Now, THAT's What I'm Talkin' About!

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Neuvo Arenal ECOLodge 9/07/06 Wednesday (P.M.)
WOW! This is remote, 3kms up a semi good road, it has its bad spots, but up in the hills, great grounds, landscaped to the max.
Reception refreshing, English, and not busy. INTERNET! WiFi! FREE! seems I can use my WiFi for free, $5 for the use of their PCs....
So out with the emails! Sorry folks, but it aint Boulder or Austin!
The website: http://www.ecolodgecostarica.com/gallery.html
oh, and the waiters don't wear bowties, and the bartender doesn't wear an apron!
*****As I write this, the cook is baking ? what a fabulous aroma! Brownies! (mind you, writing the next day)....
I am in room 21, standard taxes and breakfast included, so OK price, no worries.
Spent the evening logged on, met Rebecca, Tica, @ 30ish, some English, wanted to practice her skills with me,
since nothing was going on. Then the bartender/waiter, Omar, came up, his English is better.
I showed them Google Satellite Image of Costa Rica, then of the house in Boulder...zoom on the house impressed them...CR, clouds in the way of Coter Lake/Eco Lodge... then I showed them a picture of the house I left in Lafayette Colorado...they were most impressed.
Dinner, interesting. A fish sliced so thin and covered a small sucer plate, server right out of the freezer...cooked in lime juice! HMMM?
Then rice with little schrimp, again they are too small and not enough. Steak Fries, left them alone....Chocolate mousse for dessert!
Back at the room, I found the hot water was rusty, like out of the bottom of the boiler....came back out for a glass of wine, yes wine, from Argentina, Frontier, Red, tasty. Watched the staff mingling with important couple...Bored!
Outta here!
another day coming


EcoLodge 9/08/06 Friday(?)
Must be @65F at 05:45, yes you do NOT need an alarm clock here! Comes naturally!
OK, this strange...There is a big black lab sleeping outside my window!
UH? Am I the only one that thinks this is weird? Its like he is a gaurd dog or does he just want attention...I try spanish: Perro! Buenas Dias!...no budging him, so I try English, nope, guess not that either.
I suppose we have a telepathy thing... do admit, WEIRD.

Out for breakfast; recharge the batteries, the rooms do not have standard outlets, have to come to lobby.
Folks in on a mini-bus for the 'Cloud Forrest' tour. Swiss says the sign on the bus.
Good looking woman, I said hello, she looked, said hello, did not smile....
I asked Max, the reception clerk about tne group, he guessed they tired, and did not speak much anyway.
Now, it is just me and the staff....I AM THE ONLY GUEST!
I'm sittin here updating the blog, I see this 'Catapillar Yellow' Land Cruiser come barrelling into the parking lot....its 3 gringos, the staff jumps to their feet, What;s going on? I ask myself....The driver with beard, straw hat, glasses; the passenger, T-shirt-shorts-flipflops; the lady in the back(?) all older than me, pile out and proceed to the bar...the staff appear leary of these folks...me just pounding away.
The driver asks Omar(bartender) for a cigar(?) no mas! OK cigs....
A beer for the lady, sodas for the gents....they sit in the rockin chairs out front...the staff cools down...At a stopping point, I proceed to the front, gotta try, they are Americans.
Great! they will talk to me! I was begining to wonder, ya know!
David, David and Suzi, all mid to late sixties(by appearance), just out for siteseeing. Younger David in from Fla to stay with long term residents, David & Suzi...15yrs on 11 acres outside of Nuevo Arenal! I introduce my self and give brief scenario of my stay, they give me the same. They offer to assist me in finding a homebase, a friend has a cabin, theirs is full..so they go thru the list of folks they know in the area...seems to be alot of Americans my age and older up here in the mountains...Yet , David and Suzi dont know much, maybe, about other places....they found this spot and "stayed"...Refreshing 30 mins with Americans...Suzi left me their phone #, and was going to ask Jeff(?) about the cabin...then call here.
Off they went, Suzi in the back on top of the spare tire, not shotgun!!!!
It just started raining! the Land Cruiser did NOT have a top!!!

The cook here, wants to fatten me up, she is an International chef! Guess I can't reject the food, I do need to eat, BUT NOT THAT MUCH! BIG platefulls, and desserts too! Great pan seared fish with lime and garlic; steamed veggies, fried rice, topped off by a banana split.(tico style)
Sorry, I thought it rude to bring my camera to the table.
On the laptop most of my time here, getting caught up, changing my input to "BY HOTEL", the diary format is on hold for now.
I am learning to understand common phrases used by mostly young people around here. Plus key words in conversaciones....
In the lobby here, there are skulls of both a large crocodile and a Russian Boar. Seems they aqquired these before the hotel was opened.
The Boar skull, not native to the country, looks to be very old.
Speaking of hogs, they have a pen down back of the hotel, where a huge sow is kept. The sound that thing makes is terrifying, especially in the middle of night when you don't expect it! No pics, some of the staff live back there in a house, and I did not want to intrude on their space.


Did I mention that I AM THE ONLY GUSET HERE? WHOLE PLACE TO ME!
The staff says the 'green season' sometimes nobody here, they get paid anyway. They dont mind me, I have tried to make them comfortable with me, not always trying to service me.....Its not like I demand anything, they are great to jsut let me pound on my laptop ALL day and ALL night, keeps me out of their hair, so to speak....

After the housekeeping ladies clean my room, they leave the fresh towels on the bed. Everyday I come in to find a new animal...sorry I did not take pics of my first 'croc' on the bed. I found they use stuffed animal eyes, so I saved them in the 'tips' envelope, they recyled them...

They fill the vases with flowers, but used colored water...blue, orange, red, green....note to self....(and anybody that likes fresh flowers in the house)


Saturday!
UP AT DAWN! The animals are clammering, the birds are chattering, and IT IS COOL<@60 degrees F....
Had to fight night insects in the room til I passed out, but its is tough when you THINK they are crawling, flying, biting about you...NO, it is not just my imagination... used a white wash cloth in the HOT water shower, pulled at least 5 bugs off me this morning...MUST say, at least its not flys everywhere!
Whole place its just me!
Breakfast, then read an old Fortune mag, time for blerb updates... took some pics walking around the front... sat in the same spot, lack of 110v outlets in the lobby...5 HOURS LATER! They gave some lunch....HOT MEAL...Beef strips with rice and veggies...seems I worked right thru their lunch hours....THX!
Some gringos drove thru the parking lot, looked and drove out....not enough 'happenin' here... fine by me!
Walked the 1000meter trail, up to the bungalows/cabins, stunning hike just between the 2 hills...drops down into the thicket, switchbacks at least 3 times....next sign says 600mtrs...then 200mtrs....400mtrs....UH???
then 600mtrs....finally 100mtrs...up and out of the jungle....great hike for starters and free to boot....NOT at night!
I should have got a cabin! Look at these 'vistas'! Clearly a draw for guests. only $10 more over 'standard' rooms...OK, no internet, and the walk up and down the hill/sidewalk...would kill my knee! UP/down....naah!

Still the ONLY guest!
I want everybody to know, the GREEN SEASON is the time to be here....whats a little rain anyway? Compared to the desert, I suppose you might or might not like it....geeze you won't melt!

Well here it is Sunday, I tell the clerk to book me for dos noches mas, porfavor! So, 2 more nights, thru Tuesday...
It starts raining...raining....more rain.....AH! it stopped!
Lunch! Some moe Gringos drive up...another older gentleman, and his wife(?) tall slender woman, 55ish...they walk around, Max wants to assist them....she says they have a new house up past the stadium, and have never come thru the hotel before...they turned up the road to see what they'd been missing....They were impressed, from what I could tell.
Me being me, I had to try...Yup, I waited til they were about to leave...
I approached the woman, no names here, and mentioned the cabins up the hill, that they may pull in the drive and see the vista over the lake....
Cool! They were going to see Lake Coter, next to Arenal, which is down the drive and secluded...The 'gentleman' mentioned that if I get a chance in my travels, go thru Jaco to see 'their' new hotel(!!!) 'Xandar' being built.
They are part-time residents here for short time at the new house..
Nope, I did not persue the 'House-Sitting' idea...oh well....
Hopefully I'll bump into them again. IF I ever get out of here!
STILL NO CAR! more on that later....
Off they go... back to the blog!

Lots of nothing going on...STILL JUST ME!
All evening on PC, conversing with Max on his career, his plans to get into 'Nature Conservancy'.... Good for Him! 25 and has a degree in computers, but moving into what he loves! His current position is Manager of Guides, here for the past 2 years. (acting reception clerk for now, Alan on vacation)

Yup, a long night of rain, conversations, and Spanish/English lessons with Rebecca and Omar....Funny, me and Rebecca scream to Omar(playing PC games) when we cannot come up with the correct words....LOL!
Like I said...I am the ONLY guest here! The day goes by fast.
20:30, their ride out is here, so Rebecca wants to close up....21:45 after more English lessons, I see its Lights out time...I bolt for bed!
The 3 Indians, are playing pool, and watching over Rebecca, as she is here by herself. No worries! Everybody is cool.

Monday AM.....More monkey noises,,,lots of animal calls, close to the Lodge....seems they come in when nobody has been around...
Could not get out of the bed...more Alieve!
Sorry, missed all the critters, just the Lab out front.


WILL ADD MORE PICS LATER....

as promised.....

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Photos

Lobby Area
Great fireplace! Look familiar to anyone?

Towel animal!
Different every morning.

Muy Bonita!
Some of the coolest flowers around the Lodge.

North end of Arenal
Shot from cabanas hill.

Honeymoon Cabins
The ones with the great views.

For those Lazy Days
Libre, the dog, setting the example.

Bird towel.
They were all great. Must learn to do the folding.

Comments

[JakenCR]

Correction!
It seems Rebecca is only 22. My bad....she is learning as I am learning.

[Jared]

what the F is a towel animal!
I have never heard of such a thing. are you sure they just arent distracting you from your wallet? haha :D just kidding. It looks like youre having a great trip!