Last Week in Paradise

I’m back! But before I reflect on having returned to the States and all that that entails, let me recount to you my fabulous last week in the great country of Costa Rica.

The incredible weather continued and we enjoyed very little rain; in fact it didn’t rain for 3 days straight! Each morning began sunny and beautiful, and the volcano was incredibly clear as well. We watched a troop of howler monkeys come down into the trees in our backyard and howl at one another one afternoon. The lava shows by night were incredible and the volcano continued in its frequent activity.

Tuesday was Independence Day, which came and went without too much celebration—one of the disadvantages of being in a small town means that there just isn’t the fanfare for the Day that you could find in a larger city such as La Fortuna or San Jose. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and after walking around the lake with Mao, trying to fish but failing, he convinced me a dip in the water was necessary. The intense sun and heat convinced me to jump in after him, clothes and all, and enjoy the refreshing waves and spectacular views of the clear volcano. Mao insisted I take photos of him jumping off the muddy bank into the water, and even volunteered to take a few of me, swimming out into the blue expanse.
After our walk, I worked a ton, but had an absolute blast. “Working” here just isn’t the same as working back in the States. I frequently wear shorts, crocs, and a couple times have come back soaking wet from kayaking only to be asked to run upstairs to see if a table needs more drinks or pizza. “The office” is a well-loved hammock hanging in the main entryway by the garden, perfect for a quick break, a brainstorming session, or just a good place to chat with customers. John wasn’t feeling too great so Ana and I (wo)manned the kitchen and cleaned and cooked and served at a pretty constant rate. We worked hard, but it didn’t even feel like working! I learned how to make pizza dough and chatted it up with the customers that passed through our doors. Great, productive, satisfying day.

Wednesday I got up early as usual, walked the dogs, gathered my gear and piled into the car with John, Ana, and Mao. We clanked and rumbled to the entrance of the Arenal Observatory Lodge where I was to begin a hike that many before me hadn't completed, warning of its extreme incline and heavy mud. Rather than apprehensive, I considered it a challenge and couldn't wait to begin. However, as soon as we got through the entrance, our trusty steed ran out of gas. We tried a couple of times to get it up the steep hill to the trail head, but to no avail. I got out and walked an extra 2km or so, wishing the rest of them the best as they assured me they would find gas somewhere, despite the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere. It was a gorgeous day and as I traipsed along in my rubber boots I was again filled with an overwhelming sense of contentment and joy for hiking, adventure, and nature. What better way to spend a Wednesday morning? I couldn't believe that no one else wanted to join me!! The sun was shining, the cows were out to graze, the volcano was completely clear...it was perfect. I finally got to the beginning of the trail and it did climb up the side of the once-active volcano quite quickly. I frequently had to climb over roots, swing around tree trunks, and crawl up the side of the mountain to continue climbing. I was struck by the sheer amount of vegetation, though disappointed by my inability to spot any wildlife. I know it was out there, just elusive. I found a branch that doubled as an effective walking stick and continued to climb. It really wasn't that bad, though tight in spots as I was literally crawling through a gully..luckily it hadn't rained recently so I didn't have to worry about mud or standing water! Due to the thick vegetation I couldn't really tell how high up the mountain side I was until finally the trail twisted and turned and flattened out. There was a small clearing with a view of the entire valley (ruined by smog/clouds) and a path to La Fortuna for the highly ambitious. I had to walk through some quasi-quicksand/deep mud and then finally the trail appeared to split, going straight, or straight down. I chose straight down. At some points I was literally swinging from branch to branch to maneuver my way down and it was awesome! My legs and arms got a great workout and I slowly got closer to the crater lake. It was cool and calm at the water's edge and many frogs were hopping around. I took a couple of successful jumping shots, ate a power bar, and started to walk around the lake before I realized that it just went around the lake, without going anywhere. So back up the steep sides I went, reaching and straining to get to the top. I now feel like I have some small understanding of what being a monkey feels like. :) When I got to the top what I thought had been the trail splitting was actually the end so I had to go back from where I'd come. I was supposed to meet John back at the lodge around 1, and though close, time was on my side. It took me about 4 hours to do the whole hike. Not much mileage, but steep inclines and declines and tree roots prevented much speed. As I was hiking back I passed Phil and Jeannie's house where John and the gang were waiting for me. They'd gotten gas but hadn't had time to go into town so they had spent the morning staring through Phil's telescope at the volcanic rocks cascading down the side of the volcano and snacking on cookies and iced tea. I gulped down a glass and soon we were on our way again, apparently in the cleanest state Phil and some other lodge residents had ever seen.
Despite the warnings beforehand, I did not find the hike to be overly difficult and loved the challenge of scrambling along the trail. It was extremely satisfying to complete and a great last hike in Costa Rica.
We rode back, grabbed some lunch and headed back out to go visit Gordon and Nancy up at Nepenthe. They have a prime location for a gorgeous bed-and-breakfast that overlooks the Lake, some of the valley, and the volcano. There's a pool to soak in that lets you relax and soak up all the views. After some convincing I jumped in and though I'm not a pool person, I have to admit it was pretty awesome. As we swam around, a toucan flew over our heads and landed in a nearby tree! Apparently every day around 4pm the toucans fly by...how cool.


Thursday dawned bright and clear, a perfect last full day in Costa Rica. I woke up early, par usual, and went out with John for our last walk around the lake with Rico and Lucky; there would be no time tomorrow morning before we had to leave to catch our flight. We fished briefly but to no avail; I wasn’t too upset since I had already caught 2 fish within the span of a week and cleaned and eaten them to boot! We headed back to the restaurant and I had my daily cup of coffee, some red beans and rice, and got everything together for a quick trip to La Fortuna. We took Mao to school along the way and then perused town for a couple hours, buying some necessary supplies for the restaurant. We didn’t spend a ton of time in town as we needed to get back to open. As we hurriedly cruised out of town with a pretty full load of eggs, chicken, and other good stuff, two people we knew came up and asked for a ride back to El Castillo. We really didn’t have room, nor the space, but John obliged and two more large grocery bags and two people later, we were heavily on our way. Unfortunately, John’s Land Rover has not been in the best of conditions and a hot, heavy trip up and down the hilly roads back to the restaurant did not help an already distraught radiator. We soon found ourselves in the red with a smoking hood. Luckily there are many lodges and resorts that dot the way back so we stopped at a place that had a water spigot we used to fill up water bottles to cool it down. Water spewed everywhere and the car was HOT. I half expected it to all just blow up, right then and there but luckily the thermostat slowly dropped to normal and we slowly inched our way back.

As usual, there was lots to do once we got back and being this our last day, I had lots to pack and goodbyes to say, etc. John taught me how to finish up the ice cream and we let it set in the freezer…hoping it would be just firm enough to try before we had to leave for good! I really wanted to get out on the lake and kayak one last time and it turned into a “family” affair. Ana had never been kayaking before and of course Mao wanted to tag along and watch his mom out on the water. John came out to show me how to use his longer, tipsier kayak and ended up inviting two guests who were eating to come along and try out the kayaks too. Ana and I had a blast and she quickly got the hang of it, even suggesting that we try to get to the volcano and back…an impossibility with the quickly approaching darkness. The two guests loved getting the chance to get out on the water and after everyone had had a turn (even Mao on the back of Andrea’s kayak, trying to help by unsuccessfully “paddling” with his hands, had a great time) we all jumped into the warm water by the shore and splashed around until it was dark enough to watch some red-hot lava spew down the volcano. Definitely a sight I will miss…when we all got back to the restaurant John was freaking out as half of the lights were out and half were dimly lit. I ran up to assist some guests on the top-level, despite just returning from kayaking. Oh well, it’s the jungle!

It started to pour and we had to shut down the restaurant due to the lack of consistent lighting. No one could seem to figure out why some of the lights were out, until we checked the fuse box. Some of the cable wires had literally melted together…not a good combo. The rain and darkness prevented any immediate fix, so we ate dinner by candlelight. Ana made us a special Tico meal: lots of different local vegetables and of course a side of beans and rice! The lights kept turning on and off and eventually we decided to unplug everything possible…even the freezer.

After dinner, John took me up to Essence to say goodbye to everyone up there. One the way up, through the misty rain and darkness, the radiator started overheating again and then we hit something. Once we arrived to Essence we discovered that the entire alignment of the Range Rover had been thrown off and part of the car body was rubbing against the front tire. John tried his best to fix it, but things did not look good. Everyone toasted my departure and we watched the lava flow for a while until finally it was time to head back to the cabina for one last night of sleep in Costa Rica. The lights were still not working but John and I did try some of the chocolate ice cream and boy was it delicious, albeit a bit soft. We now had no power, and no reliable way to get to the Observatory by 7 in the morning to catch a ride to San Jose for our early afternoon flight.

I woke up Friday at 5:30am in order to get everything together, say my goodbyes, and figure out how we were going to get to the airport. The power was still out, but within the hour a friendly neighbor stopped by and was able to jimmy-rig the situation and fix it! Amazing what a little light and absence of rain can do to improve a situation. I made a few calls and eventually we decided that a taxi was going to have to be the way to get us to the Lodge. It cost $16...which was high, but seeing as we needed to get home it was pretty necessary. We piled our massive bags into the back of the taxi's truck bed and were promptly on our way. The rest of our journey was rather anticlimactic after all the hullabaloo leading up to our departure and after a half hour delay in San Jose (after arriving to the airport 2.5 hours before our flight...) all was swell. Customs was a breeze, though due to the extremely grimy, moldy, gross state of my passport I was questioned as far as to what exactly I'd been up to and how my passport got into such bad shape. Luckily I was allowed into the country and now, over 3 months later, I have finally finished this blog and this chapter of adventure tales.

We never know what the future may hold but if it's anything like the past, I'm all for it! :) Thanks for the letters, skype calls, messages, and all other types of communication during my absence. It cheered me up when the rain got oppressive and excited me to arrive home to your smiling embraces.

Though it wasn't as difficult to leave Costa Rica as it was to leave Chile, it was still an incredible experience and one that I'll continue to cherish and reminisce about when the monotony begins to close in. And when it does, I'll shake it off and look for another adventure, no matter how big or small, to quench my thirst, if only momentarily.

Adventure on my friends!