the banks. The river bank seemed to be a mud-clay mixture, with tons of

imbedded stones. Saw a bird nest built directly into the river bank.

Then we heard the upcoming rapids. It is called Air Force. I wonder why? We passed

over a large boulder which threw our raft up just enough for Janet to lose her balance. I

grabbed for her shoe as she plunged over the side into the frothy white water. Both her

elbows were scraped by underwater rocks. The strong current threw her into the vertical

rock wall. She was never more than ten feet from the raft and she held her breath during

the whole ordeal. Within 30 seconds, Victor had his hands on both straps of the life jacket

and pulled her in. There was a bloody cut on the knee-cap. She will be real sore for a

week or so.

We then rescued her oar, but Janet was finished paddling for the day. Bethany and I

picked up the slack. I sure hated to see that. Janet said later that if any of us would be

thrown from the boat, that it was going to be the clumsy one. That painful knee does not

want to bend.

After about six miles, we paddled to the bank. There was a nice clearing. We would

enjoy a 15 minute break. As our guide sliced a fresh pineapple and a few bananas, it

was time for Bethany and me to take off our shorts and try to swim. The water was very

chilly, so we didn’t swim. The fresh fruit was delicious. And he had brought a pack of

coconut cookies. We tossed the pineapple rinds into the river and that set off a feeding

frenzy among the fishes. Very pleasant little spot and we saw cattle not far away.

Why was that rapids called the Air Force? “Because it sends you flying.” Janet saw a

basilisk lizard. She actually got to see it running on the water. I was on the opposite side

of the raft. By the time I looked, it was already on land. We had seen them on television

before. Glad Janet got to see one in action. Neat.

A fork in the river showed us an island. And we saw, and heard, howler monkeys. A

few rafts ahead of us were stopped, while their guide pointed into the trees. There were

a couple of toucans, known as the fruit loops birds. These were rainbow billed toucans.

It is a thrill to see them in the wild.

This area of the country, called Eternal Spring, is fantastic for bird watching. We

see kingfishers, fly-catchers, the largest type of oriole, an Amazon heron, a relative of

quetzal family, turkey vultures, hawks and the sun-bittern. When the bittern stretches its

wings, you can observe a butterfly pattern on the back of the wings. Beautiful! These

bright eyespots are red, yellow and black. When in flight, these outstretched wings can

startle a potential predator.

We float by several houses which are right on the river bank. There is a lady out at

the edge of the water, washing clothes. We float under a small metal bridge. It is part of

the Selva Verde Lodge property. My missionary group stopped here at the restaurant for

a break, almost four years ago. When Janet and I were in the early stages of planning this

trip, we seriously thought about staying here for three nights. The bungalows and rooms

on elevated platforms with wrap around balconies were appealing. I reminisced with my

adventurous family as we went by.

Our rafting experience ended after nine miles. What an incredibly beautiful trip this

has been, river rafting through the rain forest. (Sounds like a good name for a poem.)

Helped pull the raft ashore and gathered the paddles and life jackets. We walked across

a one lane bridge, towards our van. There were several young people jumping into the

Sarapiqui, from about 20 feet above. Sure looked like fun to me. If we had an extra five

minutes, I think I would joined them.

There is a short walk to the van. A few minutes later, we had arrived at the restaurant.

I changed into my dry clothes quicker than the girls did. While waiting, I saw a sign with

an arrow pointing towards: Poisonous Dart Frogs. That certainly had my attention. I

walked on a small trail heading to the river, until I almost stepped on one. It was lime

green colored with black splotches. It was about two inches long. The guide helped me

find a blue jeans frog. It had blue legs and a bright red top. Very small. I got three pix.

Thirty more rafters joined us for lunch. On the menu was black beans and rice, slaw,

chicken, and jicama, which is a tuber, like the potato, and a delicious fruit juice. It was a

combination of pineapple, papaya and banana. Bethany wants Janet to fix black beans

and rice when we return home. How about that? She likes it. The secret is Lizano sauce.

The youth group was from New York and Pennsylvania. Plus, there were native Costa

Ricans also. The Sarapiqui was in full view as the Caribbean rains began. Welcome to the

rain forest.

The three of us walked along the garden trail for a few minutes. And we did see the

poisonous green and black frog. Bought two tee shirts, including “I Survived the Sarapi-

qui Whitewater”. We also bought a special CD. It includes 200 pictures of animals and

wildlife from all over the country. There are also 75 pix of the Cobb family as we rode

the river raft. There are a couple of good ones with Janet thrown from the raft. What a

day to remember.

The traffic is slow on some stretches of country roads as we head back towards La

Fortuna. It takes about two hours to get back to our resort. We are so tired when we

return at 4 p.m. that we all crawl into bed. I awake at 11 p.m. That was some nap. I

eat some trail mix and a slim-fast bar for supper. My travel diary is now current. It has

been raining all evening.


APRIL 17, 2008 (Thursday)

I wake up a few times before dawn. There is still a steady drizzle. First time that we

don’t hear the local howler monkeys. Janet is a little disappointed. She had gotten used to

our 5 a.m. “natural alarm clock”. The rain has now stopped. However, there is no sunlight

as we go to breakfast at 8:00. We enjoy another wonderful breakfast buffet. New on the

menu today are tamales, wrapped in banana leaves.
Our tour is set for this afternoon, with a pickup at 2:10. I decided to take the dimensions

of our cabin. The front porch is 7 feet x 11 feet. The front porch side windows are 2 feet

x 6 feet of jalousie windows, 2 feet x 6 feet plain window, then another 2 feet x 6 feet of

jalousie windows. There were two huge front windows. Each one was 5 ½ feet x 6 feet.

And they afforded spectacular viewing of Arenal.

Inside the cabin, the room was 18 feet x 10 feet, while the bathroom area was 4.5 feet

x 10 feet. There are two queen sized beds, a refrigerator, television and telephone for

local calls. Bethany was thoroughly entertained by the Spanish speaking cartoons.

I take the hotel shuttle into La Fortuna for $7. I purchase a few items at the Pharmacia.

It’s time to buy some postcards and an animal / wildlife book for our young naturalist.

Stopped and asked for “direciones to the supermercado”. It was one block up the street. I

walked to the supermarket and bought Lizano salsa. Janet will experiment on some black

beans and rice recipes for Bethany. I use my prepaid phone card and call our parents back

in Alabama: Janet’s mother and my father.

My last phone call from Costa Rica to Alabama cost $84 on my credit card. I called

the family in Mobile for about 10 minutes from Pocora in 2004. So I wanted to try a

prepaid card this time. It only cost $6 for 19 minutes. What a deal!

I strolled through a pretty park in the center of town. Then took a $7 taxi ride back

home to our cabin. It has rained intermittently all afternoon.

We have scheduled a 2:10 pickup today for our hike through the rain forest at Arenal

Volcano National Park. There are ten tourists on the trip today. Our guide, Eric, was very

informative and knowledgeable. We started with a history of Arenal. It erupted in the

1500s. It lay dormant for over 400 years, until July 1968. Pressure blew the side out of

volcano, not from the cone. Gasses suffocated at least 87 people and destroyed two small

villages.

There are three areas of terrain on today’s adventure. We enter at the secondary forest.

This is the new growth, following the 1968 eruption. Next, is the primary rain forest. It is

fascinating to see 25 foot tall ferns. We are then met by the one-mile long field of rocks

and huge boulders. This is from the 1992 eruption. What an awesome sight. It’s time to

climb on the rocks. We can see Lake Arenal in the distance, when the clouds cleared out.

We heard rumblings from the volcano a few dozen times. One six occasions, we could

ash being kicked up. From a little over a mile away, we could see where the boulders

were launched down the side of the volcano. This is listed as one of the top 15 most

active volcanoes on the planet. Mother Nature did not fail to impress us today.

As we hiked back along the trail, I thought of my first visit here. Eleven years ago,

on my first of three Methodist dental missionary trips, seven of us took this same hiking

tour. How could I have ever known that one day my 13 year old daughter would love

ecology so much? And as a 6th grader, place # 2 in the state in Ecology at the Science

Olympiad? She plans on studying Volcanoes and Earthquakes at next year’s Science O.

Pleased to hear more howler monkeys. This has been a wonderful experience!!!

As we leave the national park, our driver spots a nine banded armadillo. It is a very

bumpy road back to the main highway. Our guide points out craters in the nearby pas-

tures. This is where boulders had been blown from 5+ miles away, in 1968. Passed by an

orchard of guava trees. This is a beautiful country.

We arrive back at the cabin at 5:30. After cleaning up, it’s time for supper at 6. We

order another cheese sandwich and sea bass. Bethany wanted the mango juice in milk

tonight. Wanting to try something different (have I said that before?) I tried the guana-

bana juice in milk. The guanabana fruit is dark green, covered with spines and can grow

up to eight pounds. The seeds are never eaten, while the juice form is about the only way

it is enjoyed. It is sometimes called soursop.

The girls went to the room while I settled the bill. There was a family from New York

who sat at the table next to ours. I had the chance to chat with them for a few minutes.

Nice people. At the cabin, Bethany excitedly talked about seeing three cane frogs. The

rain must have brought them out. I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures of the

largest frogs I have ever seen. I finished my diary and am the last to bed at 8:30.


APRIL 18, 2008 (Friday)

We are up about 7 and look forward to another breakfast buffet. Passionfruit juice is

on the menu today. Afterwards, we organize the suitcases for we leave tomorrow. We see

a zip line group “fly off” the platform at 8:30. Yep, that was me, 4 years ago, right here.

Janet will be taking Bethany for a massage, masque, and spa treatment today. My plan

is to take the steep trail down to the Arenal River. It starts to rain, but the rain forest is so

thick and dense, that I hardly get wet. Surprisingly, it only takes about 15 minutes to hike

down the steep, winding trail to the river. Finally on flat land. There is a good trail, which

is actually a primitive road. I walk for a little while until I see the waterfall. It is probably

25 feet high. This water is much cooler than the river water. I noticed several tiny frogs.

They were smaller than my thumbnail. Saw eight of them. Saw a few ants, which were

larger than the frogs, crawling towards one. Looks like they were going vegetarian today.

My, they sure are tiny frogs. I was careful not to step on the little fellas.

I climbed upon a zip line platform. People coming in on this one are 15 feet above the
river. I took a few pictures then strolled to the edge of the river. There are a few small

rapids. Way too many rocks to raft on this stretch of the Arenal River. The last zip line

platform is at ground level. I am faced with a steep walk up the primitive road. And the

rains became heavier. I heard howler monkeys at a distance on 3 separate occasions.

I passed a few houses before reaching the main highway. Walk by a cow pasture. Then

there is the beautiful home of the developer of Arenal Paraiso. It was unusual to see two

vertical stain glass windows on the side of his house. Nice. I continued walking along the

main road for a short distance until I was back “home”. All in all, the adventure lasted

90 minutes.

Bethany was still relaxing, being pampered with her massage, reflexology treatment,

and face masque. $100 for 1 hour and 45 minutes. She felt totally wonderful! I retrieve

the room key from Janet. It is time for a hot shower.

We go to lunch at 12:30. Bethany wants a cheese sandwich (imagine that). Janet and I

order the “typical Costa Rican food” with fish (for me) and with chicken (for her). We

have a coconut flan and a volcano for dessert. The waiter did not understand Bethany’s

request for a Coke float. Down here it is called a Black Cow. Cute.

I arrange for a taxi to pick us up in 15 minutes. Armondo will take us to the Butterfly

Conservatory. It is a 20 minute ride, past the Arenal Volcano National Park, where we

went yesterday. We actually wind up in the small community of El Castillo. These are

some extremely bumpy and narrow roads. There is a school and a snake type zoo also.

Here is the website to check out: www.arenalbutterfly.com.

The Butterfly Conservatory was established in 2002 on 13 acres of land, formerly

used as a cattle ranch. The goal is significant regeneration of the natural plant biodivers-

ity of the area. It contains over 2000 species of plants and trees native to the Arenal area.

There are four large greenhouses which represent four ecosystems surrounding Arenal:

the lowland habitat, the highland habitat, edge of forest habitat, and inside the forest habi-

tat. There are hundreds of butterflies (mariposa) in the greenhouses. Our favorite is the

blue morpho. We also liked the heliconias and owl butterflies. There are many other

species as well.

A small greenhouse held the frog exhibit. First up was the poisonous lime-green and

black frog. Next was the blue jeans dart frog. We saw the typical slimy looking light

green frog with large red eyes. Sometimes there are hummingbirds flying around the

thousands of flowers in this area. But we did not see any today.

The sun came out as we awaited our taxi driver. What a wonderful view of Lake

Arenal! Several times we heard the rumbling of the nearby volcano. Bethany bought a

tee shirt while I looked at several displays of insects, butterflies and beetles from this

area. We spied a few leafcutter ants as they made their way through some pretty flowers.

The taxi driver drops us off at the Paraiso at 4:30 and we rest a bit. Bethany wants me

to go walking with her and take pictures of flowers and lovely bushes around the cabins.

We saw the mother and daughter, Rebecca, from New York we talked to last night. They

asked us to show them where the hot pools were. Enjoyed talking about our respective

adventures for the day.

Our family is in bed before 8 p.m. We’ll have an early morning wakeup call Saturday.

What an eco-adventure trip / vacation of a lifetime!!!


APRIL 19, 2008 (Saturday)

Heavy rains alternate with slow, drizzly rains all night long. Up at 5:30 and finish our
packing. Checkout and take our three suitcases to the front desk. Our taxi / shuttle van

driver picks us up a few minutes before 7. There are very dense clouds and some rain. It

will soon be the start of the rainy season.

We make a pit stop in the small town of Los Angeles, near San Ramon. We buy more

souvenirs and neat little things. He drops us off at the airport about 9:30. We have three

hours until the 12:45 Continental flight leaves.

At the food court, we buy sandwiches and tea and pizza for our early lunch. Bought a

few more items, then waited. While waiting, we called Grandma Walters in Mobile. That

finished the last 3 minutes on the prepaid phone card.

We board at 12:30 and at 12:45 we are ready to roll out towards the runway. Our

plane just sits in one spot for over an hour. What is the delay? The stewardess told one

passenger that high winds were causing the delay. Well, the pilot finally told us about

strong crosswinds at the end of the runway. Essentially, our jet was over-weighted. We

would have to go back to the terminal and wait and wait or ask a few passengers to kindly

get off the plane. Well, the wind patterns finally changed. Since we had been idling for

over an hour, the plane needed more fuel. We will land at 6:57. I can safely guess that we

will miss our 7:00 flight to Mobile.

After landing in Houston, 3 and ½ hours later, a medical doctor and an E.M.T. came

in immediately. One of the passengers had a seizure, or something, 45 minutes into the

flight. He seemed to be o.k. We are ready to get off the plane now, folks. Another delay.

The Homeland Security Dept. mandates that when medical personnel are sent in on an

international flight, then the Center for Disease Control must “clear” the passengers or

quarantine them. About 15 minutes later, we are all cleared to leave the plane. Welcome

to the U.S.A.

There is a long line for immigration. Then we go through Customs. At baggage claims

all three suitcases arrive. Since Bethany and I had ridden horses four days earlier, our

family had to have our luggage x-rayed for soil contamination. We did pass inspection.

At the Continental desk, we are issued three boarding passes for Sunday’s flight to

Mobile. We receive a voucher for one free nights lodging at the local Baymont Inn. And

there are vouchers for a free dinner tonight. The free airport / shuttle van has us at our

hotel in 10 - 15 minutes.

Welcome to Houston, Texas. This was not part of our plans…..But it happens. The

restaurant stayed open an extra hour to accommodate the travelers who had missed their

flights. We met some pleasant guests that night from Mobile, Brewton, Fairhope, AL,

plus Virginia, Alaska and France. Not much left to choose from, other than Tex-Mex.

We crawl into bed at 10:30. It has been another very long day for us.


APRIL 20, 2008 (Sunday)

We have a 6:30 wakeup call, then enjoy a continental breakfast downstairs. There are

some delicious sour-cream doughnuts. We catch the 8:45 shuttle to the airport. Then we

have to go back through the check-in process.

At the Continental desk, we are told “these boarding passes were never confirmed.”

What does that mean? Well, the agent tapped away on her keyboard and in a few minutes

we are on our way. The luggage is now being loaded. Next, we have our carryon items

checked and x-rayed. We go to Gate B-77. Ten minutes later we are on board, in our

seats and ready to roll.

Our half-loaded plane taxis out at 10:15 and we soon depart Texas. The flight carries us
over the Gulf Coast for awhile and I see the white sandy beaches. There are hundreds

of oil wells in sight. Our flight altitude is much lower today. There are clear blue

skies and we can see for miles. Beautiful! Everything is going smoothly this morning.

There is the downtown Mobile skyline up ahead. We touch down at 11:11. Janet’s

brother, Bill, picks us up and takes the back way to our house. I scoot inside and grab the

keys to my pharmacy. It is time to get to work. I walk through the front door at Bruno’s

at 12 noon. And I’m still wearing blue jeans, tee shirt and tennis shoes. This has been a

fabulous trip-of-a-lifetime. Life is good!

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