Costa Rica is eager to please! Who knew? (Well, our friends and family did and so recommended it, hence our choice.) The hard part was deciding where to go so we could reserve places to stay (one place needed six months advance notice) and find transportation over long distances for nine people. Our destinations were within a few hours drive from Liberia airport in the northwest quadrant of the country...

Arrival

Despite that we took six flights from six different cities (coast to coast) combined, all nine of us managed to make it. Our flight (my folks and I) was the only one running late and the last to arrive, so following "the longest line I've ever seen for immigration"" according to the expat in front of us, we received a warm welcome from the rest of the family, who had been patiently waiting for us in the not-air-conditioned arrival hall for the last few hours. Unfortunately, one item of luggage had not yet arrived...

Our driver (holding a sign) introduced himself as Jeffrey, apologized for his Spanglish, and told us earnestly that he was the "second best driver in Costa Rica." Naturally, we asked what happened to the first. He solemnly made the sign of the cross.

The nine of us fit. Just. Without space left for luggage. So, Jeffrey climbed atop the roof and we passed him up our bags which he carefully placed within a blue tarp before bungying them all down. Luckily, we are all pretty light packers, so he only had to navigate some duffels, a roller bag, and a couple backpacks. He appeared to be making an effort to do it right, even as the heat made him sweat.

Perimercados

Our first stop? A very important place! Our driver took us there when Mom, in the Spanish she practiced on the plane, asked if we could stop at a supermarket. We suggested the one we heard about in La Fortuna, but the driver countered that the one in Liberia, a few minutes away, was much larger.

The store stretched huge. We divided and conquered. The western-like supermarket had almost everything we were looking for... except lemons. We found limes and even watermelon, but no lemons nor even lemon juice for our planned iced-tea. In total, we spent about 40,000 colones ($70) on food for the next few days. And, well, nearly that same amount on booze.

Over the pass

Having the air conditioner on too high was problematic, said Jeffrey, so we opened windows to get some air flow as we passed by countryside. We were all a little sweaty at this point, but being sweaty on vacation in a new country is way more fun than being sweaty at home. Grassland blurred by. Lots of over-the-highway pedestrian walks. Lots of cows. No cities.

To our relief, the luggage hadn't budged. We started up a twisty mountain road that soon turned into dirt. The van bounced over bumpy rocks, waking at least one napping passenger. At a high point we reached the continental divide. Then, several of our wrists buzzed.

Lake Arenal came into view. To our relief, we turned back onto paved road soon after. I assumed we were close to our destination because we'd reached the lake (and our hotel could be translated as, after all, The Lakes) but the giant body of water never ended, as if we were driving in loops around it. Just one huge lake.

Los Lagos (Mt. Arenal)

We arrived around 5:30pm as the western sky blushed red. When we looked it up, we discovered that the sun set early in Costa Rica - before 6pm. We thought that seemed odd for springtime but a quick time zone check solved the mystery.

Costa Rica sits, latitude-wise, as far east as Chicago, and would share a time zone except that daylight savings time is not observed. So, even though the country is on the eastern edge of central time, it matches mountain time. So, days here start and end quite early.

Also, being 10 degrees north of the equator means that sunset is very... quick. Dad walked inside the reception area to check in while we waited with the luggage in daylight. We all got 'towel cards' and a wrist band for the hot springs. When we were finished, the sun had dropped like a bowling ball over the horizon and it was full-on dark out.

We also realized, as another van took us to our place, that we weren't in a villa, we were in the villa: a house at the top of the hill, like we were special guests or something. Nope, just a party of nine. After exploring the two-story-house-like building, drinking a welcome rum & coke, and moving mattresses to our satisfaction, we changed into swimsuits under our clothes and found The Shuttle along the road back to take us down to dinner.

The restaurant had plenty of empty tables, including one ten-person one, as if they knew we were coming (I was worried since the resort is booked full, but then again, the only eating options in this area are other nearby resort hotels or an hour walk to the closest town of La Fortuna.) As we perused the menu, we were serenaded by a fellow on the floor above playing the saxophone; everything from Over the Rainbow to The Beatles echoed over us. I ordered a "casado." The Spanish word sounded familiar, but I forgot why. My food: chicken, rice, beans, potatoes and delicious fried plantains tasted quite satisfactory. Big servings for us tourists. We consolidated all the leftover butter into one one dish and the dish somehow slipped into one of our bags. Because we forgot to buy butter for toast. It's not like the butter was going to be re-used. And we totally returned the little dish before the end of our stay. And we are not sneaky at all.

Later, we found out "casado" means "married" and there are some theories to why this Costa Rican dish is called that, possibly due to the rice-and-beans combo, which should always be served together (or "married") because they make one full protein.

Hot Springs of Awesome

Honestly, after the long day of travel, getting up before dawn followed by two flights and the three-hour long van ride, I was ready to shower and sleep. But I thought I'd take a quick peek at the hot springs before going to bed. And whoa, second wind! After we got some fluffy blue towels from the stand using our towel cards and put our clothes in the locker room (which was nice enough but ironically did not have hot water for the showers), we explored.

Meander Around then Swim in the Shade of a Volcano
(Pictures taken in daylight during the duration of our stay, since it was hard to capture the hidden lights of nighttime springs, open until 10pm!)

In order of decreasing exhaustion, we shuttled back, got confused by the keycards (Since the villa can be split into two separate places, there are two front doors, and each keycard only works in *one* which we did not know...) and waited to use one of the two bathrooms. A few creepy crawlies wandered in, but they got squashed. Finally, we crashed.

Costa Rican Alarm Clock

This one has to be heard. But even this snippet does not have the most dramatic, loud bird of all whose repetitive chirp at a high pitch near the window sounded so much like an alarm clock that we all woke up.

Around 6am, Brother left with his girlfriend for Gravity Falls wearing a shirt that said "Beer + Run". The repelling down a waterfall and jumping off a cliff was too much adrenaline for the rest of us. We awoke later and enjoyed some buttered toast, cereal with trail mix on top, and lime-iced-tea for breakfast. (And figured out the troublesome coffee machine where the lid is REALLY important.)

Since the Lost Item of Luggage had yet to arrive (airline promised 36 hours), we had to find appropriate garments: the "long pants" and "closed-toe shoes" recommended for our morning activity. But we made it work!

We'd given ourselves ample time to make our appointment in case we had to walk (and not shuttle) down. Which was good because we had to walk. But the journey took less time on foot than we'd envisioned.

Toward the bottom of the hill, we passed a tree. The tree had a square metal grated platform attached about halfway up the trunk. Well above our heads. A wire that looked like a thick phone line flew toward it. And away from it.

The Ziplining

The group of us (plus another six tourists) piled into the van with at least five men in orange and rode a short distance up the hill to the first line. At the top, our leader Antonio spent a short time giving us the spiel in English (to the dismay of the French couple who was hoping for it in Spanish, but they received instructions from another man in orange.) We learned that Costa Rica is the birthplace of ziplining. He asked if any of us had done it before. I raised my hand. He asked, "Where?" I said, "In India." "Have you done it here?" "No." "If you haven't done it here," he concluded, "then you haven't done it."

He told us that the wires are made of carbon fiber, not steel, so you move faster. He also said that if we braked too hard by pulling down on the gloves (don't squeeze!) and got stuck in the middle, then we had to drag ourselves hand-over-hand back by ourselves. (Except for the kids, whom they would rescue.) He recommended that we cross our legs in front of us while zipping so we don't start spinning, then he demonstrated the hand signals for "slow down" and "speed up" that the orange guys at the other end would use.

I wanted to be first so I could take photos of my family members coming in behind me. I walked down the short trail to where the first cable was strung taut into the trees. I stood across the wire from a man in orange. They unhooked the metal roller thing from my harness and I had to jump - jump! - so they could set the roller on top of the wire. This was weirdly hard. After a couple tries, I was up and then I sat back until I was hanging off the wire. I lifted my feet (gah!) and crossed my legs in front of me. I rested my gloved hand on the wire above me behind the roller as instructed. He told me "Don't brake till the end," then he took his hand away from where it squeezed the wire in front of the metal roller.

The first two lines were short and easy. But by the fourth line - high and fast through the canopy - I was a little nervous, adrenaline pulsing... and was worried for my more height-concerned family members and wondered if I'd see them. Though I'm not sure that, once you start, there is any place to bail. They move you too fast to really think about being scared.

Five platforms down, I finally had time for a breather. My Dad and I took photos of incoming zippers. Niece came, but slowly, nearly stopped in the middle, but before she stopped completely, orange guy anticipated the stop and rolled out just enough to weigh down the zipline and get her going again and when she caught up, kept sliding ahead of her so the line slanted down and she moved again. Impressive!

And, finally, I accounted for all family members. Some were a little wide-eyed and some came in a little fast, but all were in good spirits and ready to keep going (we were not even halfway down yet.) I was impressed by their positive, brave attitudes!

The ziplines became longer. Sometimes, you couldn't see the other end when you started - just a wire disappearing into the trees. My confidence depended on the man in orange's quick instructions before he let you go: "No brake on this one" or "A little brake the whole time."

The five staff members were very efficient. In order to keep up the pace, they sometimes lifted a kid off one line and put them right onto the next without touching the ground. Sometimes, I was the only person on the platform since people were coming in and moving out so efficiently. Only twice did I ever wait (and usually it was my choice because I wanted to take photos.)

Birthday Gravity Challenges

On one particularly large platform, all thirteen zippers gathered (attached to the central tree with a carabiner) with the five men in orange. I thought we were done since we were near the road. Nope.

The original startled shout of "Yikes!" was followed by a "Woo hoo!" as he swung over the valley with the creek, then swung back, eventually being pulled in by a rope system to a ladder-in-mid-air below.

Antonio asked who else wanted to do it. My niece (who just turned nine) stepped right up. (Her mom turned and looked the other way.) After strapping her in they didn't push her off or tell her to jump, they merely lifted her up and let her drop! She didn't make a sound as she swung down. At first my nephew said no way. Then some of the other people on the trip went. (The nervous French girl waffled, looking a bit pale, before finally doing it.) The leader pointed to everyone, wanting a yes or a no. He pointed to me and I said "Yes, yes, yes," and he said, "No," and I said, "Yes! Sí, por favor mucho!" They repeated that and laughed. After several people had gone, my nephew reconsidered. Then he went! Finally I got to go.

Luckily, I had heard one of the man in orange's jokey pep talks earlier, so after he said, "Don't jump before we say," and, "Keep your body straight," and "Wait" and "Wait" and then right as the other guy pushed me off the platform, said, "WAIT WAIT WAIT!" I wasn't too freaked out. I still screamed on the way down, though, before the barely-existent free fall turned into an awesome swing!

The mid-air ladder, which looked a little sketch from the platform, was no problem after swinging over the valley. BUT the ladder we climbed afterward back up to the platform where everyone waited - a simple ladder with giant metal steps and a railing - scared me more, simply because our carabiners were not attached to anything at that point!

We noticed an exit to the road from the platform (likely so people could come up and do only the swing) but we still had a few zips left. One ride lasted forever through the treetops and my niece and nephew got thwapped with a close leaf. Finally, we landed on the same platform we had spotted a couple hours before while walking down the road. By this time, that platform was no big deal at all! Easy peasy!

The last zip landed near the ground. We hung out under a gazebo until everyone else arrived. He told us not to take off our gear yet. After the family gathered and did a sweaty group hug of congratulations, a man in orange walked up to my brother-in-law, pointed to me and said, "Is that your spouse?" He said, "No, the other one." And he said, "Good, because she doesn't listen." Then, a minute later after realizing that my sister had taken off her gear ahead of time, he shrugged and said, "I guess she doesn't listen either."

The Other Adventurers

On our way home, we learned something useful. Our "villa" is pronounced "viya" and that is all we have to say to the shuttle drivers. (And if we are the only riders, we get to-the-door service.)

We ate a lunch of random munchies and re-visited our tarzan swing videos. Then my brother and his fiance returned from their adventure repelling down waterfalls and jumping off cliffs into the water. Unfortunately, a not-ideal landing made for a swollen tongue...

Mirador

Mirador is a Spanish word that serves me well while wandering unfamiliar cities in Mexico or Latin America. I'm nearly always led to a nice overlook with a pretty view and here was no exception (though the sign helpfully provided a drawing of a man with a telescope as well.)

We turned off the hotel road loop then walked less than a mile up the bird-sound-enhanced road until we reached a hill. We climbed. Ahead of us stood Mt. Arenal and potentially a path that went further up the volcano itself. Behind us, Los Lagos and the lush Costa Rican landscape stretched green to the horizon.

According to others we know who have visited, seeing Mt. Arenal clear (or even seeing the elusive peak at all) is very lucky! Even so, only today did we see the volcano cone completely cloudless and then, only for a few minutes.

Sneaky Cake

The cool pools felt nice on a hot day after a hike! I dunked myself in one of the coldest toward the top (to the applause of the random men inside) then walked into the hot one right next to it. (One was too hot, one was too cold, but they made a circle like a yin-yang.)

For dinner, the nine of us took up two of the half dozen or so tables at the mid-pool bar and enjoyed some pizza with flavors like "gorgonzola mushroom" and played "What do these two people have in common and why?" On our way back (the night starry and dry), someone snuck over the restaurant to get some take-out dessert. In the meantime, the misdirected luggage arrived at the lobby, hooray!

Once we were all back, Mom sent Dad upstairs to get Boggle. While he was out of the room, we lit the candles and put them on the cake. We sung loud when he returned. Surprise! When he blew out the candles, they kept re-lighting.

The Sloth!

Our various tours the next morning met in the lobby (where we discovered a pamphlet on Zorbing, the wacky New Zealand activity) and soon, another of the ubiquitous white "tourist vans" pulled up. Our guide Jorge told us he'd grown up in the area as a farmer and had been doing this tour for over a decade. They called him up last night when we told the hotel we had a group of seven ready to go. After we clambered in, Jorge continued up the hotel road as if he was giving us a ride right back to our place, but instead pulled over on the side of the road and told us to exit. He gestured to the bunch of trees by the creek.

With the naked eye, all I could see was a slow-moving monkeyish thing, but through the lens, the sloth's adorable face focused up the tree as she carried her baby (in slow motion) up the branches. SO COOL! Although I figured that sloths moved slowly, hence their name, I was still surprised to see the underwater-speed motions in action.

Hanging Bridges

About twenty minutes drive away, around the volcano, over a dam, and past trees where we saw white-faced monkeys swinging about, we approached a jungley area. At the viewing platform, Jorge told us the history and his family connection with the land and mentioned, as an afterthought, that he helped build the ziplines we were on yesterday! He also said he could take us along a trail that would allow us to see more jungle instead of going straight to the first (of several) bridges and waiting in line.

He made it sound like we'd skip bridges, but in the end I think he merely wanted to kill time (with the sloth stop, the longish talk at the viewing platform, and taking a meandering path) to avoid the morning rush.

We started up the trail. The first thing he said was, "Don't touch anything." He then grasped the railing (d'oh!) and added, "because there are small, poisonous snakes" that can look like coiled roots or rope.

A little ways further, he told us we could touch a plant whose leaves retracted and closed when touched. The kids obliged. They he offered us the chance to stroke a furry-leaved plant (similar to a Bird of Paradise) because I guess there was no risk of snakes there?

As we strolled, the cool, pleasant weather humidified a bit and we swatted at a few bugs flitting around. He showed us a tree that was the second oldest species in the world (after Sequoia?) and pointed out other large and colorful jungle plants and flowers. Then we turned down a path and were deep in the thick trees.

Then we saw the line (of less than 10 people, which he said was far fewer than we would have seen had we gone straight to the bridge) and got our first hints to what a Hanging Bridge consisted of.

While in line, Jorge pointed out a snake on a nearby tree. I didn't see it. That might have been for the best. Finally, we reached the front of the line and the bridge guard (take him seriously, folks, he carries a machete) let us on.

It wasn't too swingy... unless someone was stomping. But the gentle side-to-side was a bit nerve-racking. I'm not that afraid of heights but I found myself grabbing the sides for balance (and psychological support) more than once...

The half dozen metal hanging bridges varied. Jorge told us when we were on the tallest or the longest. Many had excellent views. We also went across short regular bridges and once through a tunnel. A few sections of trail were under renovation and we got to see the innards of the genuine fake wood railing being created! Lines of rebar, wrapped with rebar loops, were the structure, then it was covered with concrete and painted like wood (including parts where the "bark" fell away to reveal the raw wood underneath.) Pretty good effect! And probably longer lasting than, you know, actual wood.

We were among the final tourists to exit (around noon) but since the bridges are open all day, maybe we were just the end of the morning bus tour rush. We never waited very long to cross a bridge (thankfully, because standing tourists are an opportunity for mosquitoes!) and we saw people from all over.

Waterfalls, Hot Springs, and Goodbye Drinks

After we met up with Sister and her husband (who had spent the morning at another local waterfall, hiking down, going for a swim, and hiking back up), we spent the rest of the day at the hot springs. Naturally. So relaxing, ahhh. At one point, when I was hanging out a the top hot-cold pool, Niece, Nephew and I were graced with the presence of a cute little iguana scurrying on the rocks by the pool (and a much larger iguana surveying all from high up a tree.) At one point, our family had our favorite hot pool to ourselves: shade, bubble chairs, a mini water slide, and underwater stools to match stools on the other side. Perfect spot to sip a beverage. Also, cool trick: if you dry off a bit and put on a shirt, you can walk over to the souvenir shop and get drinks at about half the price of the bar. (Shhh.) Also, mojito in a can = yum.